Right Said Fred

Prior to forming Right Said Fred, the Fairbrass brothers had been playing music since the mid 1970s: as part of a band called The Actors, the brothers had toured with Suicide and supported Joy Division at the Factory club in Manchester.[2]

The Fairbrass brothers formed the group in 1989, with Richard on lead vocals and bass and Fred on guitar. Prior to forming the group, Richard was employed as a session bassist for artists including Boy George, Mick Jagger[2] and David Bowie, and appears as the bass guitarist in Bowie's short film Jazzin' for Blue Jean.[3] In 1987, Fred appeared as a guitarist in the Bob Dylan vehicle Hearts of Fire.[2]

The group was named after the novelty song "Right Said Fred", which was a hit single for singer and actor Bernard Cribbins in 1962. The Fairbrass brothers were originally accompanied by drummer Ray Weston and guitarist Dan Kruse. Weston left in 1990 to join the progressive rock group Wishbone Ash and Kruse left the next year. Guitarist Rob Manzoli joined in 1990 and remained with the group until 1997.

In July 1991, the group released its debut single and best-known song, "I'm Too Sexy", on the independent London-based record label Tug Records (which saw its only real success with Right Said Fred's releases). The Fairbrass brothers have stated that the song's lyrics are centered on certain users of the gym they owned in London, who they claimed had no shame. "A lot of models used our gym, so we thought it was time to start poking [fun] at them," Fred stated.[4]

It was a huge hit in the United Kingdom, spending six weeks at number two in the charts behind Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", and three months in the Top 10. The song also went to number one in 32 countries including the United States where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[5] The song earned the band a nomination for an Ivor Novello award.[6] The single also went to number four on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[7] "I'm Too Sexy" has been used in over 40 television shows and movies, including My Wife and Kids, The Simpsons, The West Wing, and EastEnders.[8]

Their second single, "Don't Talk Just Kiss", with background vocals by soul singer Jocelyn Brown, was released in October 1991. It made number 3 in the United Kingdom Christmas charts, entered the top five in many countries, and reached number eight in the United States dance chart.[7]

In February 1992, the band released its third single, "Deeply Dippy". This was number one in the United Kingdom for three weeks, and peaked at number nine in the United States dance chart.[7]

The success of the singles resulted in the band's multi-platinum debut album, Up, reaching number one in the United Kingdom album charts as well as charting worldwide. The album remained in the Top 40 for almost a year.[9]

In 1992, Heavenly Records released an EP that featured the label's acts covering Right Said Fred songs for charity. The Fred EP contains Saint Etienne (performing "I'm Too Sexy"), The Rockingbirds ("Deeply Dippy") and Flowered Up ("Don't Talk Just Kiss").[10]

Early in 1993 Fred, Richard and Rob wrote and recorded the Comic Relief single "Stick It Out", which was a top-five hit in the United Kingdom and in many European countries. In September 1993, Right Said Fred released its second album, Sex and Travel, to critical acclaim. Sex and Travel included the hit singles "Bumped" and "Hands Up (for Lovers)".[11]

The band received its second Ivor Novello award for "Deeply Dippy" in 1993.[6]

Right Said Fred parted company with Tug Records and then released its third album, Smashing!, in 1996 on the band's own label Happy Valley Records. "Living on a Dream", "Big Time" and "Everybody Loves Me" were all European hits. The band went on the road and performed to sell-out shows all over Europe. In 1996, Richard presented the ground-breaking TV show Gaytime TV for the BBC.[12]

Rob Manzoli left the band on friendly terms in 1997. At this point the Fairbrass brothers took some time out to gather their thoughts. Richard continued to present Gaytime TV for the BBC.[12]

In 1998 Fred and Richard set up their own recording studio in London and started writing and recording what became the album Fredhead.

In 2000, Right Said Fred signed to Kingsize/BMG Berlin in Germany, collaborating with Alex Christensen and award-winning songwriter and producer Clyde Ward for most of the material on Fredhead. The first single, "You're My Mate" (co-written with hard rock guitarist Myke Gray) was a United Kingdom hit, reached number four in Germany, and the Fredhead album entered the German charts at number two and achieved Gold status, remaining in the top 10 for most of 2000.

"You're My Mate" became a football stadium anthem and was also used as the official song of the South Africa national rugby union team in 2002. Other hit singles from Fredhead were "Mojive" (Ward) and "Love Song" (Agostino Carollo). "You’re My Mate" continues as a sports anthem all over the world and a line-dancing favourite in the US.

