SKS Michael Russ GmbH – Charlottenplatz 17 – 70173 Stuttgart

PRESSEINFORMATION
SIMPLY RED
30. Oktober 2015
Stuttgart Schleyer-Halle
Big Love Tour 2015
Gast: Nicole Bernegger
Rund 30 Jahre nachdem sie begannen, Generationen mit ihrem unwiderstehlichen Soul
zu begeistern, melden sich SIMPLY RED zurück. Rotschopf Mick Hucknall verspürt
wieder eine große Lust, dieses Jubiläum live mit einer Welttour zu zelebrieren. In seinen
Worten ist es „genau der richtige Moment für die Rückkehr von SIMPLY RED!“. Ihren
perfekten Mix aus Soul, Funk und Reggae sowie die geballten Greatest Hits können die
Fans vom 29. Oktober bis 10. November 2015 in Deutschland erleben. München,
Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Hannover, Dortmund, Leipzig, Köln und Mannheim
sind die Stationen.
Ihre Musik zeichnete sich stets durch eine eindrucksvolle, zeitlose Qualität aus, die der
Band eine Vielzahl von Top 20-Hits in den Achtzigern, Neunzigern und nach 2000
bescherte. Gemeinsam mit den langjährigen Gefährten Ian Kirkham am Saxophon,
Gitarrist Kenji Suziku, Bassist Steve Lewinson und Trompeter Kevin Robinson sowie
weiteren Mitstreitern haben SIMPLY RED ihre temporäre Auszeit beendet. Jetzt wollen
sie ihren loyalen Anhängern das geben, worauf sie sehnsüchtig warten: Die Power des
„Blue-Eyed Soul“.
SIMPLY RED haben mit ihrer mitreißenden Mischung aus Soul und Pop, ebenso
eleganten wie einfühlsamen Balladen einen emotionalen Soundtrack ihrer Zeit geliefert.
Ihre über 100 Single- und Album-Charterfolge erreichten eine Gesamtauflage von mehr
als 55 Millionen. Dutzende von Gold- und Platinauszeichnungen pflasterten ihre
erstaunliche Karriere. In über 1.200 Konzerten bejubelten 12 Millionen Fans musikalisch
brillante Auftritte.
Ihr Debutalbum „Picture Book“ und die Single „Money's Too Tight (To Mention)“ brachte
1985 mit einem R&B-Groove den Durchbruch. Der Millionenseller „Men And Women“
(1987) driftete treffsicher hin zum Funk und die überwältigenden Welterfolge „A New
Flame“ (1989) und „Stars“ (1991) fanden eine genaue Balance zwischen den Genres.
Auch als SIMPLY RED mit dem globalen Nr. 1 Hit „Fairground“ und dem Album „Life“
1995 Referenzen an die Modern Dance Music lieferten, blieben sie dennoch ihrem
unverwechselbaren Sound treu.
Mit „Blue“ (1998), „Love In The Russian Winter“ (1999), „Home“ (2003) und „Simplified“
(2005) knüpften SIMPLY RED an die Tradition der Vorgänger-CDs an, reihten weiterhin
Erfolg an Erfolg, bis hin zum zehnten Studioalbum „Stay“ (2007). Sein besonderes
Gespür für Soul-Klassiker und seine einzigartige Vokalqualität bewies Mick Hucknall
immer wieder. So lieferte er beispielsweise bemerkenswerte Interpretationen wie „You
Make Me Feel Brand New“ und „If You Don't Know Me By Now“ sowie seine Hommage an
den einflussreichen Bobby ‚Blue‘ Bland oder sein American Soul Album.
SKS Michael Russ GmbH – Charlottenplatz 17 – 70173 Stuttgart
www.michaelrussgmbh.de – [email protected]
Immer wieder gelangen Mick Hicknall und SIMPLY RED die perfekte Verschmelzung von
Soul und Pop, wobei der Studiosound authentisch über die Rampe gebracht wurde.
Selten hat
sich ein britischer Sänger Technik und Resonanz der amerikanischen
Soulstars so angenähert, wie dies Hucknall scheinbar mühelos schafft. Seine Songs
„Holding Back The Years”, „The Right Thing”, „A New Flame”, „Stars” oder „You've Got It”
sind Glanzpunkte eines wahrlich außergewöhnlichen Jubiläums.
simplyred.com
SIMPLY RED timeline and awards
Since their first tour in 1985, Simply Red played over 1,200 shows to over 12 million
people, notched up over 55 million global sales, over 31 Top 40 UK singles, 3 BRIT
Awards, 2 Ivor Novellos, 2 US No.1 Singles and a MOBO Special Achievement. It was an
incredible journey:
1985 Picture Book was released in October 1985 and climbed to number two thanks to
the top 20 success of debut hit Money’s Too Tight (To Mention).
As a new unknown band Simply Red supported James Brown on tour.
1986 Holding Back The Years number 1 in the USA (number 2 in the UK) - catapulting
Picture Book into the top 5 selling albums around the world.
