Simply Red are a British

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and pop band formed in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter

Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...

, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the release of their debut studio album ''

Picture Book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

'' (1985), they have had ten songs reach top 10 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, including "

Holding Back the Years "Holding Back the Years" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the third single from their debut studio album, ''Picture Book'' (1985). It reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the UK Sin ...

" and "

If You Don't Know Me by Now "If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, topp ...

", both of which reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. They have had five number one albums in the UK, with their 1991 album, ''

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

'', being one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. At the 1992 and 1993

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

, they received the award for Best British Group. They received three

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations: for

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

in 1987, and "Holding Back the Years" and "If You Don't Know Me by Now" for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The band re-formed in 2015. Simply Red have sold over 50 million albums.

History

1977–1984: Beginnings: The Frantic Elevators

Hucknall was in a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

group called The Frantic Elevators, whose seven-year run produced limited releases on local labels and ended in 1984 upon critical acclaim for their final single, "

1985–1988: Formation and early success

After the demise of The Frantic Elevators, Hucknall linked up with manager Elliot Rashman. By early 1985, Hucknall and Rashman had assembled a band of local session musicians and begun to attract record-company attention. The group went under a number of names: "World Service", "Red And The Dancing Dead", "Just Red" (after Hucknall's nickname "Red", denoting his hair colour) but Hucknall decided it would sound better with the addition of the word 'Simply'. The band's name is also linked to Hucknall's allegiance to being a supporter of Manchester United, as the club's home shirt colour is

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

. The initial Simply Red line-up consisted of Mick Hucknall (vocals), David Fryman (guitar),

Tony Bowers Tony Bowers (born 31 October 1952, England) is a musician based in Italy and Ireland who has worked with many bands, including Simply Red in the 1980s. Career Bowers debuted in the blues band, Blind Eye (1971–1972), as second guitarist, altho ...

(bass),

Fritz McIntyre Fritz Gerald McIntyre (2 September 1958 – 23 August 2021) was a British musician, most famous for his tenure as keyboard player in the original line-up of Simply Red. Early life McIntyre was born in Birmingham in 1958. His father was not ...

(keyboards and vocals),

Tim Kellett Tim Kellett (born 23 July 1964 in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. Biography Kellett has worked in the British music industry for the past twenty eight years. His professional career b ...

(brass and live backing vocals) and Chris Joyce (drums). Bowers and Joyce had both previously been members of

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

bands

The Durutti Column The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England.Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, The band is a project of guitarist and occasional pianist Vini Reilly wh ...

and

The Mothmen The Mothmen were a short-lived post-punk band from England, formed around 1979 by Dave Rowbotham, Chris Joyce and Tony Bowers, shortly after they left The Durutti Column, including ex-Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias singer Bob Harding. History ...

; Kellett had also been a member of The Durutti Column, though not at the same time as Bowers and Joyce. Simply Red signed a contract with Elektra in 1985, but after recording one track ("Red Box"), Fryman left the group and was replaced by guitarist

Sylvan Richardson Sylvan Richardson is a British guitarist, composer, and masseur. Music Best known for being the one-time guitarist of Simply Red, after the second album '' Men and Women'' and a successful world tour, Richardson left the band after becoming d ...

, billed as 'Sylvan'. "Red Box" would eventually see release in 1985 as a B-side to the group's first single, "

Money's Too Tight (to Mention) "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" (sometimes stylized as "Money$ Too Tight (to Mention)" in some of its single and album releases) is a song written and first recorded by The Valentine Brothers, John Valentine and Billy Valentine, and released a ...

", a cover of a soul song originally recorded by

The Valentine Brothers The Valentine Brothers were an American recording act in the late 1970s and 1980s, comprising brothers John and William "Billy" Valentine. One of their biggest hits, as singers and songwriters, was "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)", which reache ...

. "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" gained international success, reaching the UK and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Top 20, then later the American, French and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Top 30, and the Italian Top 5. It was included on their debut album, ''

'', also released in 1985. Several low-charting singles would follow for the band. Among the comparative flops was a re-recording of the Frantic Elevators' "

", done up in a new soul-ballad style arrangement. Released as Simply Red's third single in 1985, the track initially placed outside the UK Top 50. However, upon being re-released in 1986, "Holding Back the Years" became a major hit, peaking at #1 in Ireland, #2 in the UK, #3 in the Netherlands, #20 in Italy and later #1 in the United States. Simply Red's second album, 1987's '' Men and Women'', saw the band adopting bowler hats and colourful suits instead of their earlier ragamuffin look. As well, the introspection and social commentary of their debut album was replaced by a blue-eyed soul sound with funk influences. Veteran

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

songwriter

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

co-authored two tracks with Hucknall for the album—these tracks were credited to 'Hucknall/Dozier/Hucknall' in the original album credits, in homage to the famous Motown writing team of Holland/Dozier/Holland. The album's lead single " The Right Thing" was another international hit, charting in the top 40 throughout Europe and North America. Several follow-up singles also met with modest success in the UK and elsewhere.

