Francis Dunnery was born on December 25, 1962 in Egremont, England. He grew up in a musical family and began his professional career as part of an early teens duo with Peter Lockhart. In 1982, at the age of nineteen, Dunnery formed the rock band It Bites, serving as lead singer and guitarist alongside school friends Bob Dalton, Dick Nolan, and John Beck. The band initially played local venues before relocating to London in 1984. They signed with Virgin Records and released their debut album The Big Lad in the Windmill in 1986, which included the hit single "Calling All The Heroes" that reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the breakup of It Bites in 1990, Dunnery pursued a solo career and established his own record label, Aquarian Nation, in 2001. He has collaborated with numerous artists, including Robert Plant, Ian Brown, Lauryn Hill, Santana, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, David Sancious, Chris Difford, James Sonefeld, Erin Moran, Steven Harris, and Ashley Reaks. Dunnery was also a candidate to audition as the lead singer for Genesis following Phil Collins' departure in 1996. His solo albums include Fearless (1994), Let's Go Do What Happens (1998), and Man (2001).
