Joe Simon (musician)

Joe Simon (born September 2, 1943)[1] is an American soul and R&B musician. He began as a Gospel artist singing with the Golden West Singers in the Bay Area in California. A consistent presence on the US charts between 1964 and 1981, Simon charted 51 U.S. Pop and R&B chart hits between 1964 and 1981, including eight times in the US top forty, thirty-eight times in the top 40 of the US R&B charts, and 13 chart hits in Canada. His biggest hits included three number one entries on the US Billboard R&B chart: "The Chokin' Kind" (1969), "Power of Love" (1972), and "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)" (1975).

Joe Simon
Birth nameJoe Simon
Born (1943-09-02) September 2, 1943
Simmesport, Louisiana, United States
GenresSoul, R&B
Occupation(s)Singer, record producer, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1959–late 1990s
LabelsHush Records, Vee-Jay Records, Sound Stage 7, Spring Records

Career

Simon was born in Simmesport, Louisiana, United States.[1] Similar to many other African-American artists from the era, Simon began singing in his father's Baptist church. He pursued his vocal abilities full-time once the family moved to Richmond (near Oakland, California) in the late 1950s.[2] There Simon joined the Golden West Gospel Singers and became influenced by Sam Cooke and Arthur Prysock. With this, the group decided to turn secular and recorded "Little Island Girl" as the Golden Tones in 1959.

Hush Records label owners Gary and Carla Thompson urged Simon to record on his own, and in 1964 Simon scored a minor hit on the Vee-Jay label with "My Adorable One".[2] Simon scored again in 1965 on the Chicago-based label with "Let's Do It Over",[2] which landed a #13 spot on the US Billboard R&B chart. However, the Vee-Jay label folded soon after the latter song's release and Simon found himself traveling across the country singing.

In his Nashville phase Simon carried on for Sam Cooke with a will.

Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)[3]

Simon caught the eye of Nashville, Tennessee, R&B disc jockey John Richbourg during this time,[2] and Richbourg not only became Simon's manager/record producer but also brought the singer to Monument Records' subsidiary label Sound Stage 7 in 1966.[1] That year Simon released "Teenager's Prayer",[2] which peaked at #11 on Billboard's R&B chart. Within the next two years, Simon released a string of hits: "(You Keep Me) Hanging On", "The Chokin' Kind" (Billboard Hot 100 #13), "Farther on Down The Road", and "Yours Love".[2] "The Chokin' Kind" was written by Harlan Howard, spent 12 weeks in the charts, and had sold one million copies by June 16, 1969.[1] In addition, Simon was given a Grammy Award in 1970 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.[1]

Under the encouragement of Richbourg, Simon moved to the Polydor distributed Spring Records label in 1970, which paired Simon with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.[2] The team scored a #3 R&B hit in 1971 with "Drowning in the Sea of Love" and a #1 R&B hit in the summer of 1972 with "Power of Love".[2] Both songs reached #11 on the Hot 100. "Drowning in the Sea of Love" sold over 1.5 million copies and the RIAA on January 6, 1972 gave a gold disc.[1] "Power of Love", written by Gamble, Huff and Simon was Simon's third million seller, and the R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on August 29, 1972.[1]

Simon continued to release R&B hits with "Pool of Bad Luck", "Trouble in My Home", "Step By Step" (his only UK success),[2] "I Need You, You Need Me", "Music in My Bones", "Carry Me", and 1975's "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)", which gave Simon his third #1 R&B hit, and also a #8 Hot 100 hit. Simon's success escalated with his writing/producing the theme tune for the film, Cleopatra Jones in 1973.[2]

In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Simon decided to remove his tenor/bass-baritone voice from the secular music world and devote it and other parts of his life to Christianity.[4] Simon began evangelist preaching in Flossmoor, Illinois. In 1983, he produced the album Lay My Burden Down for former Davis Sisters second lead Jackie Verdell. Simon released a gospel album titled This Story Must Be Told in the late 1990s.

In 1999, Simon was inducted as a Pioneer Award honoree by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Joss Stone covered "The Chokin' Kind" on her 2003 album, The Soul Sessions.

