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Free
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Band · United Kingdom

Free

60s/70s UK blues rock group

Formed in 1968 · Ended in 1973

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Free were an English rock band formed in London in 1968 by Paul Rodgers (vocals, guitar), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass, keyboards) and Simon Kirke (drums). They are best known for their hit songs "All Right Now" and "Wishing Well". 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. In the early 1970s they became one of the best-selling British blues rock 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.

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

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

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also in Français

Free est un groupe britannique de blues rock formé en 1968 à Londres par Paul Rodgers au chant et à la guitare, Paul Kossoff à la guitare, Andy Fraser à la basse et au piano et Simon Kirke à la batterie. Le groupe se sépare en 1973 et les membres se consacreront à des parcours différents ; le chanteur, Paul Rodgers, formera Bad Company. Le style musical de Free, largement influencé par le blues, a contribué à l'évolution du rock des années 1960, du blues rock vers le hard rock, au même titre que des groupes comme Cream ou Led Zeppelin.

Rolling Stone considère les membres du groupe comme « les pionniers britanniques du hard rock. » Le magazine classe d'ailleurs Rodgers 55e de sa liste des « 100 meilleurs chanteurs de tous les temps » et Kossoff est classé 51e de la liste des « 100 meilleurs guitaristes de tous les temps ».

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

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