Frantic Elevators

Simply Red
Lead singer, Mick Hucknall of Simply Red.
Background information
Origin	Manchester, England
Genres	Pop,soul,blue-eyed soul,sophisti-pop
Years active	1985–2010 2015–present
Labels	Elektra, East West
Website	www.simplyred.com
Members	Mick Hucknall Ian Kirkham Steve Lewinson Kenji Suzuki Kevin Robinson Dave Clayton Roman Roth
Past members	See below

Simply Red are a British soul and pop band which has sold more than 50 million albums since the mid 1980s. The lead singer of the band is the singer/songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band was disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. At the 1992 and 1993 Brit Awards, they received the award for Best British Group. The group re-formed in 2015.

Simply Red's origination dates from a 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. Manchester art student Mick Hucknall was one of the few young music fans present, along with Mark E. Smith of The Fall as well as original members of the bands Joy Division, The Smiths and Buzzcocks. The first incarnation of the band was a punk 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, "Holding Back the Years".

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 adopted the name "Red" (after Hucknall's nickname, denoting his hair colour) but then 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.

The initial Simply Red line-up consisted of Mick Hucknall (vocals), David Fryman (guitar), Tony Bowers (bass), Fritz McIntyre (keyboards and vocals), Tim Kellett (brass and live backing vocals) and Chris Joyce (drums). Bowers and Joyce had both previously been members of post-punk bands The Durutti Column and The Mothmen; Kellett had also been a member of The Durutti Column, though not at the same time as Bowers and Joyce.