1989–1995: Peak years

Guitarist Richardson left after the release of ''Men and Women'' and was replaced by Brazilian

Heitor Pereira Heitor Teixeira Pereira () (born November 29, 1960), or Heitor TP, is a Brazilian composer, songwriter, musician, arranger, and record producer. In his career, Pereira has recorded with the band Simply Red and several famous musicians, such as Elt ...

(billed as Heitor TP). Saxophonist Ian Kirkham, who joined the group during the ''Picture Book'' tour in 1986 and played on ''Men and Women'', became an official member. With their third album ''

A New Flame ''A New Flame'' is the third album by British pop and soul group Simply Red, released in February 1989. It was a huge success worldwide, becoming the band's first UK number one album and certified 7× Platinum by the BPI for sales of 2,100,000 ...

'' in 1989, Simply Red adopted a yet more mainstream popular sound aimed for commercial rather than critical success, typified by their cover of

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American soul and R&B vocal group. One of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s, the group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in ...

' pop classic "

", which became their second U.S. #1 hit, and one of the biggest singles of the year internationally; and their greatest success to that point. Hucknall was by this time an international superstar, being photographed with models and Hollywood celebrities. This seemed to harm the band's coherence as a unit, with Hucknall declaring in 1991 that Simply Red was "essentially a solo project". The rhythm section of Bowers and Joyce left around this time; they were replaced by bassist Shaun Ward (ex- Floy Joy and

Everyday People "Everyday People" is a 1968 song composed by Sly Stone and first recorded by his band, Sly and the Family Stone. It was the first single by the band to go to number one on the Soul singles chart and the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It held ...

) and drummer

Gota Yashiki is a Japanese musician, both an independent acid jazz artist and drum/bass player, as a member of the band Simply Red. Biography He was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japan ...

(often billed as just Gota). The band's career peaked in late 1991 with the release of ''

'', which became the best-selling album for two years running in Europe and the UK (though notably had less chart success in the US than their previous albums, still earning however a gold certification). The album spun off five top 40 singles in the UK, and the singles "

Something Got Me Started "Something Got Me Started" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the first single from their fourth album, ''Stars'' (1991). It was released in several forms — a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single, and a CD version, ...

" and "

" were also significant chart hits throughout all of Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. After the tour, Tim Kellett left to form dance band

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

. After touring and promoting ''Stars'' for two years, Simply Red returned in 1995 with "

Fairground Fairground most typically refers to a permanent space that hosts fairs. Fairground, Fairgrounds, Fair Ground or Fair Grounds may also refer to: Places Canada * Fairground, Ontario, a community United States * Fairground, St. Louis, a neighbo ...

", a dance-influenced track prominently featuring a sample from Zki & Dobri's Goodmen project. A massive radio hit, "Fairground" went on to become the band's first and only UK #1. Its parent album ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' sold more than a million copies in the UK alone, making it the fourth-biggest seller of the year. By this time, the band was officially Hucknall, McIntyre, Pereira, Kirkham, and new backing vocalist Dee Johnson. Guest musicians (including

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separ ...

) filled in on drums and bass. For the subsequent live shows, Simply Red were joined by new recruits' Steve Lewinson on bass, Velroy Bailey on drums, and second backing vocalist Sarah Brown.

1996–2000

McIntyre, the only original remaining band member aside from lead singer Hucknall, left the group after the ''Life'' album, as did Pereira. From that time in 1996, Simply Red was essentially a trade name for Hucknall and a bevy of session musicians, which would vary from track to track (and gig to gig) as needed, although all post-1996 Simply Red albums and live shows did include contributions from sax player Ian Kirkham. Returning drummer Gota Yashiki (co-producing several album tracks) and backing vocalist Dee Johnson were also frequently involved with the band's later recordings and shows, as was new keyboardist/co-producer Andy Wright.

East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with t ...

issued the compilation album ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' in 1996, reportedly against Hucknall's wishes. The album featured one new track, a cover of the 1973

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

hit "

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

" which was co-produced with

The Fugees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(who also served as backing musicians). Released as a single, "Angel" reached #4 in the UK. 1998 saw the release of the

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

-heavy ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

'', which produced four UK top 40 singles, including the top 10 hits " Say You Love Me" and "

The Air That I Breathe "The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by British-Gibraltarian singer-songwriter Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Hammond on his debut album, ''It Never Rains in Southern California'' (1972). It was a major hit for t ...

