The Origin Story
From Brixton to Global Infamy
Brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass grew up in East Grinstead, Sussex, and spent years working the club circuit before lightning struck. Fred was a session singer and model; Richard had a martial arts background and sculpted physique that would become rather useful for posing purposes.
In 1991, the duo — joined by guitarist Rob Manzoli — self-released a track they'd written in a couple of hours: I'm Too Sexy. Radio programmers thought it was novelty nonsense. The public thought it was genius. It topped the UK charts for six weeks and climbed to #1 in the US — an era when British acts rarely cracked America.
The follow-up album Up went double platinum. Tracks like Don't Talk Just Kiss, Deeply Dippy, and Those Simple Things proved there was genuine songwriting craft behind the bald, brawny image. They weren't a joke. They just knew how to have fun.
Decades later, the song refuses to die. It got resampled by Taylor Swift on Look What You Made Me Do (2017), introducing the brothers to an entirely new generation. Right Said Fred remains active, touring and recording — and still, apparently, too sexy for their shirts.
