Kim Simmonds

Kim Simmonds - Out Of The Blue - 2008 - Panache

Welsh born Kim Simmonds, the guitarist and founding member of Savoy Brown played a monumental role in bringing British blues/rock to a global audience. Guitar Player magazine described Kim Simmonds as “one of England’s finest bluesmen,”while Discoveries magazine said, “blues and rock are in his veins." Savoy Brown helped to pave the way the way for bands like the Who, Led Zeppelin, and many more. In 1965, Kim Simmonds, along with “Lonesome” Dave Preverett, Roger Earl and Tony Stephens, founded the Savoy Brown Blues Band in south London hoping to emulate artists like the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, who were already adapting their musical styles to sound like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Willie Dixon, B.B. King, and other American blues guitar legends. Kim says that “We were at the forefront of the whole blues thing in the U.K. when it took off in 1967, but by late 1968 people were moving on and I was still a blues guy. I didn’t want to move on. I still wanted to do the blues thing.” While Stephens, Preverett, and Earl eventually left Savoy Brown to form the hugely successful Foghat, Kim Simmonds has never compromised his music and from his early days playing the late night clubs of London through headlining the world's biggest stages, he has remained loyal to his blues roots. The electric blues and rock side of Kim has always been with Savoy Brown, however his solo albums are all mostly acoustic. Talking about "Out Of The Blue", Kim says, " It’s my best acoustic record to date. I’ve definitely pushed the envelope a little bit. It will be out on Oct. 7, 2008, and I’ve been working on it for a couple of years. I have my own stand-alone studio here on my property, so I can go to my own studio and sometimes I just jam away on some blues stuff, or some acoustic stuff, depending on the mood I’m in. In the course of practicing, I’m always trying to zoom in and write some new material. I usually write batches of songs and then go back and see which ones stick, then I go back and write another batch of songs and do the same thing. Then bit by bit, over a period of time, I’ll get a really good grouping of songs that stand all by themselves. On the new record I used an old Gibson Blues King for almost all the tracks. It’s a nice, comfortable guitar, and it sounds great. It sparked something in my mind. I was sort of experimenting on this record, and it surprised me so I went with it". Kim says, "My solo work is more of a blues-folk thing. It's the other side of me. But it's the same music in a different guise. Whether it's electric or acoustic the biggest challenge I find is staying true to one’s self.” He is still playing the blues, and is revered by all who see him play whether with it's with Savoy Brown or solo. "Out Of The Blue" continues in the tradition of Kim's 1997's "Solitaire", his 2001 "Blues Like Midnight", and his 2004 "Struck By Lightning" albums. Like each of those albums, Kim continues to expand his songwriting skills and guitar technique, creating original music in the blues mould, that always remains true to his blues roots. Kim composed all 12 tracks on the album which is arguably his most accomplished album so far. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Kim once said, "If music had stopped in 1972, I wouldn’t have missed a thing". That says a lot about todays music scene. Kim's "Blues Like Midnight" album is @ KIMSIM/BLM His "Struck By Lightning" is @ KIMSIM/SBL Savoy Brown featuring Kim Simmonds' "You Should Have Been There" album is @ SAVOBR/KIMSIM/YSHBT Listen to Savoy Brown's classic "Raw Sienna" album and Kim Simmonds' "Solitaire" album. Search this blog for more Savoy Brown releases

TRACKS

1. Ain't Going Down
2. I Can Feel Your Love
3. North Country Town
4. Don't Tell Me To Smile
5. Heart To Fill
6. Out Of The Blue
7. Honeybee
8. How Much More
9. Careless Lover
10. Best Thing
11. Dreaming About You
12. [Hidden Track]

All tracks composed by Kim Simmonds

MUSICIANS

Kim Simmonds - vocals, acoustic guitar
Mark Doyle - strings, keyboards, bass instrument, percussion
Donna Cotton - background vocals

SHORT BIO

Kim Simmonds, born in Newbridge, Wales, in 1947, is considered a legendary blues guitarist by almost any musical standard. He has even been called one of the founding fathers of British blues by some. Besides his mastery with the guitar, he can hold his own with vocals, piano, harmonica, and even Dobro. The strength of his talent and his willingness to hang tough when weaker men would toss in the towel have carried him through more than three decades in the survive-if-you-can music business. Thanks to an older brother, Simmonds heard plenty of music when he was growing up. He favored everything from the Beatles to James Brown. In 1966, when Simmonds was still in his teens, he formed a rock and blues group called Savoy Brown. Other members were bassist Ray Chappell, keyboardist Bob Hall, singer Bruce Portius, drummer Leo Manning, and guitarist Martin Stone. The band got its start performing in small pubs throughout London. In a year's time there was a Savoy Brown debut album, Shake Down. The list of members changed often around Simmonds, but he persisted, and the group released album after album. In 1995 the PolyGram Records label put together a two-piece box set of many of the recordings, titled simply Savoy Brown. Taking a chance at a solo career, Simmonds recorded a debut solo offering, appropriately called Solitaire. It was released in 1997 by Blue Wave Records. Some of the acoustic blues numbers that fans can sample on this release are "I Keep Calling My Baby," "Bad Morning," "Depression Blues," and "Blues Vibration." Blues Like Midnight followed in spring 2001. © Charlotte Dillon © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kim-simmonds-p125340/biography