". The follow-up album, 1999's '' Love and the Russian Winter'', was a relative disappointment, spawning two minor hits that failed to break the top 10. Simply Red were dropped from their label, East West Records in April 2000. Hucknall subsequently set up the website Simplyred.com to handle releases of new recordings; the new label/website venture proved to be quite successful, many of the band's Simplyred.com releases selling and charting almost as well as their earlier recordings.

2003–2010: Re-establishment as a live band and disbanding

Between 2003 and its disbandment in 2010, the band's official line-up for live performances was Mick Hucknall (vocals), Ian Kirkham (saxophone/keyboards), Dave Clayton (keyboards), Kenji Suzuki (guitar), Kevin Robinson (trumpet/flugelhorn/percussion), Steve Lewinson (bass guitar) and Pete Lewinson (drums). These musicians featured on Simply Red's albums as well, though they were often augmented or replaced by session musicians. From 2003 to 2008, John Johnson (trombone), Dee Johnson (vocals), Sarah Brown (vocals) and Chris De Margary (saxophone) also appeared on both albums and tours. On 24 March 2003, the band released ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'', a mixture of original songs and covers, including a version of

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All ...

' "

You Make Me Feel Brand New "You Make Me Feel Brand New" is a 1974 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. An R&B ballad, the song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. Background Stylistics tenor Airrion Love starts out the song and then alternates with ...

", which hit UK #7. The album went Double Platinum in the United Kingdom, Gold in Canada, and Platinum in Europe. It featured two other hit singles: "

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

" (#7 UK) and " Fake" (#21 UK). On 13 October 2005, followed '' Simplified'', mainly an album of stripped-down versions of their classic hits. The single "Perfect Love" made it to number 30 on the UK chart, the band's final top 30 placing. On 12 March 2007, the band released its tenth (and, at that time, proclaimed final) studio album, ''

Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...

''. This was preceded by the single from that album, "So Not Over You", released on 5 March 2007, which would peak at #34 in the UK. Follow-up single "Stay" (released on 28 May 2007) peaked at #36 UK, and was the band's final placing in the UK top 100 (although they would release several non-charting singles in the following years). On 19 May 2008, Hucknall released his first solo album, '' Tribute to Bobby''. The backing musicians on the solo album were virtually the same group of musicians he had been working with as "Simply Red" for the last few years. Hucknall announced that the name Simply Red would be retired after a farewell tour which started in early 2009 and ended in 2010. Simply Red's final concert took place at

the O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...

in London on 19 December 2010. The concert was shown live at cinemas throughout the UK.

2014–2015: ''Big Love'' and 30th anniversary reunion tour

On 3 November 2014, Simply Red announced that they would be reforming in Autumn 2015 for a 30th anniversary European tour, the "Big Love Tour 2015". The tour debuted on 20 October 2015 in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

, Denmark, went on in 2016 as the "Big Love Tour 2016" and ended on 26 August 2016 at the Summerdays Festival in

Arbon Arbon is a historic town and a municipality and district capital of the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Arbon is located on the southern shore of Lake Constance, on a railway line between Konstanz/Romanshorn and Rorsch ...

, Switzerland, performing the following month an ultimate show on 10 September 2016 at the BMW Festival Night in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The line-up for the reunion tour was the same as Simply Red's last formation with the exception of Roman Roth replacing Pete Lewinson as drummer. On 19 April 2015, the band announced that they would be releasing a new studio album (also) named ''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tri ...

'', containing 12 new tracks. The new album was released on 29 May 2015.

2016–2017: ''Stars 25th anniversary tour

On 11 November 2016, Simply Red embarked in Dublin, Ireland on the "25 Years of Stars Live" tour, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release in September 1991 of ''

'' by playing live on stage the entire album in its original running order (while the second half of the show featured hits and classic Simply Red songs). The debut date in Ireland was followed by a 10-date UK leg starting on 13 November in Liverpool, England, and ending on 27 November at The O2 in London. In 2017, they announced they will be playing at the annual Symphonica In Rosso event.

2019: ''Blue Eyed Soul''

The band's twelfth studio album, '' Blue Eyed Soul'', was released on 8 November 2019. It debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart, selling nearly 10,000 copies in its first week.

