About Andy Fraser
Andrew McIan Fraser (3 July 1952 – 16 March 2015) was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-composer for the rock band Free, which he helped found in 1968 when he was 15. He is known for writing the hit songs "All Right Now" and "Every Kinda People". He also founded the rock band Sharks after leaving Free in 1972. == Peak years (1960s and 1970s) == Fraser was born in the Paddington area of Central London to a Barbadian-Guyanese father of mixed European and African ancestry, and an English mother. His parents later divorced and, along with his three siblings, he was raised by his mother. He began playing the piano at the age of five. He was trained classically until twelve, when he switched to guitar. By thirteen he was playing in East End, West Indian clubs and after being expelled from St Clement Danes Grammar School in 1968 at the age of 15, enrolled at Hammersmith College of Further Education. There, another student, Sappho Korner, introduced him to her father, pioneering blues musician and radio broadcaster Alexis Korner, who became a father figure to him. Shortly thereafter, upon receiving a telephone call from John Mayall who was looking for a bass player, Korner suggested Fraser; still only 15, he was now in a professional band and earning £50 a week, although it ultimately turned out to be a brief tenure.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.