By the early 1970s, Free was one of the biggest-selling British blues rock groups; by the time the band dissolved in 1973, they had sold more than 20 million albums around the world and had played more than 700 arena and festival concerts. "All Right Now," remains a rock staple, and had been entered into ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.
Rolling Stone has referred to the band as "British hard rock pioneers". The magazine ranked Rodgers No. 55 in its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", while Kossoff was ranked No. 51 in 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. Both labels became part of the PolyGram group in 1989, then Universal Music Group in 1998; UMG now controls the band's catalogue worldwide.
Most remarkable about the birth of Free was the young age of the band members who came together to rehearse and play their first gig on the evening of 19 April 1968 at the Nag's Head pub, which was at the junction of York Road and Lavender Road in Battersea, London. Bass player Andy Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and both lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18. By November of that year, having been given the name Free by Alexis Korner, they had recorded their first album Tons Of Sobs for Island Records and, although it was not released until the following year, the album documents their first six months together and contains studio renditions of much of their early live set.
Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke first became friends in the R&B band Black Cat Bones but they wanted to move on. Paul Kossoff saw vocalist Paul Rodgers singing with Brown Sugar while visiting the Fickle Pickle, an R&B club in London's Finsbury Park. He was immediately impressed and asked if he could jam with Rodgers onstage. Along with Kirke, they began the search for a fourth member. Alexis Korner recommended Andy Fraser to the band, who at the age of 15 had already been playing with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Korner also provided the name "Free" the newly formed band
Unlike their previous albums Tons of Sobs and Free, Fire and Water, released in 1970, was a huge success, largely due to the album containing the hit single "All Right Now", which reached No. 1 on the UK rock music charts, No. 2 on the UK singles chart and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album reached No. 2 in the UK charts and No. 17 on the U.S charts making it the most successful Free album. "All Right Now" became a No. 1 hit in over 20 territories and recognized by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) in 1990 for garnering 1,000,000 plus radio plays in the US by late 1989, and in 2000 an award was given to Paul Rodgers by the British Music Industry when "All Right Now" passed 2,000,000 radio plays in the UK.
Highway was their fourth studio album, recorded extremely quickly in September 1970. Highway performed poorly in the charts, reaching No. 41 in the UK and No. 190 in the US.
In 1971, due to differences between singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the drug problems of guitarist Paul Kossoff, and inconsistent record sales, the band broke up. This led to the release of the live album called Free Live!. Early in 1972 the band set aside their differences and reformed in an effort to save Kossoff from his growing drug addiction, and in June of the same year released Free at Last.
But all was not well with the band. Bassist Andy Fraser left the band in mid-1972 due to Paul Kossoff's unreliability in being able to perform at shows or even showing up. The remaining members recruited Japanese bass player Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, who had worked with Kossoff and Kirke during Free's initial split, recording Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit and what would be Free's final album, Heartbreaker. Kossoff was replaced by Wendell Richardson in 1973, but shortly thereafter Free disbanded with Rodgers and Kirke going on to form Bad Company that same year. Fraser went on to form the band Sharks and later The Andy Fraser Band, and Kossoff formed the band Back Street Crawler.
With Kossoff in better health again in late 1975, he was delighted that ex-colleagues Rodgers and Kirke asked him to join them on stage for two nights. A British tour was set to begin on 25 April 1976 with Back Street Crawler headlining with Bad Company in support of Back Street Crawler's second album, but again Kossoff's drug addictions contributed to a drastic decline in the guitarist's health. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York City on 19 March 1976, Paul Kossoff died from drug-related heart problems at the age of 25. After parting with Bad Company in 1982 Rodgers went on to explore the heavy blues stylings of Free again in his solo career during the 1980s and 1990s, and in the bands The Firm and The Law.
More recently Rodgers has joined the remaining members of Queen (Brian May and Roger Taylor), as vocalist. In September 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers released their first studio album The Cosmos Rocks. Rodgers also performs Free and Bad Company songs whilst on tour with Queen, in addition to the traditional Queen songs and new cuts from their most recently released album. Currently, Rodgers and Kirke are once again on tour with Bad Company.
Andy Fraser died on 16 March 2015.
Personnel Members
Classic lineup
Andy Fraser - bass, piano (1968–1971, 1972; died 2015)
Simon Kirke - drums (1968–1971, 1972–1973)
Paul Kossoff - guitar (1968–1971, 1972–1973; died 1976)
Paul Rodgers - lead vocals, piano (1968–1971, 1972–1973)
Later members
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - keyboards (1972–1973)
Tetsu Yamauchi - bass (1972–1973)
Wendell Richardson - guitar (1973)
Discography :
1969 Tons of Sobs
1969 Free
1970 Fire and Water
1970 Highway
1972 Free at Last
1973 Heartbreaker
2) Free is a hardcore band
3) Free consists of four of the final five Have Heart members - Patrick Flynn, Kei Yasui, Shawn Costa, and Ryan Hudon - in addition to the band's 2009 bassist, Austin Stemper. On November 29, 2015, the group released a four-track, self-titled demo recorded by Trevor Vaughan (Sex Positions, Soul Control) in their home of New Bedford, MA.
