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Fritz Gerald McIntyre (2 September 1958 – 23 August 2021) was a British musician, most famous for his tenure as keyboard player in the original line-up of Simply Red.

Early life

McIntyre was born in Birmingham in 1958. His father was not only a church pastor, but also a choirmaster and gifted musician. As a boy he learnt a lot about music through him, and also learned trumpet and double bass at school, to accompany his self-taught skills in piano and guitar. The family moved to Canada, although McIntyre returned to Manchester in his twenties, hoping for a career in music.

Career

McIntyre successfully auditioned for Simply Red in 1984. He co-wrote several of Simply Red's songs with frontman Mick Hucknall and sang background vocals. He also sang the lead vocals in the song "Wonderland" from the Stars album. He was a founder member of the band, and played from their debut album Picture Book in 1985 until their 1995 album Life. He was the last of the founder members to quit the band, though with their growing success, he saw decisions being made on the "big bucks" rather than "artistic progress and merit". The former camaraderie had gone, and so he decided he'd had enough.

After leaving Simply Red, McIntyre released an eponymous debut solo album. He then moved to Ontario, Canada where he released a Christian worship album First Fruits. He resided in the United States where he was the music director of a large Florida church.

McIntyre died on 23 August 2021, at the age of 62.

References

1. Collins complete UK hit singles 1952–2004, pg. 704
2. ^ "Fritz Gerald McIntyre September 2, 1958 - August 23, 2021". northviewfuneralchapel.com. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
3. ^ "Fritz McIntyre obituary". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
4. "Fritz McIntyre | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
5. Damiata, Roberta (24 August 2021). "Morto Fritz McIntyre, tastierista dei Simply Red". Ilgiornale.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2021.
6. Fritz McIntyre Times obituary

External links

• Fritz McIntyre discography at Discogs
• Fritz McIntyre at IMDb

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• 1958 births
• 2021 deaths
• Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands
• 20th-century Black British male singers
• English keyboardists
• Simply Red members
• British people of Jamaican descent
• 20th-century Black Canadian male singers
• 20th-century Canadian male singers
• British expatriates in Canada
• British expatriate musicians in the United States
• British keyboardist stubs