Mick Hucknall worked with Lamont Dozier.
1987 Men and Women went straight in at number 2 with Picture Book still in the UK
top 10.
Hucknall wrote for Diana Ross and Anita Baker and ‘I'm Gonna Lose You’ for Roman
Polanski film Frantic
1988 Played Hollywood Rock Festival, Rio de Janeiro 40,000 people and Sao Paulo
Football Stadium 80,000. Hucknall worked with Joe Sample.
1989 A New Flame album straight to number 1, going double platinum in 5 weeks and
was the first album of the year to sell a million units in the UK. Band played at the Roxy
in LA, audience included Jack Nicholson, Debra Winger and Harry Dean Stanton (Jack
Nicholson was clapping and grinning up on his chair)
1990 Mick sang on American TV with Herbie Hancock, Pete Townshend & others
Holding Back The Years was awarded by ASCAP for being one of the most performed
songs in the USA in 1990
1991 Stars album went straight to number 1 and was the biggest selling album in the
UK this year.
Brits - Simply Red shared Best British Band (with the KLF).
Ivor Novello award for best songwriter of the year.
1992 Massive tour, 294 dates, included Wembley Stadium and other big outdoor dates,
playing to 1,470,068 people!
Won two Brit awards - Best British Band and Best Male Artist
Stars biggest selling album in the UK this year also.
1993 Concert of Hope with George Michael for Princess Di
Remixed tracks for Bjork
Stars voted number 1 in Top 100 albums of all time Daily Mail readers/Radio 1 listeners
Mick set up the reggae record label Blood and Fire
SKS Michael Russ GmbH – Charlottenplatz 17 – 70173 Stuttgart
www.michaelrussgmbh.de – [email protected]
1994 Mick was asked to sing at a Marvin Gaye tribute at the Apollo Theatre, Harlem,
New York
1995 First UK number 1 single with Fairground. Album Life also straight to number 1.
We’re In This Together chosen as the Euro ‘96 theme tune
1996 release of Simply Red’s first Greatest Hits collection, another number one for the
band plus the specially recorded top five hit Angel, featuring the Fugees.
Played at Old Trafford for Euro ‘96
Mick performed with Quincy Jones, Phil Collins and Chaka Khan at Montreux Jazz Festival
1997 MOBO award for Outstanding Achievement
Duet with BBKing
UNICEF gift of song Mick gave ‘Say You Love Me’
1998 Blue album became 5th number 1 album in a row.
Recorded track for Robin Williams film What Dreams May Come
1999 Love And The Russian Winter final album of the long and successful
relationship with Warner Music.
Performed at the Millennium Dome New Year’s Eve Concert
Recorded a duet with Tom Jones!
2000 Sang at Catherine Zeta Jones’s wedding to Michael Douglas
2001 Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection
2002 Mick announces that he has set up his own label, simplyred.com
2003 Home album released on Hucknall’s own independent label.
Sold over a million copies in Europe, earning the following awards: Italy - double
platinum; Germany and Holland - platinum; Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and
France all were awarded gold. Home was the biggest selling independent album that
year and remains the most successful self released album of all time selling over 3m
globally. Hugely successful World tour followed.
2004 Mick's record label Simplyred.com awarded the Music Week Award for UK
Achievement.
2005 After playing 2 shows in Havana, Cuba, a live DVD ‘Cuba!’ is released, to
accompany the Simplified album release. Latin-inspired unplugged album led into a
series of prestigious sold-out Albert Hall dates in London and a major European arena
tour.
2006 continued to tour the UK and Europe, prior to going back into studio.
2007 Stay album release. Sold-out 6 nights at Royal Albert Hall in London plus dates in
the Europe, Australia and Canada. Stay was Simply Red’s tenth studio album in 22 years
and gave them their 10th top ten hit in a row, with an impressive number four placing.
2008 Tribute To Bobby album release. Hucknall entered a new phase of his iconic
career with the release of a debut solo LP – a tribute to the blues musician Bobby ‘Blue’
Bland.
The Greatest Hits 25 double CD release Nov 2008, featuring the top 25 Simply Red
tracks from the past two and half decades.
SKS Michael Russ GmbH – Charlottenplatz 17 – 70173 Stuttgart
www.michaelrussgmbh.de – [email protected]
2009 The accompanying Greatest Hits World Tour took in audiences of over a million
people.
2010 Songs of Love compilation album released.
Farewell tour The band said their farewells all over the world this year, after what had
been a remarkable 25 year career, allowing Mick Hucknall to pursue a solo career and
begin a brand new chapter. The band played their farewell shows in South America in
April, then in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the UK from September to
December.
2011 / 2012 saw Mick continuing this exploration of his musical heroes with a new solo
release, ‘American Soul’, released on ATCO records. The record reached number 6 in
the UK charts.
2013 major European Mick Hucknall solo tour.
SKS Michael Russ GmbH – Charlottenplatz 17 – 70173 Stuttgart
www.michaelrussgmbh.de – [email protected]