His first band, the "Frantic Elevators", split up in 1983, and he went on to form Simply Red. Simply Red's name is, in part, a reflection for Hucknall's passion for the Manchester United soccer team. The band's debut single Money's Too Tight to Mention (1985) reached the British Top 20, and in 1986 their song Holding Back the Years hit the number one position in the United States. Simply Red have released nine albums in all, including two compilation albums.
He has been romatically linked with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Martine McCutcheon, model Helena Christensen, and tennis star Steffi Graf.