Simply Red: jazz pop royalty for the ages

Simply Red can easily be considered the most successful jazz-soul band ever, thanks in many ways to the incredible vocal talents and songwriting sensibilities of their flame-haired lead singer, Mick Hucknall. In point of fact, for many years the band has been a solo project, with the maestro assembling a wide range of accomplished studio and live musicians around him to present his compositions on albums and in live shows. You can catch this truly great pop band in action when you buy or sell Simply Red tickets on StubHub.

Exploding on to the pop scene with blue-collar aplomb

Simply Red burst on to the scene in the mid-1980s with an astonishing cover of a previously forgotten jazz standard, a song that will forever be associated with a cap-wearing, blue-collar-labouring Hucknall passionately belting out the words of working class frustration in "Money's Too Tight To Mention". The song announced in no uncertain terms that here was a huge new band that had just arrived and had no intention of doing anything less than showcasing an astonishing mastery of their chosen genre. They were phenomenal from the off and a string of massive pop singles followed, all based on their trademark blend of jazz, soul and pop. They had an uncanny knack of turning complex vocal melodies into musical hooks that first enticed one with their simplicity, then enveloped one with their hidden riches. In the light jazz pop genre of the 1980s and 1990s they were perhaps only matched in album sales and public adoration by Sting, and for a brief moment by soul stars like Paul Young. Remember all the songs you loved so much back in the day when you get some Simply Red tickets and go and bask in the glory of that voice once again.

Casting a long shadow of blue-eyed soul

Simply Red have had one of the most respected careers a musician could wish for, while retaining many millions of adoring fans of all ages. Their music has always had a timeless quality about it, and has moved people's feet as much as it has their hearts and heads. In this way they became big influences on pop bands that put the emphasis on dancing in the 90s, especially the likes of Jamiroquai. This isn't surprising at all, as they placed great emphasis on the perfect beat, cadence and rhythm for every song, with a perfectionistic drive for songs with exquisite detail. They were never shy to work with the best, and their sound was made even more authentic through collaborations with the likes of reggae rhythm legends Sly and Robbie. So get yourself some Simply Red tickets on StubHub and go and watch the band that single-handedly redefined the term "blue-eyed soul".