Moonshine
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rum, whiskey, and rye
We give the time and sale to the mountain trail
But we pour that hard in a jar
Let's write some moonshine
Little by little, good time
Burns like hell but tastes like heaven
Oh I am a bootlegger
With a treble ol' full of moonshine
And my daddy tried to quell my crimes
But I just couldn't let it go
My heart was set on money
And the open road in the moonlight
Sooner or later I been meeting then
But till then
Moonshine
Rum, whiskey, and rye
We give the time and sale to the mountain trail
But we pour that hard in a jar
Let's write some moonshine
Little by little, good time
Burns like hell but tastes like heaven
I found myself a lover
She swore she'd never leave me
I found it hard to believe it
But it turned out to be the truth
But my heart was full of trouble
And it always gathered 'round me
Sooner or later we were meeting then
But till then
Moonshine
Rum, whiskey, and rye
We give the time and sale to the mountain trail
But we pour that hard in a jar
Let's write some moonshine
Little by little, good time
Burns like hell but tastes like heaven
I got my blood till the water boils
Chasing the horizon
Before the sun starts rising
Can I have the moonshine getting low?
And I brewed us up a batch boy
Get your howl at the moonlight
Four till the morning
Better hold on tight
Sleep all day cause we live by night
Moonshine
Rum, whiskey, and rye
We give the time and sale to the mountain trail
But we pour that hard in a jar
Let's write some moonshine
Little by little, good time
Burns like hell but tastes like heaven
The song "Moonshine" by Free is a beautifully crafted piece, capturing the essence of the bootlegging era in America. The lyrics describe the life of a bootlegger, one who is determined to make quick money by selling illegally made alcohol, and the struggles he faces in the process. The singer opens the song by stating that "Rum, whiskey, and rye" are what they sell and then paints a picture of a hard life on the mountain trail, where they pour it hard in a jar. However, despite the struggles, they keep going because the moonshine "burns like hell but tastes like heaven." His heart is set on making money and living the open road, and he will not let go of his dreams.
The second half of the song is more heartfelt and emotional, with the singer reminiscing on his past troubles and how he found a lover who promised to stay by his side. However, his troublesome life and choices catch up to him, and he realizes that his destiny is to continue with his moonshining path. The chorus of the song repeats, emphasizing the love for the craft, the hard work, and the good times they share.
This song embodies the bootlegging era with its vivid imagery and metaphors, conveying the hard work and determination to earn a living against all odds.
Line by Line Meaning
Moonshine
The illegal homemade whiskey of the mountains
Rum, whiskey, and rye
The types of alcohol used to make the moonshine
We give the time and sale to the mountain trail
The moonshine is sold along the remote mountain roads
But we pour that hard in a jar
The finished product is stored in jars
Let's write some moonshine
Let's make some more moonshine
Little by little, good time
Slowly but surely, we have a good time making and drinking the moonshine
Burns like hell but tastes like heaven
The moonshine is strong, but it has a great flavor
Get those bottles on the road young man
The moonshine is ready to be taken on the road and sold
Oh I am a bootlegger
The artist is a bootlegger who makes and sells moonshine
With a treble ol' full of moonshine
The artist has a large container full of moonshine
And my daddy tried to quell my crimes
The singer's father tries to stop him from making and selling moonshine
But I just couldn't let it go
The artist is too invested in the moonshine business to stop
My heart was set on money
The singer is motivated by the potential profits from selling moonshine
And the open road in the moonlight
The singer enjoys the freedom and adventure that comes with selling moonshine
Sooner or later I been meeting then
The singer has been meeting with law enforcement eventually
But till then
Until the artist gets caught, they will continue selling moonshine
I found myself a lover
The artist has a romantic partner
She swore she'd never leave me
The romantic partner promises to stay with the singer
I found it hard to believe it
The singer is skeptical of the romantic partner's promise
But it turned out to be the truth
The romantic partner stays with the artist
But my heart was full of trouble
The artist has personal problems that affect the relationship
And it always gathered 'round me
The personal problems are always present
I got my blood till the water boils
The singer is working hard to make moonshine
Chasing the horizon
The artist is excited about the possibilities of selling moonshine
Before the sun starts rising
The singer is always working through the night
Can I have the moonshine getting low?
Is there enough moonshine left?
And I brewed us up a batch boy
The singer made a new batch of moonshine
Get your howl at the moonlight
Enjoy the night like a wolf howling at the moon
Four till the morning
The artist and others stay up all night
Better hold on tight
The moonshine is strong and will have an effect
Sleep all day cause we live by night
The singer's lifestyle involves staying up all night and sleeping during the day
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Foy Vance, WB Studios
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind