Mick Hucknall Biography
Summary
"Michael Hucknall" (born 8 June 1960 in, Manchester, England) is a British singer and songwriter. Hucknall (also known as 'Mick 'Red Mick' Hucknall') is the lead singer of the British band Simply Red.
Early life
Hucknall was born in St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, the son of Reg and Maureen Hucknall. His mother left the family when Hucknall was aged three. He and his father lived very briefly in Bredbury before settling in Denton, where he grew up. He attended Audenshaw Grammar School for Boys.
Music career
Hucknall claims to have been among the people present at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester in June 1976, where the Sex Pistols were playing. His interest in the music scene led to the launch of his career in the late seventies, when he was part of the formation of the band Frantic Elevators.
The Frantic Elevators released four singles, including a version of 'Holding Back The Years', which he later recorded with Simply Red.
As lead singer and core member of Simply Red, he has become the identifiable face of the band. His face, including his long curly red hair, was featured prominently on album artwork and in videos.
Hucknall is also one of the founders and financial backers of the successful reggae label Blood and Fire. He also manages the record label 'simplyred.com'.
Hucknall believes that derogatory references to his red hair is a form of bigotry. (... more) .
Politics and philanthropy
Hucknall is active in politics and is a prominent celebrity supporter of the UK Labour Party; he is a close friend of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
It has been claimed Hucknall's resentment for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is evident in three of Simply Red's songs; 'She'll Have To Go' on the Simply Red album "A New Flame", "Your Mirror" and "Wonderland" on the Stars album.
Following the Asian tsunami in 2004 Hucknall made a public statement of support for the charity and has asked his fans to consider giving support.
Personal life
A Daily Mail article indicated that Hucknall had dated Catherine Zeta-Jones, Helena Christensen, and a number of other models, actresses and dancers in the UK.
He and partner Gabriella Wesberry had a baby daughter, Romy True Hucknall, together in June 2007. (... more)
In October 2007, on David Jensen's show on the Gold network, he announced Simply Red would split in 2009 (... more) .
Along with Johnny Depp, John Malkovich and Sean Penn, Hucknall part-owns the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray
External links
(Guardian article) (March 21, 2003)
(Interview) with Mick Hucknall "(USA, 2003)"
(Frantic Elevators - Unofficial site)
(Simply Red at Glastonbury 1986)
(Harry Hill Sketch about the 'National Index of A Big Face' Featuring Hucknall)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Mick Hucknall.
