Free (band)

Free
Company type	Musical group
Industry	Music
Founded	1968, London, England
Founder	Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Andy Fraser, Simon Kirke
Defunct	1973
Headquarters	London, England
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Paul Rodgers (lead vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass, piano), Simon Kirke (drums)
Products	Music albums, live performances
Number of employees	4 (original members)
Parent	None
Website	www.facebook.com/free/

Free was a London-based English rock group established in 1968, consisting of Paul Rodgers (lead vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass and piano), and Simon Kirke (drums). They gained widespread recognition for their tracks "All Right Now" and "Wishing Well". While their energetic live shows and extensive touring earned them acclaim, their commercial success truly took off with their third album, Fire and Water (1970), which featured the hit "All Right Now". This achievement secured them a spot performing before an audience of 600,000 at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. Throughout the early 1970s, Free ranked among the top-selling British blues rock acts, with over 20 million records sold globally and more than 700 live performances. The track "All Right Now" continues to be a classic in both R&B and rock genres, having been inducted into ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.

In 1972, Fraser departed to create the band Sharks. Free then issued one last album, Heartbreaker, before dissolving in 1973. Subsequently, Rodgers and Kirke formed the successful supergroup Bad Company. Kossoff went on to establish Back Street Crawler but tragically died from a pulmonary embolism at age 25 in 1976. Fraser passed away in 2015 at 62.

The band has been described by Rolling Stone as "pioneers of British hard rock," with Rodgers ranked No. 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" and Kossoff placed No. 51 among the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." Their recording contracts included Island Records in the UK and A&M Records across North America.

Formation, early years and breakthrough

Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke initially played together in the R&B group Black Cat Bones but desired a new musical path. After witnessing Paul Rodgers perform with Brown Sugar in London's Finsbury Park, Kossoff invited him to join an impromptu jam session onstage. Alongside Kirke, they brought in bassist Andy Fraser, who was recommended by Alexis Korner, who also suggested the name "Free" for the band.

Their first public performance took place on 19 April 1968 at the Nag's Head pub located in Battersea, London. At that time, the members were teenagers: Fraser was just 15, Kossoff was 17, while Rodgers and Kirke were both 18. By November that year, they recorded their debut album, Tons of Sobs, which was released through Island Records in March 1969. To support this release, they opened for The Who during late 1968 concerts.

Their sophomore album, Free (1969), also under Island Records, met with modest commercial results. However, their third album, Fire and Water (1970), dramatically increased their popularity, propelled by the single "All Right Now". This song climbed to No. 2 on the UK singles chart and reached No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album itself peaked at No. 2 in the UK and No. 17 in the US, marking their highest-charting release. "All Right Now" topped charts in over twenty countries and was honored by ASCAP for surpassing one million US radio plays by 1989. In recognition of its enduring appeal, Paul Rodgers received an award from the British Music Industry in 2000 when it exceeded two million UK radio broadcasts.

Despite their band name suggesting otherwise, Free refused to perform without compensation at the 1970 Phun City festival and exited upon discovering no payment was offered.

Their fourth studio effort, Highway (1970), recorded swiftly during September, failed to replicate previous success commercially, peaking only at No. 41 in the UK and No. 190 in the US.

April 1971 saw the release of the single "My Brother Jake", which climbed to No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and remained there for eleven weeks. Music critic Dave Thompson described it as a "gorgeous knockabout," considering it their finest work since "All Right Now." The band showcased this song during a performance on BBC's Top of the Pops dated 13 May 1971.

Initial Separation, Reunion, and Ultimate Dissolution

In 1971, internal conflicts between Fraser and Rodgers, who felt marginalized, caused the group to split. This period saw the release of their live record Free Live!. By early 1972, the band reunited to provide support to Kossoff during his escalating struggles with drug dependency, culminating in the June release of Free at Last.

Due to Kossoff's inconsistent performance, Fraser departed midway through 1972. Subsequently, the band brought in Japanese bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, both of whom had previously worked with Kossoff and Kirke during the band's break on the project Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit. In 1973, Free unveiled their final studio effort, Heartbreaker. For a U.S. tour that same year, Kossoff was replaced by former Osibisa guitarist Wendell Richardson. Shortly thereafter, Free disbanded for good. Rodgers and Kirke went on to establish Bad Company, Fraser formed Sharks and later the Andy Fraser Band, while Kossoff launched Back Street Crawler.

Post-Free Activities

Towards the end of 1975, with his health improved, Kossoff reunited on stage with former bandmates Rodgers and Kirke for two performances. On April 25, 1976, a British tour commenced featuring Back Street Crawler as headliners and Bad Company promoting their second album as support; however, Kossoff's ongoing drug problems severely affected his well-being. Tragically, on March 19, 1976, during a flight from Los Angeles to New York City, Kossoff passed away at age 25 due to a pulmonary embolism.

After departing from Bad Company in 1982, Rodgers revisited Free’s intense blues sound throughout his solo endeavors in the 1980s and 1990s as well as in groups such as The Firm and The Law. Later on, he collaborated with Queen members Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor as their vocalist. In September 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers released the studio album The Cosmos Rocks. During tours with Queen, Rodgers incorporated tracks from both Free and Bad Company alongside Queen’s repertoire.

Between 2012 and 2016, Rodgers and Kirke toured under Bad Company’s banner. Andy Fraser died on March 16, 2015. In 2017, Rodgers initiated the Free Spirit UK Tour dedicated exclusively to performing Free’s catalog. By 2019, Bad Company reunited once again to support Lynyrd Skynyrd on their Last Of The Street Survivors Tour.

Personnel

Founding members

Paul Rodgers – lead vocals (1968–1971, 1972–1973), keyboards and piano (1972), lead guitar (1972), rhythm guitar (1972–1973)
Paul Kossoff – lead guitar (1968–1971, 1972, 1972–1973; died 1976)
Andy Fraser – bass guitar, keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar (1968–1971, 1972; died 2015)
Simon Kirke – drums and percussion (1968–1971, 1972–1973), backing vocals (1972–1973)

Subsequent members

John "Rabbit" Bundrick – keyboards, piano, organ, backing vocals (1972–1973)
Tetsu Yamauchi – bass guitar (1972–1973)
Wendell Richardson – lead guitar (touring) (1973)

Albums

Tons of Sobs (1969)
Free (1969)
Fire and Water (1970)
Highway (1970)
Free at Last (1972)
Heartbreaker (1973)

External resources