Paul Rodgers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Rodgers
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Rodgers performing with Queen at Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany on 19 April, 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Bernard Rodgers |
| Born | 17 December 1949 Middlesbrough, England |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
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Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a famous English-Canadian singer. He was the main singer for many successful rock bands. These include Free, Bad Company, the Firm, and the Law.
Paul Rodgers also performed on his own. From 2004 to 2009, he worked with the band Queen. They were known as Queen + Paul Rodgers. A poll in Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time." In 2011, he won an Ivor Novello Award for his amazing contribution to British music. Many rock singers say Paul Rodgers influenced them. For example, John Mellencamp called him "the best rock singer ever." Paul Rodgers became a Canadian citizen in 2011.
Contents
Early Music Days
Paul Rodgers was born in Middlesbrough, England. He started playing bass guitar for a band called The Roadrunners. The band's singer, Colin Bradley, later convinced Paul to become the lead singer. Colin wanted to focus on playing rhythm guitar.
Before moving to London, the band changed its name to The Wildflowers. Other members included Micky Moody and Bruce Thomas.
Becoming Free
In 1968, Paul Rodgers joined a blues-rock band called Free. He was their singer and songwriter. In 1970, they had a huge international hit song called "All Right Now." Paul wrote this song with the band's bass player, Andy Fraser.
"All Right Now" became a number one hit in over 20 countries. It was played on US radio over a million times. For a short time, Free was as popular as Led Zeppelin in Britain. Free released four albums that were very successful in the UK. These albums mixed blues, ballads, and rock music.
After Free broke up for a short time in 1971, Paul formed a band called Peace. He played guitar and sang lead vocals. Peace toured with Mott the Hoople but broke up when Free got back together in 1972.
1970s: Forming Bad Company
Paul Rodgers started his next band, Bad Company, with Mick Ralphs. Mick was the guitarist from Mott the Hoople. The band also included Simon Kirke, the drummer from Free, and Boz Burrell, who used to sing and play bass for King Crimson.
Paul said he and Mick were trying to find a name for the band. He just said "Bad Company," and Mick dropped the phone and said, "That's it!" Bad Company was the first band to sign with Led Zeppelin's new record label, Swan Song.
They toured from 1973 to 1982 and had many hit songs. Some of their hits include "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Can't Get Enough." Paul played instruments on several songs. He played piano on "Bad Company" and "Run with the Pack." He played guitar on "Rock and Roll Fantasy." Paul left Bad Company in 1982 to spend more time with his family.
In 1973, Paul Rodgers was asked to be the singer for Deep Purple. He turned down their offer to start Bad Company instead.
1980s: Solo Music and The Firm
In October 1983, Paul Rodgers released his first solo album called Cut Loose. He wrote all the music and played all the instruments on the album.
Later, Paul teamed up with Jimmy Page, the guitarist from Led Zeppelin. They played together on the US ARMS Tour. This tour raised money for research into Multiple Sclerosis. This led to them forming a group called The Firm. They released two albums and went on two tours.
The Firm's albums, The Firm and Mean Business, sold pretty well. They had radio hits like "Radioactive" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed."
1990s: The Law and More Solo Work
In 1991, Paul Rodgers started a band called The Law with drummer Kenney Jones. Their song "Laying Down the Law" became a number one hit on rock radio.
Paul also worked with other famous musicians. He recorded a song called "Bold As Love" for a tribute album to Jimi Hendrix. He then released The Hendrix Set, a live CD of Hendrix songs. In 1993, his solo CD, Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Paul wrote the title song and was joined by many famous guitarists on the album.
For the 25th anniversary of Woodstock in 1994, Paul formed the Paul Rodgers Rock and Blues Revue. In 1995, he formed a new band and toured a lot. They released three albums: Live: The Loreley Tapes, Now, and Electric. His album Now was a Top 40 hit around the world.
In 1999, Paul Rodgers and Bad Company had a number one song called "Hey, Hey." This was one of four new songs on Bad Company's The 'Original' Bad Co. Anthology. The original members of Bad Company toured the US together for the first time in 20 years.
2000s: Queen, Bad Company, and Solo Music
In 2000, Paul Rodgers focused on his solo career. He released Electric, his sixth solo CD. His song "Drifters" was a top hit on US rock radio. He also played sold-out concerts in many countries. He even met and jammed with B. B. King.
In 2002, Paul Rodgers and Bad Company released a live CD and DVD called In Concert: Merchants of Cool. It included all their hits and a new song, "Joe Fabulous," which Paul wrote. This song became a number one hit on Classic Rock Radio.
