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.
Mr. Big
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come rain or shine
And I don't need nobody
To tell me 'bout a girl of mine
She's got so much love
And she saves it all for me
I would not be lying
That's the way it's got to be
So Mr. Big
You'd better watch out
When only you hang around me
Oh for you now
I will dig
A great big hole in the ground
I don't care who you are
So don't explain
Better get out of here
And don't you come back again
I don't want a thing from you
I don't want to give you nothing too
Get out of here
Before I lose my cool
Mr. Big
Oh watch out
And don't you hang around me
Oh for you now
I will dig
A great big hole in the ground
Oh Mr. Big
The lyrics to "Mr. Big" by Free tell the story of a man who is fiercely protective of his girlfriend and will tolerate no interference from anyone, even from someone as seemingly powerful as Mr. Big. The song starts with the singer discussing how hard he works every day, rain or shine. He then goes on to assert his independence, claiming that he doesn't need anyone to tell him about his girlfriend because they have an unbreakable bond. He describes her as having a lot of love, but all of it is reserved for him. He insists that this is the way it should be.
The singer then addresses Mr. Big directly, warning him to stay away if he knows what's good for him. He threatens to harm Mr. Big if he tries to come between the singer and his girlfriend. The singer makes it clear that he doesn't care who Mr. Big is or what he thinks he can offer the singer's girlfriend. He demands that Mr. Big leave and never come back. The song ends with the singer once again warning Mr. Big to stay away, declaring that he will dig a great big hole in the ground for him if he persists in his meddling.
The overall theme of the song is one of jealousy and protectiveness. The singer views his relationship with his girlfriend as something sacred and unbreakable, and he will fight tooth and nail to ensure that no one comes between them. The song is notable for its strong, confrontational lyrics and its raw, bluesy sound.
Line by Line Meaning
I work hard everyday
I put in effort and dedication every single day
Come rain or shine
Regardless of the conditions or the obstacles thrown my way
And I don't need nobody
I don't depend on anyone else for my happiness
To tell me 'bout a girl of mine
to give me information about my beloved one
She's got so much love
My girl has an abundance of affection
And she saves it all for me
Yet she only directs that love towards me and no one else
I would not be lying
I'm not being dishonest when I say
That's the way it's got to be
It's just how it has to be, there is no other option
So Mr. Big
I'm addressing the target of my message
You'd better watch out
You should be cautious and alert
When only you hang around me
If you're near me for any reason
Oh for you now
I'm willing to do something drastic
I will dig
I will excavate
A great big hole in the ground
A very deep and significant opening in the earth
I don't care who you are
Your identity isn't relevant here
So don't explain
No need for additional information or clarifications from you
Better get out of here
Leave this place immediately
And don't you come back again
Don't return in the future
I don't want a thing from you
I have no desires or expectations of you
I don't want to give you nothing too
Nor do I intend to provide you with anything
Get out of here
Once again, you must leave
Before I lose my cool
Or else I may lose my temper
Oh Mr. Big
I reiterate who I'm addressing
Oh watch out
Be careful and alert
And don't you hang around me
Do not stay near me for any amount of time
Oh for you now
As for you
I will dig
I'll proceed with what I've stated earlier
A great big hole in the ground
That large opening in the earth
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDY FRASER, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS, PAUL FRANCIS KOSSOFF, SIMON FREDERICK ST. GEORGE KIRKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jackspry9736
RIP the two members of Free
Paul Kossoff (September 14, 1950 – March 19, 1976), aged 25
Andy Fraser (July 3, 1952 – March 16, 2015), aged 62
You both will be remembered as legends.
@hansfrommer
Yeah thats really true, unbelievable!👌
@howardwalton1876
Fraser putting on a clinic here. He serves the song and gives it a muscular rhythm, lays down a solid base for Kossoff to solo over, then unleashes the Jack Bruce- John Entwistle, type chops when it’s his turn to shine. And he’s like 18 here. Any aspiring bassist should see this video!
@simonchallis8318
makes you wonder whether the great Jaco Pastorius got his sound from Andy , pure brilliance from the whole band
@jahnbon
I don't have enough thumbs...
Andy Fraser was an unheralded master of the electric bass. I was lucky enough to see this band in their prime, yet I can never get enough of these TV spots. Thank you for posting this.
@seanbeach5793
I literally decided that I HAD to try and learn bass guitar at 45 years old because of Andy on this performance!!!!
@darrenedwards8433
They were kids! I don't think any kid musician today can play with maturity like this. Free were absolutely one of the best bands of that era. INCREDIBLE !!!
@petermartinaitis8166
Definitely weren't kids but they were young with energy and fresh ideas.
@michael.trotter
@petermartinaitis8166 andy was only 17 during this performance 😭😭😭😭
@ronnieforey2068
You right, Darren. Better whirl back then ..no feelings today.... Pure