Mick Hucknall

Mick Hucknall is the singer and songwriter who founded Simply Red in Manchester in 1984. The group emerged from the city's post-punk club scene and combined soul, pop and other influences on albums including Picture Book, Men and Women and Stars. Holding Back the Years, written by Hucknall, became a number-one single in the United States.

His collaborators include songwriter Lamont Dozier and producer Stewart Levine. Beyond Simply Red, Hucknall helped establish the specialist reggae label Blood and Fire, extending his interest in Black music into the recovery and circulation of earlier Jamaican recordings.