What Is Mick Hucknall's Net Worth?
Mick Hucknall is an English pop singer and songwriter who has a net worth of $60 million. Mick Hucknall is the founder and lead singer of the popular British band Simply Red. He played with the group from 1983 until late 2009, when they broke up. With the group, he recorded such hit singles as "Holding Back the Years" and "If You Don't Know Me by Now," and had one of the best-selling albums in UK history with 1991's "Stars." After disbanding in 2010, Hucknall and Simply Red reunited in 2015
The band lasted 25 years and has sold over 50 million albums. Of the more than 25 members who played with Simply Red at one point or another, Hucknall was the only one to be with the band from 1985 to 2010. The band released 10 studio albums and won two Brit Awards for Best British Group.
Early Life
Mick Hucknall was born on June 8, 1960, in Manchester, England. He is an only child, and when he was three years old, his mother left the family. Hucknall was subsequently raised in Denton by his barber father, Reginald. As a youth, he went to the all-boys Audenshaw School and then attended Tameside College. For his higher education, Mick enrolled at the Manchester School of Art.
Career Beginnings
Inspired by the Sex Pistols' performance at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976, Hucknall decided to launch his career in music. In the late '70s, he was a member of the punk band the Frantic Elevators, which released four singles in total.
Simply Red, Part 1
Following the disbanding of the Frantic Elevators, Hucknall partnered with manager Elliot Rashman to put together a group of local session musicians. After trying out a series of failed names, Mick chose to call the group Simply Red, based on his hair color. The band's original lineup included Hucknall, guitarist David Fryman, bassist Tony Bowers, drummer Chris Joyce, keyboardist Fritz McIntyre, and backing vocalist Tim Kellett. Fryman soon left the group and was replaced by Sylvan Richardson. In 1985, Simply Red released its first single, "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)," a cover of the song by the Valentine Brothers. The song was subsequently included on Simply Red's debut album, "Picture Book," which also launched one of the group's biggest hit singles, "Holding Back the Years." Simply Red's second album, "Men and Women," came out in 1987, and its lead single, "The Right Thing," became another worldwide hit for the band.
For Simply Red's third album, 1989's "A New Flame," the group took on a more mainstream sound. The approach worked, as the album spawned the band's second #1 hit song in the US, "If You Don't Know Me by Now." A cover of the classic song by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the track was also one of the biggest hit singles of the year worldwide. Simply Red reached its career zenith in 1991 with the album "Stars," which became one of the best-selling albums in the history of the UK charts. This was followed in 1995 by "Life," which produced the #1 UK hit single "Fairground."
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Simply Red, Part 2
By the mid-1990s, the only two remaining members of the original Simply Red lineup were Hucknall and McIntyre. After the recording and release of "Life," McIntyre left the group. Starting in 1996, Simply Red consisted of Hucknall and a number of session musicians. The group went on to release the album "Blue," which mostly contained covers, and "Love and the Russian Winter," which featured a computer-generated sound. In 2003, Simply Red released its eighth studio album, "Home," a mix of covers and original songs. A hit in Europe and Canada, the album spawned the hit singles "You Make Me Feel Brand New," "Sunrise," and "Fake." Subsequent albums were 2005's "Simplified" and 2007's "Stay." From 2009 to 2010, Simply Red embarked on a farewell tour.
In 2015, Simply Red reunited for a 30th anniversary tour of Europe; the band toured again the following year. Simply Red also released a new studio album named after the tour, called "Big Love." The group's twelfth studio album, "Blue Eyed Soul," came out in late 2019.
Solo Career
Hucknall began his solo recording career in 2008 with the release of his album "Tribute to Bobby." A collection of songs paying homage to blues singer Bobby Bland, the album made it to #18 on the UK Albums chart. Next, in 2012, Mick released his second solo album, "American Soul." Reaching #6 in the UK, the album was eventually certified Gold by the BPI.
(Photo by Jan Hetfleisch/Redferns)
Political Activity
Hucknall is active politically and was, for many years, a huge supporter of the UK Labour Party. In 1998, he was named on a list of people who had donated more than £5,000 to the party. Mick backed Tony Blair's stance on Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He backtracked this view though and stopped donating to the party due to the war. He has been much more critical of more recent Labour leaders. Hucknall was a guest on BBC's "Question Time" in March 2014, on which he declared his support for same-sex marriage. In 2019, he ended his longstanding support for the Labour Party, citing Corbyn's stance on antisemitism.
Personal Life
In 2010, Hucknall married Gabriella Wesberry. The couple has a daughter named Romy. Mick spends a good portion of his time in Ireland, where he owns the Glenmore Estate with his bandmate Chris De Margary. He and his bandmate Chris De Margary are fishermen who operate a fishing and hunting tourism business from the Estate. Hucknall settled a hunting and fishing rights lawsuit brought by his neighbor in Ireland in March 2014, which had been ongoing for five years. Mick also spends time in Sicily, producing wine under the label "Il Cantante."
Hucknall is also a co-owner of the construction company Ask Property Development.
As a native of Manchester, Mick is a major supporter of the Premier League football club Manchester United. For the UEFA European Football Championship in 1996, he performed the Simply Red song "We're in This Together" at both the opening and closing ceremonies.
