Simply Red are an English pop band. Their style draws influences from pop, rock, jazz, reggae, and blue-eyed soul.

Simply Red's roots originate from the notorious 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. Manchester art student Mick Hucknall was one of the many young music fans present, along with original members of Joy Division, The Smiths and Buzzcocks, who was inspired to form a band after witnessing that gig.

Their first single, released in 1985, was "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)", a cover of a soul standard originally recorded by The Valentine Brothers.

In 1986 the band re-recorded a song that the Frantic Elevators had recorded earlier, "Holding Back the Years", in a more accessible pop style, which was this time a major hit, peaking at #2 in Great Britain, #3 in the Netherlands, #20 in Italy and later #1 in Ireland and in the United States, establishing Simply Red as a household name.

Their second album, 1987's Men and Women saw the band adopting a more sober and professional image, with bowler hats and colorful suits replacing their earlier ragamuffin look, and the introspection and social commentary of their debut replaced by a blue-eyed soul sound with funk influences.

After touring and promoting Stars for two years, Simply Red returned in 1995 with "Fairground", a dance-influenced track featuring prominently a sample from Zki & Dobri's Goodmen project.

A massive radio hit, "Fairground" went on to become the band’s first British #1, amid critical panning. Its parent album Life sold more than a million copies in the UK alone, making it the fourth-biggest seller of the year. The band followed this up with cover heavy Blue in 1998.

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