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Free (band)

This article is about the English rock band. For other topics, see Free.

Free
Free in Amsterdam with Steve Winwood c. 1970. Left to right: Winwood, Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Paul Kossoff.
Free in Amsterdam with Steve Winwood c. 1970. Left to right: Winwood, Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Paul Kossoff.
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
DiscographyFree discography
Years active
  • 1968–1971
  • 1972–1973
LabelsIsland, A&M, Polydor
Spinoffs
Past membersAndy Fraser
Simon Kirke
Paul Kossoff
Paul Rodgers
John Bundrick
Tetsu Yamauchi
Wendell Richardson
Websitefreebandofficial.com

Free were an English rock band formed in London in 1968 by Paul Rodgers (vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass, piano) and Simon Kirke (drums, percussion). They are best known for their hit songs "All Right Now" and "Wishing Well".[1] Although renowned for their live performances and non-stop touring, their music did not sell well until their third studio album, Fire and Water (1970), which featured the hit "All Right Now". The song helped secure them a performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where they played to an audience of 600,000 people.[2] In the early 1970s they became one of the best-selling British blues rock[3][4][5] groups; by the time they disbanded, they had sold more than 20 million records worldwide and had played in more than 700 arenas and festival concerts. "All Right Now" remains a staple of R&B and rock, and has entered ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.[6][7]

Andy Fraser left the band in 1972 and formed Sharks. Free recorded one more album, Heartbreaker, before disbanding in 1973; Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke went on to co-form the more successful rock supergroup Bad Company.[8] Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler in 1973, but died from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 25 in 1976.[9] Andy Fraser died on 16 March 2015 at 62.[10][11]

Rolling Stone has referred to the band as "British hard rock pioneers".[12] The magazine ranked Rodgers No. 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time",[13] and Kossoff at No. 51 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[12] Free were signed to Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in North America.

  1. ^ "Free | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  2. ^ "All Right Now The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival". YouTube. 1 January 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  3. ^ Nick Talevski (7 April 2010). Rock Obituaries – Knocking on Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 348. ISBN 978-0-85712-117-2.
  4. ^ Pete Prown; Harvey P. Newquist (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 76–. ISBN 978-0-7935-4042-6.
  5. ^ John Tobler (1991). Who's who in rock & roll. Crescent Books. p. 1988. ISBN 978-0-517-05687-5.
  6. ^ "iTunes – Music – Paul Rodgers". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Information on Paul Rodgers". Living Legends Music. 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Bad Company Biography". Badcompany.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Biography – Paul Kossoff Official Website". Paulkossoffofficial.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  10. ^ Joe Viglione. "First Water – Sharks | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Andy Fraser Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  12. ^ a b "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone.
  13. ^ "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. No. 1066. 27 November 2008. p. 73.

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