Simon has had a number of his songs sampled by other artists, including OutKast, who sampled "Before the Night is Over" in their hit "So Fresh, So Clean" and Lil' Kim, who sampled Simon's "It Be's That Way Sometimes" in "Magic Stick", featuring 50 Cent. Memphis Bleek sampled Simon's "Trace Your Love" for the track "Alright" on his 2005 534 album.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Record label
US
[5]
US
R&B

[5]
1966 Simon Pure Soul Sound Stage 7
1968 No Sad Songs 22
Simon Sings 41
1969 The Chokin' Kind 81 18
Joe Simon...Better Than Ever 192
1971 The Sounds of Simon 153 9 Spring
1972 Drowning in the Sea of Love 71 11
1973 The Power of Joe Simon 97 15
Simon Country 208 51
1974 Mood, Heart and Soul 44
1975 Get Down 8 10
1976 Today 35
1977 Easy to Love 56
A Bad Case of Love
1979 Love Vibrations 34
Happy Birthday, Baby
1981 Glad You Came My Way 49 Posse
1985 Mr. Right Compleat
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

[2]

Compilation albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Record label
US
[5]
US
R&B

[5]
1969 Joe Simon Buddah
1972 Joe Simon's Greatest Hits 20 Sound Stage 7
The Best of Joe Simon 147
1976 The World of Joe Simon
1982 By Popular Demand...Joe Simon's Greatest Hits Posse
1985 By Popular Demand Joe Simon's Greatest Hits Volume II
1997 Greatest Hits: The Spring Years 1970-1977 Southbound
Music In My Bones: The Best of Joe Simon Rhino
2004 Mr. Shout Ace
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

[2]

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US
[5]
US
R&B

[5]
AUS
[6]
CAN
[7]
UK
[8]
1960 "It's a Miracle"
1961 "Call My Name"
"The Pledge"
"Troubles"
1962 "I Keep Remembering "
1963 "Just Like Yesterday"
1964 "My Adorable One" [A] 102 8
1965 "When I'm Gone"
"Let's Do It Over" 13
1966 "A Teenager's Prayer " 66 11 72
"Too Many Teardrops"
1967 "My Special Prayer" 87 17
"Put Your Trust in Me (Depend on Me)" 129 47
"Nine Pound Steel" 70 19
1968 "No Sad Songs" 49 22
"(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" 25 11 48
"Message from Maria" 75 31 83
"I Worry About You" 98
"Looking Back" 70 42
1969 "The Chokin' Kind" 13 1 17
"Baby, Don't Be Looking in My Mind" 72 16 48
"San Francisco Is a Lonely Town" 79 29
"It's Hard to Get Along" 87 26 86
"Moon Walk" 54 11 27
1970 "Farther on Down the Road" 57 7 66
"Yours Love" 78 10
"That's The Way I Want Our Love" 93 27
"Your Time to Cry" 40 3 39
1971 "Help Me Make It Through the Night" 69 13
"To Lay Down Beside You" 117
"All My Hard Times" 93 19
"Georgia Blue"
"Drowning in the Sea of Love" 11 3 95 50
1972 "Pool of Bad Luck" 42 13
"Power of Love" 11 1
"Misty Blue" 91 47
"Trouble in My Home" 50 5
"I Found My Dad"
1973 "Step by Step" 37 6 73 14
"Theme From Cleopatra Jones" 18 3
"River" 62 6
1974 "Carry Me" 12
"Who's Julie"
"The Best Time of My Life" 15
"Someone to Lean On"
1975 "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)" 8 1 16
"Music in My Bones" 92 7
"I Need You, You Need Me" 5 98
1976 "Come Get to This" 102 22
"Funny How Time Slips Away"
"Easy to Love" 12
1977 "You Didn't Have to Play No Games" 62
"One Step at a Time" 28
"For Your Love, Love, Love" 27
1978 "I.O.U." 71
"Love Vibration" 15
1979 "Going Through These Changes" 78
"I Wanna Taste Your Love" 87
1980 "Hooked on Disco Music"
"Baby, When Love Is in Your Heart (It's in Your Eyes)" 60
"Glad You Came My Way" 43
1981 "Are We Breaking Up" 52
"Magnolia"
"You Give Life to Me" (With Clare Bathe)
1982 "Go Sam"
"It's Be's That Way Sometime"
1985 "It Turns Me Inside Out"
"Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now"
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also

References

  1. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 267, 303 and 321. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  2. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 1086. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  4. "Biography by Bill Dahl". Allmusic.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  5. "US Charts > Joe Simon". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  6. David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "CAN Charts > Joe Simon". RPM. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  8. "UK Charts > Joe Simon". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
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