Simply Red Tickets

Simply Red
Noted for producing music that offers contact highs and absorbing drifts, Simply Red is a unique blend of the pop and the eccentric, the old and the new and the depressing and the optimistic music. The British soul pop band Simply Red was formed by singer Michael Hucknall in 1984.

Joined by bassists Durutti Column, Tony Bowers, drummer Chris Joyce, and keyboard player Tim Kellett, Simply Red was built on a stout mastery of old-school ballads. Over a span of 13 years, Simply Red have released 15 albums, spawning sparkly singles about emotions, sentiments, money, celebrity glitz and glamour etc.

Shortly after its inception, newly born Simply Red signed to Elektra Records who released the bands debut album entitled Picture Book. Spawning various such hit singles as Moneys Too Tight (To Mention), and Holding Back the Years, the album was crowned with enormous success.

It went platinum. With Hucknalls original song Holding Back the Years that topped the U.S. charts, the band made one of the major successes in 1986. Simply Red has, in little time, charmed the whole world.

In 1987, they released their second album called Men and Women and successfully arrived at the head of the English and American charts.

Unlike debut album, Men and Women was less popular. It was not until 1989 Simply Red issued their gold-winning album, A New Flame. The albums single If You Dont Know Me by Now hit number one and became a gold single.

By the time of the fourth album, Shaun Ward on bass, Gota on drums, and saxophonist Ian Kirkham had become permanent members of the band. Their fourth album, Stars was a relative commercial disappointment in the U.S.

but it became a major success in the U.K. Stars was the best-selling album of 1991, topped the charts for 19 weeks in UK. It spawned the Top Ten hits Stars, For Your Babies and the Top 40 hits Something Got Me Started, Thrill Me, and Your Mirror.

Simply Red continued gaining momentum and so was their fan-following. In October 1995, they released their fifth album Life without Ward and Gota. Toppong charts all over Europe, Life again proved more of a success at home than in America.

The album had its lead-off single, Fairground, which remained in the US charts for three-months. A year later, people were surprised with their yet another music album entitled Greatest Hits.

Blue followed in 1998, and Simply Red issued Live at the Lyceum the following year. With the release of their album Love and the Russian Winter, the band embarked on a world tour called The Spirit of Life Tour. Its Only Love was released in 2000.

Around this time, the band had to undergo line-up changes and tour extensively to promote their albums. Simply Red did not come up with any new album for three years. Ending the search for their new album, the band issued Home in April. Home reached number two in the UK due to spawning singles like Sunrise, You Make Me Feel Brand New etc.

That same year, they released their new greatest hits album called The very best of Simply Red. The latter album contained 37 songs. Two years later came a package of old and new songs called Simplified. This collection hit number three in Britain and number two in the Eurochart.

Simply Red followed another two-year absence before their critically acclaimed album Stay in April 2007. By the time of the release of their thirteenth album, the lineup of Simply Red was consisting of Hucknall, Kirkham, Sarah Brown (background vocals), David Clayton (keyboards), Peter Lewinson (drums), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), and Kenji Suzuki (guitar).

Noted for its music, the album successfully reached number four in the UK and number two in the Eurochart. The band added up a sale of more than 50 million albums throughout the world.

Year 2006 also saw Simply Red releasing their hit single Oh! What A Girl! from their album Stay. The track was preceded by the single So Not Over You and Stay, both in 2007. The World And You Tonight, the fourth and the last single of Simply Red, was released in November 2007.

Simply Red have scheduled their tour to perform a greatest hits show on December the 3rd, in support of their newest Greatest Hits album. While, Mick Hucknall announced that the band is due to split in 2010. Simply Red will embark on their farewell tour, beginning in February 2009.