Mick Hucknall | |
|---|---|
 Hucknall performing in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Michael James Hucknall (1960-06-08)8 June 1960 (age 65) Manchester, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Simply Red |
| Formerly of | Frantic Elevators |
Spouse | |
| Website | simplyred |
Michael James Hucknall[1] (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop bandSimply Red, with whom he had a 25-year career and sold over 50 million albums. Hucknall was described by the AustralianRhythms Magazine as "one of the truly greatblue-eyed soul singers",[2] whileQ credited him with "the most prodigious voice this side ofMotown".[3]
Hucknall, born atSaint Mary's Hospital, Manchester, on 8 June 1960,[4][5][6] was an only child. His mother abandoned the family when he was three; the upheaval caused by this event inspired him to write "Holding Back the Years", which would become one of Simply Red's biggest and best-known hits. He was brought up inDenton[7] by his father, Reginald (1935–2009),[8] a barber inStockport.[9] According to Hucknall he had a happy childhood until the age of 10, when he began to clash with his father "because there was no woman to act as referee".[7]
Hucknall attendedAudenshaw School,[10] before continuing his education atTameside College andManchester Polytechnic'sSchool of Art, where he was a fine art student: whilst at art school he lived inHulme.[7][11] It would not be until the mid-1990s that he would reconnect with his mother, Maureen, who was by then living in the US city ofDallas.[12] As of a 2008 interview, he had only seen her twice since she left.[13] He is of Irish ancestry from his mother, whose father was fromCounty Offaly, along with his paternal grandmother.[14][15] His maternal grandmother was Jewish.[16]
Hucknall was among the people present at theSex Pistols'Lesser Free Trade Hall performance on 4 June 1976.[17] His interest in the music scene led to the launch of his career in the late 1970s, when he was part 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 became the identifiable face of the band. His face and long curly red hair were featured prominently on album artwork and in videos.
In 1997, Hucknall won an Outstanding Achievement award from theMusic of Black Origin Awards (MOBO Awards) despite being white.[18]
Hucknall is one of the founders of the reggae labelBlood and Fire.[19]
In October 2007, onDavid Jensen's show on theGold network, he announced Simply Red would split in 2009.[20] In 2008, he released his first solo albumTribute to Bobby, a tribute to theblues musicianBobby "Blue" Bland.[21]
In October 2009, Hucknall appeared at a charity performance as vocalist for a re-formed version ofFaces, replacingRod Stewart. In October 2011, he was awarded with aBASCA Gold Badge award in recognition of his contribution to music.[22]
In October 2012, he releasedAmerican Soul, a collection of his favourite music re-recorded with his vocals.
Hucknall was active in politics as a prominent celebrity supporter of theLabour Party during theNew Labour era. In 1997, he declared his support for the party at that year'sgeneral election – which it won by a landslide under the leadership ofTony Blair to return to government after 18 years in opposition.[23] In 1998, Hucknall was named in a list of those who donated more than £5,000 to the party.[24] In 2003, Hucknall backed Blair's stance on theIraq War, stating he had "more respect for Blair than ever" and pointed out that British critics of the war were lucky to be living in a country where they could express their opinions.[12] Hucknall said in 2008 that his conscience prevented him from donating to the party again because of the war, although he would still vote for them.[25]
Hucknall has been strongly critical of more recent Labour leaders: after the2015 general election, he said thatEd Miliband "veer(ed) close toMarxism" and that the electorate had acted "with collective wisdom" by defeating Labour in favour of electing aConservative government, which he described as "the inheritor of theBlairite mantle".[26] The following year he describedJeremy Corbyn as a "shabby, spineless coward" for what he regarded as an insufficiently strong commitment to theRemain campaign for the2016 Brexit referendum.[27] Hucknall publicly declared he would not vote for Labour ahead of the2017 general election and2019 general election, and that he had ended his longstanding support for the party, citing Corbyn's stance onantisemitism. In 2019, he described himself as "politically homeless."[28]
Hucknall has said that derogatory references to hisred hair are a form ofbigotry.[29]
Hucknall was a guest on the panel for the BBC's political discussion seriesQuestion Time, broadcast on 27 March 2014, and declared his support forsame-sex marriage.[30]
Hucknall and his wife Gabriella Wesberry married in 2010 at the 16th-centuryForter Castle inGlenisla,Perthshire, Scotland.[31] Their daughter Romy True Hucknall was born in June 2007.[32]
Hucknall spends a considerable amount of time in Ireland, where he purchased the Glenmore Estate near the village ofCloghan,County Donegal, with bandmate Chris De Margary. Hucknall and De Margary are keen fishermen. They operate a fishing and hunting tourism business from the estate.[33][34] In March 2014, Hucknall settled a hunting and fishing rights lawsuit, ongoing for five years, with a neighbour in Ireland. As the case opened in 2009, Judge O'Hagan had instructed both sides to go away and talk about reaching an agreement or else it would drag on for years.[35]
Hucknall co-owns Ask Property Development, a company that constructs city squares and public buildings.[36]
Hucknall spends time inCatania,Sicily, where he produces wines under the label "Il Cantante" (The Singer).[37]
Hucknall is a football fan and a supporter ofManchester United.[38][39] His song "We're in This Together" was the competition anthem of the1996 UEFA European Football Championship and he performed it at its opening and closing ceremonies.
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [40] | AUT [40] | GER [40] | IT [40] | NL [40] | SWI [40] | |||
| 2008 | Tribute to Bobby
| 18 | 39 | 37 | 25 | 23 | 29 | |
| 2012 | American Soul
| 6 | 11 | 12 | 22 | 15 | 18 | Gold (BPI) |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [41] | |||
| 2008 | "Poverty" | — | Tribute to Bobby |
| "Farther Up the Road" | — | ||
| 2011 | "Happy This Christmas" | — | Non-album single |
| 2012 | "That's How Strong My Love Is" | 118 | American Soul |
In 1986, he provided backup vocals for the musical filmLittle Shop of Horrors.
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Ain't That a Lot of Love" | Reload (with Simply Red andTom Jones) |
| 2002 | "T-Bone Shuffle" | Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues[42] |
| 2012 | "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" | Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra –The Golden Age Of Song |
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Someday in my Life" | Leggera (Mina) |
| 2012 | "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" | Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International |
| 2015 | "Streets of Arklow" | Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue (Van Morrison) |
