Mick Hucknall

An audience member at the Sex Pistols legendary Lesser Trade Hall gig in Manchester in 1976, the 16-year-old Mick Hucknall was inspired to form his own punk band the Frantic Elevators before finding huge international fame as the frontman of smooth pop rockers Simply Red. His tender songwriting and soulful sound produced four Number 1 albums and the hits If You Don't Know Me By Now, Holding Back The Years, Stars and Fairground, culminating in record sales of over 50 million. With his distinctive curly red hair Hucknall became a tabloid darling linked with a string of glamorous women and attended Tony Blair's famous celebration party at No 10 after the Labour Party's 1997 General Election victory. Covering the songs of Memphis blues star Bobby Bland, his debut solo album Tribute To Bobby (2008) proved a loyal celebration of an often overlooked talent, reaching Number 18 in the UK. In recent years Hucknall has concentrated on business interests, which include a property company, a wine label and restaurant in Paris.