Right Said Fred

Right Said Fred are one of the UK’s most enduring pop exports. Despite being known for their 90s hit I’m Too Sexy, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Taylor Swift have a connection to the band as well. Formed in 1989 by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass , the pair have achieved over 25 million sales globally, have reached number one in 30 countries, and were the first band to achieve a number one in the US with a debut single since The Beatles. The multi-platinum brothers went on to win two Ivor Novello Awards and one BMI Award for their hits I’m Too Sexy (1991) and Deeply Dippy (1992). They released nine albums, shared stages with big names all over the world, achieved a Brit award nomination, played in front of the Queen and released a track for Comic Relief . Their success is global, having attracted fans all over the UK, Europe, the US, and beyond, and it all started in a basement studio in Acton, London. Richard has performed with David Bowie, Fred has played guitar with Bob Dylan and they have both worked with Mick Jagger. Back in 1990, together with guitarist Rob Manzoli, the band wrote I’m Too Sexy. Fred and Richard borrowed the money to demo the song and to keep the costs down they recorded at night in a studio in Ealing that had gone into receivership. The final session was at Red Bus Studios in London in early 1991. I’m Too Sexy along with the song ‘Swan’, which also made it onto their debut album Up was rejected by every record label the guys took it to but they knew this was special and followed their gut. Opening with Richard’s acapella vocal with the (now) iconic lines, “I’m Too Sexy for my love, too sexy for my love, love’s going to leave me”, the single stood apart from many of the chart toppers of that year. I’m Too Sexy was tongue-in-cheek, it was fun, and it brimmed with the band’s independent spirit, uninterested in following the trends at the time. Fred recalls, “we knew we had recorded something new and very different, we just didn’t know how successful it would prove to be”. Like the best success stories, when it felt like the chips were down, fate was on their side.The band’s then teenage manager, Tamzin Aronowitz , who shared the band’s belief, managed to get the track to DJ Gary Crowley and also to the producer of the Simon Bates Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1 . Simon played the track and the rest is history. The single Don’t Talk Just Kiss was next; it hit No. 3 in the UK charts at Christmas. Their second single reached No. 1 in the US dance chart and enjoyed international success worldwide from Japan to South America. However, it wasn’t until their third single, Deeply Dippy, that Right Said Fred finally scored their first UK No. 1, just 9-months after I’m Too Sexy had secured its place in the annals of pop history. The guys launched themselves into a world tour, spending much of 1992 on the road,promoting their debut album Up, which was released that year. The album hit 7 million sales worldwide and was No. 1 on the UK Album Chart and top 10 around the world. Second album Sex and Travel received critical acclaim and as they reached almost a million sales, they found themselves on the road again. That same year, the guys wrote and recorded Stick It Out, a single for Comic Relief, which was another top 5 hit for the boys. Right Said Fred performed with Spinal Tap in 1992 at MTV’s Spring Break. After two albums with Tug Records, they parted ways and released their third album Smashing on their own label Happy Valley . The success continued with Living on a Dream and Big-Time becoming chart topping hits, and a slew of tours that took them around the world. Right Said Fred had decided to declare their own state of independence, a spirit that would continue to the present day. Fred recalls that being an independent and self-funding artist is what stood them apart from the rest, that and “being stubborn and sounding different.” Right Said Fred try to avoid compromises. The pair found themselves reg