Mick Hucknall

British vocalist Mick Hucknall got his start in punk music -- a far cry from the smooth blend of pop and blue-eyed soul that would later catapult his band, Simply Red, into the international mainstream. Born in Manchester, England, in 1960, Hucknall experienced a musical awakening at the age of 16, when a live performance by the Sex Pistols inspired him to start his own punk band. He promptly formed the Frantic Elevators, an amateur group that released several recordings on local labels throughout the late '70s and early '80s. The band split in 1984, but not before recording a...