Awards and nominations

ARPA Music Awards , - , 1996 , "

" , Most Performed Foreign Work , ASCAP Pop Music Awards !Ref. , - , 1987 , rowspan=2, "

" , rowspan=2, Most Performed Song , , , - , 1988 , , Brit Awards , - , 1985 , ''

'' , Best British Album , , - , rowspan="2" , 1987 , "

" , Best British Single , , - , rowspan="2" , Simply Red , rowspan="2" , Best British Group , , - , rowspan="3" , 1990 , , - , "

" , Best British Single , , - , ''

'' , rowspan="2" , Best British Album , , - , rowspan="3" , 1992 , ''

'' , , - , "

" , Best British Video , , - , rowspan="2" , Simply Red , rowspan="2" , Best British Group , , - , rowspan="3" , 1993 , , - ,

, Best British Male , , - , " For Your Babies" , Best British Video , , - , 1997 ,

, Best British Male , ECHO Awards , - , 1999 , rowspan="2" , Simply Red , rowspan="2" , Best International Group , , - , 2004 , Goldene Europa , - , 2000 , Simply Red , Group of the Year , Grammy Awards , - , rowspan="2" , 1987 , Simply Red ,

, , - , "

" , rowspan="2" , Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals , , - , 1990 , "

" , Hungarian Music Awards , - , 1996 , ''

'' , Best Foreign Album , Ivor Novello Awards , - , rowspan="2" , 1992 ,

, Songwriter of the Year , , - , "

" , Best Song Musically & Lyrically , , - , 1996 , "

" , Best Selling Song , , - , 2002 , Simply Red , Outstanding Song Collection , Lunas del Auditorio , - , 2004 , rowspan=3, Themselves , rowspan=3, Best Foreign Pop Artist , , - , 2009 , , - , 2010 , MTV Video Music Awards , - ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, "

" ,

, Mercury Prize , - , 1992 , ''

'' , Album of the Year , Music & Media Year-End Awards !Ref. , - , 1989 , Simply Red , Group of the Year , ,

Pollstar ''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017. History and profile Founded in 1981 in Fre ...

Concert Industry Awards , - , rowspan="2" , 1987 , ''Tour'' , Small Hall Tour of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" , Simply Red , rowspan="2" , Next Major Arena Headliner , , - , rowspan="2" , 1988 , , - , ''Tour'' , Small Hall Tour of the Year ,

Members

;Current members *

– lead vocals, piano, guitar (1985–2010, 2015–present) * Ian Kirkham – saxophone, EWI, keyboards (1986–2010, 2015–present) *Steve Lewinson – bass, backing vocals (1995–1998, 2003–2010, 2015–present) *Kenji Suzuki – guitars, backing vocals (1998–2010, 2015–present) *Kevin Robinson – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion, backing vocals (1999–2010, 2015–present) *Dave Clayton – keyboards (2003–2010, 2015–present) *Roman Roth – drums, backing vocals (2015–present) ;Former members *

– keyboards, vocals (1985–1996, died 2021) *

– trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, backing vocals, bass (1985–1994) *

– bass (1985–1991) * Chris Joyce – drums, percussion (1985–1991) *David Fryman – guitars (1985) *

– guitars (1985–1987) *

Aziz Ibrahim Aziz-Ur-Rahman Ibrahim (born 16 March 1964) is a British guitarist. He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red, The Stone Roses (post-John Squire) and their former vo ...

– guitars (1987–1988) *

– guitars (1988–1996) *

– drums, percussion (1991–1995, 1997–2003) *Shaun Ward – bass, backing vocals (1991–1994) *Dee Johnson – backing vocals (1991–2008) *Velroy Bailey – drums (1995–1998) *Sarah Brown – backing vocals (1995–2008) *Tim Vine – keyboards, bass (1996–1999) * John Johnson – trombone, percussion (1998–2008, died 2017) *Mark Jaimes – guitars (1998–2003) *Wayne Stobbart – bass (1998–2002) *Chris De Margary – saxophone, flute (1998–2008) * Andy Wright – keyboards, bass (1998–2002) *Pete Lewinson – drums (2003–2010)

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (1985) * '' Men and Women'' (1987) * ''

'' (1989) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1998) * '' Love and the Russian Winter'' (1999) * ''

'' (2003) * '' Simplified'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2015) * '' Blue Eyed Soul'' (2019)

References

External links

*
Simply Red at WorldMusicDatabase

Spanish website
* * {{Authority control Brit Award winners British soft rock music groups British soul musical groups East West Records artists Elektra Records artists English pop music groups Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups reestablished in 2015 Musical groups from Manchester Sophisti-pop musical groups