""Rock 'n Roll
Fantasy"
"Shooting Star"
"Soul of Love"
"Hey, Hey"
On December 17, 1949, a lad was born in Middlesbrough,
England who would one day be known as one of rock's most distinctive
vocalists. Paul Rodgers
first came to prominence in 1968 as a member of the seminal blues group
Free. He has often been called the greatest voice in rock.
Initially, as the young Rodgers struggled to establish a foothold within London's highly
competitive music scene, he almost gave up. Rather than throw in the
towel, a determined Rodgers
formed the blues band Brown Sugar. His dynamic voice was soon recognized
by guitarist Paul Kossoff. So impressed was Kossoff that he and Rodgers
decided to create a new entity. Joined by drummer Simon Kirke, Kossoff's
partner in Black Cat Bones, and bassist Andy Fraser, fresh from John
Mayall's Bluesbreakers, this new group was named Free by noted British
blues pioneer Alexis Korner.
Free joined Cream and Led Zeppelin as leaders of the
British blues revival. Free's winning combination of blues, ballads and
rock won them wide praise and an international following. That popularity
continued to the present day. 'All Right Now', the group's signature song, was
recognized by ASCAP for garnering more than one million radio
plays in the United States alone.
When Free disbanded in 1973, Rodgers formed Bad Company with Mott the
Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs. Together they auditioned players and settled
on former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell and drummer Simon Kirke. Paul
approached Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant who signed the group to
Zeppelin's newly formed Swan Song Records and Rodgers came up with the
name 'Bad Company'. Their 1974 debut album, Bad Company, enjoyed
international success and hit number one in the USA.
Rodgers' six multi-platinum albums with Bad Company have spawned such
enduring radio classics as "Rock 'n Roll
Fantasy", "Shooting Star", "Run With The Pack",
and "Rock Steady", all written by
Paul Rodgers. On "Rock 'n Roll Fantasy",
Paul played all of the guitar parts. The group's popular greatest hits
compilation '10 From 6' remains an essential primer for fans throughout
the world.
After leaving Bad Company, early in '84, Paul released his much
anticipated first solo CD Cut Loose. He composed all of the
music and played all of the instruments, making it a solo album in the
truest sense of the word. He joined forces with friend and fellow rocker,
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, and The Firm was born. This union produced two
successful tours and two equally successful albums, The Firm and Mean
Business, with radio hits "Radioactive"
on which Paul played the guitar solo, "Satisfaction
Guaranteed" and in the UK "All The
King's Horses".
Rodgers collaborated in the ensuing years with former Who drummer Kenny
Jones, Slash of Guns n' Roses, Neil Schon of Journey and his
Grammy nominated solo CD, "Muddy Water Blues" (1994) was backed
by guitarists Brian May, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, Buddy
Guy, Ritchie Sambora to name a few. Paul also performed at
Woodstock's 25th Anniversary in 1996 with drummer Jason Bonham, bassist
Andy Fraser (Free), Slash and Neil Schon.
His first double Solo CD "Now & Live" charted
internationally in the top 30 with the single "Soul
of Love" remaining in rotation on more than 86 US radio
stations for six months. Rodgers and Bad Company hit the charts in
1995 with the #1 single "Hey, Hey",
one of four new tracks off BAD CO's Anthology. The second single
released Rodgers' "Hammer of Love" reached #2. After 20
years, all the original members of Bad Company toured the US.
Rodgers focused on his solo career in 2000 and released his 6th solo
CD, Electric. The single "Drifters"
remained Top Ten for 8 weeks on Billboards Rock Charts. Sold out concerts
all over the world, television appearances and a new single "Joe
Fabulous" followed in the next two years, as well as an invitation
from long time fan, Tony Blair to perform at the Labour Party
Conference.
In 2003 Rodgers toured as a solo artist with his band: guitarist Howard
Leese (Heart), bassist Lynn Sorenson and drummer Jeff Kathan. The
following year, he performed with many notable and legendary artists, and
was honored to receive an invitation from The Four Tops be part of their
50th Anniversary TV/DVD concert celebration at Motown's Opera House.
"The call from The Tops' Duke Fakir just about knocked me out.
I've been a fan since I was a boy and had no idea that they even knew I
existed!" exclaims Rodgers. He performed along side Aretha
Franklin, The Temptations, Sam Moore, Mary Wilson, Ashford and Simpson and
The Four Tops.
Paul continues to tour internationally but not with his solo band.
He has temporarily joined forces with Queen. Queen +
Paul Rodgers have combined their music catalogues and have played
40 concerts from South Africa to Sweden and New York to Japan. Their live
CD & DVD Return of the Champions was recorded in Sheffield,
England on May 9, 2005.
