Free was an English rock band formed in London in 1968 by Paul Rodgers (vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass, piano), and Simon Kirke (drums, percussion). The band is best known for the songs "All Right Now" and "Wishing Well". Although initially more successful as a live act, their commercial breakthrough came with their third studio album, "Fire and Water" (1970), which included "All Right Now". This track contributed to their appearance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where they performed for an estimated audience of 600,000. In the early 1970s, Free became one of the best-selling British blues rock groups. By the time they disbanded in 1973, they had sold over 20 million records worldwide and had performed at more than 700 concerts and festivals. "All Right Now" remains widely played and has been recognized by ASCAP for over one million radio airplays. Andy Fraser left the band in 1972 and later formed Sharks. Free released one final studio album, "Heartbreaker", before disbanding. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke went on to form the rock band Bad Company. Paul Kossoff founded the group Back Street Crawler but died in 1976 at the age of 25 due to a pulmonary embolism. Andy Fraser died in 2015 at the age of 62. Free were signed to Island Records in the United Kingdom and A&M Records in North America. Rolling Stone has described them as pioneers of British hard rock, ranking Paul Rodgers at number 55 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and Paul Kossoff at number 51 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_(band) Studio albums Tons of Sobs (1969) Free (1969) Fire and Water (1970) Highway (1970) Free at Last (1972) Heartbreaker (1973)
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