June 8: Lead singer of Simply Red- "Holding Back the Years" - Mick Hucknall is 53-years-old today.

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Born 8 June 1960, Michael "Mick" Hucknall was the lead singer of the English band Simply Red, and is recognisable for his smooth, distinctive voice and wide vocal range, as well as his red curly hair. He has been described as "one of the truly great blue-eyed soul singers. Hucknall was born in Denton, England. 

Mick's mother left him and his dad when he was three-years-old. This inspired him to write "Holding Back the Years," which would become one of Simply Red's biggest and most well-known hits.
In 1976, Hucknall saw the Sex Pistols perform, leading to his desire to enter the music scene. He began his career in the late 1970s, 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 and long curly red hair were 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.

In October 2007, on David Jensen's show on the Gold network, he announced Simply Red would split in 2009. In May 2008 Hucknall released his first solo album Tribute to Bobby, a tribute to the blues musician Bobby "Blue" Bland.

"Poverty,” the first single from the album, was released on 19 May, with the second, "Farther Up the Road" scheduled for release on 14 July. In October 2012, he released American Soul, a collection of his favourite music re-recorded with his vocals.

During a series of interviews promoting the American Soul album, Hucknall revealed that he has also been working on an album of original material, to be released after American Soul has reached the end of its life cycle.

In 2010, Hucknall admitted that in his most successful years, between 1985 and 1987, he would have sex with about three women a day and described himself as a sex addict.

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For more about Mick and Simply Red, visit this Website:

http://www.simplyred.com/

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