In 2003, Paul toured as a solo artist. He also recorded a song with Jools Holland for Holland's album Small World Big Band. This led to Paul performing two sold-out shows at London's Royal Albert Hall.
In 2004, Paul joined other musicians for "Experience Hendrix" shows. He also performed at Wembley Stadium for the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar.
In late 2004, Paul Rodgers teamed up with two members of the band Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor. They toured the world in 2005 and 2006 as Queen + Paul Rodgers. It was made clear that Paul was "featured with" Queen, not replacing their late singer Freddie Mercury. They released a live album and DVD called Return of the Champions.
In 2006, Paul focused on his solo career again with a world tour. In 2007, he released a live album from this tour called Live in Glasgow.
On 27 June 2008, Paul Rodgers and Queen performed at a concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. On 8 August 2008, Paul reunited with the original members of Bad Company for a sold-out show in Florida. This performance was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and CD.
In May 2009, Paul announced he was ending his work with Queen. However, he said he might work with them again in the future. In November 2009, he announced an eight-date UK tour with Bad Company for April 2010.
2010s: Solo and Bad Company Tours
From 5 June to 18 June 2010, Paul Rodgers and his band toured California. In April 2011, Paul went on a solo UK tour. In May 2011, he received an Ivor Novello Award for his "Outstanding contribution to British music."
Paul Rodgers also contributed to a tribute album for Paul McCartney. He covered the song "Let Me Roll It" from the album Band on the Run. In 2014, he toured with Bad Company again. He also performed with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on New Year's Eve.
In May 2017, Paul Rodgers went on a 'Free Spirit' UK Tour. He celebrated the music of his old band Free by playing only their songs. A CD/DVD set of the final show was released in 2018. In the summer of 2018, Paul toured with Jeff Beck. In 2023, he released Midnight Rose, his first album of new songs in 24 years.
Personal Life
Paul Rodgers became a Canadian citizen on 21 October 2011. He lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Family Life
Paul Rodgers has a daughter named Natalie from an earlier relationship. She lives in his hometown of Middlesbrough. Paul married Machiko Shimizu in 1971. They had two children, Steve and Jasmine. Both Steve and Jasmine are musicians and were part of the rock band Bôa. Paul Rodgers and Machiko Shimizu divorced in 1996.
In 2007, Paul married Cynthia Kereluk, who was a former Miss Canada. They had been together since 1997.
Health Journey
In 2016, Paul Rodgers had his first major stroke. He had a second one in 2019, which affected his speech and ability to play music. He also had 11 smaller strokes. He needed a surgery called an endarterectomy. Since then, he has made a full recovery.
Discography
Solo
Studio albums
- Cut Loose (1983)
- Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters (1993)
- Now (1997)
- Electric (1999)
- The Royal Sessions (2014)
- Free Spirit (2018)
- Midnight Rose (2023)
Live albums
- The Hendrix Set (live EP, 1993)
- Paul Rodgers and Friends: Live at Montreux (1994, edited 2011)
- Live: The Loreley Tapes (live album, 1996)
- Now and Live (2CD compilation, 1997)
- Extended Versions (live album, 2006)
- Live in Glasgow (2007)
- Live at Hammersmith Apollo 2009 (2010)
with Free
Studio Albums
- Tons of Sobs (1969)
- Free (1969)
- Fire and Water (1970)
- Highway (1970)
- Free at Last (1972)
- Heartbreaker (1973)
Live Albums
- Free Live! (live album, 1971)
with Bad Company
Studio Albums
- Bad Company (1974)
- Straight Shooter (1975)
- Run With the Pack (1976)
- Burnin' Sky (1977)
- Desolation Angels (1979)
- Rough Diamonds (1982)
Live Albums
- In Concert: Merchants of Cool (2002)
- Hard Rock Live (2010)
- Live at Wembley (2011)
- Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 (2016)
- Live at Red Rocks (2017)
with The Firm
Studio Albums
- The Firm (1985)
- Mean Business (1986)
Live Albums
- The Firm Live at Hammersmith 1984 (DVD, 1984, limited release video)
- Five From the Firm (DVD, 1986)
with The Law
- The Law (1991)
with Queen
Studio Albums
- The Cosmos Rocks (CD, 2008)
Live Albums
- Return of the Champions (CD/LP/DVD, 2005)
- Super Live in Japan (DVD, 2006; Japan only)
- Live in Ukraine (CD/DVD, 2009)
See also
In Spanish: Paul Rodgers para niños
