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Famed for their perennial "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy soundof British blues
down to its raw, minimalist core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970s superstars likeForeigner, Foghat and Bad
Company. Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the bluesunit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see
vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend, drummer Tom Mautner. Afterdeciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers
recruited drummer Simon Kirke (since Mautner w ...read more
Famed for their perennial "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy soundof British blues
down to its raw, minimalist core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970s superstars likeForeigner, Foghat and Bad
Company. Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the bluesunit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see
vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend, drummer Tom Mautner. Afterdeciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers
recruited drummer Simon Kirke (since Mautner was at university) and16-year-old bass phenom Andy Fraser from the ranks of John Mayall's
Bluesbreakers; with the aid of Alexis Korner, who alsosuggested the name Free, the fledgling band signed to the Island label, issuing their
bluesy debut Tons of Sobs in 1968.
Free's eponymous 1969 follow-up expanded on their roots-based sound, incorporating rockers like Albert King's "The Hunter"as well as
muscular ballads like "Lying in the Sunshine" into the mix. Although both of the first two albums fared poorly on thecharts, 1970's Fire and
Water became a tremendous hit on the strength of the primal "All Right Now," a Top Five smashpowered by Rodgers' gritty, visceral vocals.
After headlining 1970's Isle of Wight festival, the group appeared destined forsuperstardom, but the LP Highway did not fare nearly as well as
anticipated, and after a grueling tour which yielded 1971'sFree Live, the band dissolved amidst ego clashes and recriminations
While Rodgers went on to form Peace and Fraser founded Toby, Kossoff and Kirke teamed with bassist Tetsu Yamauchi andkeyboardist John
"Rabbit" Bundrick to record the album Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit. When none of these new projectsproved successful, the original lineup
of Free re-formed to record 1972's Free at Last, which launched the hit "Little Bit ofLove." However, drug problems nagged the group, as
Kossoff's longtime battle with heroin continued to worsen; soon Fraserexited to form Sharks with Chris Spedding, leaving Rodgers and Kirke
to record the majority of 1973's Heartbreaker while adrug-addled Kossoff watched from the sidelines. Soon, the group disbanded again, this
time for good: while Rodgers and Kirkewent on to found Bad Company, Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler before dying of a drug-induced
heart attack on March19, 1976. « hide |
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