The second Kingsize/BMG album Stand Up went straight into the German top 10. The single "Stand Up (For the Champions)", composed by Clyde Ward and the Fairbrass brothers, was also a top 10 hit in Germany and reached number one in Japan. The track became a popular anthem for sport channels, such as SuperSport in South Africa and sports teams including The Cincinnati Bengals (NFL), Borussia Dortmund FC, Manchester United FC and Saracens RC, a top English rugby team. It also featured at the Super Bowl in the United States.

Jay-Z refers to Right Said Fred in his hit "The Ruler’s Back" in the line "I'm too sexy for jail like Right Said Fred".[13]

Due to family ill-health, Fred and Richard took some time out from travelling to write and record the hit single "We Are the Freds" and the album For Sale for the Ministry of Sound.[14]

In late 2004, Right Said Fred toured extensively in Europe, playing festivals and arenas, and performed as special guests on German superstar Nena's tour. They performed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in front of 200,000 people at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and were special guests at The Bollywood Awards in Mumbai in front of a live TV audience of 200 million. Tom Hanks impersonated Right Said Fred on Saturday Night Live singing "don’t cut off my testicles".[15]

During 2007 and 2008, Fred and Richard collaborated with Clyde Ward to write and record their sixth album I'm a Celebrity. The album was produced by Ward, and for the United States release, Right Said Fred teamed up with David Levine at Promark Music.

Released in 2008, "I’m A Celebrity" was the first single from the album, and parodied celebrity culture. With remixes by DJ Reza and Raul Rincon, it became another United States Top 10 Club/Dance Chart hit. On the back of this success, Fred and Richard appeared in the United States on Good Morning America, as well as on shows on Fox TV, VH1, MTV and TMZ.

Germany 2009

In late July 2009, Right Said Fred released "Sexy Bum" in Germany, the first single from the band's HITS! album.[16]

In 2010, remixes by Klubjumpers and DJ Reza of "This Love" and "I am a Bachelor", both from the I’m a Celebrity album, were US Club/Dance hits.[17]

Fred and Richard took the band back on the road performing at summer European festivals. The band also staged acoustic shows in the United Kingdom, including one at London’s Leicester Square Theatre, where the Night of the Living Fred DVD was filmed.[18]

Right Said Fred hooked up with Norwegian hit-machine Dsign Music to record "Sexaholic".[19] Remixes of the track by Klubjumpers and MajikBoys reached the top five on the US Dance/Club Charts and stayed there for six months.

Fred and Richard, along with Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson and Sting, made special guest appearances on Ricky Gervais' TV series Life’s Too Short.[20] The brothers also appeared in cameo roles in the Universal Pictures UK movie Gridiron UK.[21]

"Raise Your Hands" was Right Said Fred's first 2013 single and had remixes from DJ Kash, DJ Sphank and The Majikboys.[22] It was the group's sixth consecutive U.S. Club and Dance Chart Top 10 hit.

Richard spoke at an Oxford Union debate.[23] TV appearances included an acoustic performance on the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother TV show.[24]

RSF began writing and recording new tracks with Paul Statham (Dido, Jim Kerr, Kylie Minogue, The Saturdays).[25]

The duo made a return to prominence in June 2014, when they appeared on the satirical news show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver[26] where they performed a rendition of their song "I'm Too Sexy" with changed lyrics aimed at insulting Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly purchased music by the group from the iTunes Store two years earlier.[27] United Kingdom TV appearances included Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway[28] and Pointless Celebrities.

Fred and Richard teamed up with jazz legend Tim Garland to write and record music for the British independent movie Meet Pursuit Delange, scheduled for release Summer 2015, written and directed by Howard Webster, starring Colin Salmon, Peter Bowles, Hannah Waddingham and Jason Flemyng plus a cameo from Right Said Fred.[29]

They feature on 2776, a charity record conceived by Rob Kutner, Stephen and Joel Levinson starring Reggie Watts, Aimee Mann, Ed Helms and Mayim Bialik.[30] The double CD was selected for the Grammy Ballot Box. Shows planned for 2014–15 included acoustic performances at The Cannes Film Festival, The American Film Market,[31] various European festivals and a World Cup Festival in front of 500,000 people at the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin.

The Performing Right Society's book A Century of Song, published in 2015, includes two songs co-written by Fred and Richard.

The band released the single "Sweet Treats" in January 2017 from the album Exactly![32]

In August 2017, Right Said Fred's members Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, were credited as songwriters alongside Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff on the Swift single "Look What You Made Me Do". The song's chorus is a reworking of the famous chorus from "I'm Too Sexy".[33]