Entertainment Magazine

In Interview with

SAVOY BROWN Kim Simmonds

By Tracie Reed

Savoy Brown rocked the house with the great sound of their Rock/Blues music on February 11, 2003, at Tucson, Arizona's Nimbus Brewery, hosted by Terry O Productions. Below is an interview conducted with Kim Simmonds and photos taken during their performance by Tracie. 

Original Savoy Brown member Kim Simmonds sings and plays his guitar up front.

Former member of Shania Twain, David Malachowski's plays rhythm guitar on one side. On Simmonds other side is his bass man Gerry Sorrentino. Banging on the drums in the back is Dennis Cotton. These guys know how to get your soul moving and dancing when it comes to the Rock/Blues music.

They played their newest songs from their latest CD, "Strange Dreams." It was a great Show! If you missed this show then make sure you don't miss them when they come around again. After a short break, they plan to make another CD and go on tour.

I asked Kim Simmonds some questions. I hope you enjoy reading the interview. Keep in mind he speaks with a British accent.

TG- "What age did you start your interest in music?"

Simmonds- "I had an older brother and he used to collect rock-n-roll records and so I grew up. probably- I don't know- 5,6,7- listening to the records that he had...Elvis Presley records and all those kind of records. Then, that continued on until really up until I was a teenager. I think about 13. I started buying my own records then. At that point my musical taste was a varied. It was a rhythm and blues. It was a rock-a-billy. It was jazz. It was all sorts of different things. A lot of it was black music. Because I like the black culture. You know like how people like the hip hop now. But it was still R&B back then. So then, a bit by bit, my taste grew until I sort of really decided that I really like  blues music and I thought that that's what where everything that I listen to came from. So it started when I was very young and I was about 8 years old. I had my school friends and myself. We had a little band playing Elvis Presley songs."

TG- "Is there anybody in particular that you were inspired by?"

Simmonds- "Well, I think initially it was Elvis Presley. He was the man that in many ways brought blues to England. Because in those early records that's where you know it was rock-n-roll. But your singing blue songs really. So, he was the beginning and then like I said people like James Brown. I was a big James Brown fan in the early, very early days. Ray Charles, you know, people like that. When I was about 13 years old; that's when I started to get into John Williger and all the blues guys."

TG- "Do you write your own lyrics?"

Simmonds- "I write my own lyrics."

TG- "Did you teach yourself music?"

Simmonds- "Yeah! I taught myself music just from playing records. I think when your a teenager it's a good time to play an instrument,  because I think that you got all this energy. You don't know what to do with your life. I was one of those guys that just channeled all that stuff into playing an instrument. I had a lot of fun doing it. Just lock myself in my bedroom and play the records and just force myself to play the instrument, really."

TG- "Are you glad you did it?"

Simmonds- "Oh, Yeah! I mean it was my dream. I was 13 my dream was to play in America in a blues club. I had that vision. So that was what I always sort of wanted to be. I didn't expect it to happen."

TG- "Well, That's cool. You made it here!"

Simmonds (Smiling)- "Yeah! I made it happen!"

TG- "How long did it take you to first come over to America?"

Simmonds- "The band came over in 1969 and so I started in 1966. So, yes, I must of played 6 or 7 nights a week for 3 to 4 years in England when I started. Then, we released some records that were released over here and with Dec Records. Then, we got the opportunity to come over and tour here. People like the Beatles had laid the ground for everybody. They were the first band- and the Rolling Stones- those kind of groups they dropped by. They all came over. There was the whole new British rock-n-roll. Then you had Creme came over. And, sort of, the scene sort of changed. Groups like Creme and Soulful, they came to the United States, and then that's when we came in after them really."

TG- "Did you get to play with them when they started off? Did you guys start off as well with them?"

Simmonds- "Yeah! Yeah! The dates with the band Creme. Lots of dates with all the English acts. The Yard Birds. When Jimmy Page was playing with the Yard Birds, for instance. We did dates together, and prior to Led Zeppelin. Then we did dates with Led Zeppelin over here. You just intend to know everybody over there. Because you were all in the same scene. All trying to get ahead in the same way. Playing the same music as well."

TG- "Do you get to see them anymore?"

Simmonds- "You know occasionally I'll run into people from the past. But, we all went our own way really and it's fun meeting people now that you haven't seen in years. You realize what affiliations you have for one another. Because you have similar life experiences. So I really enjoy meeting people from the sixties. I sort of grew up along the side. But now everybody goes their own way. You rarely see anybody you know and just by accident now days if I ever see anybody." 

TG- "What,'s the craziest thing you or a fan has ever done on stage?"

Simmonds- "The craziest thing on stage? Well, you know once I was playing in New York city at the Academy of Music Big Theater and back in those days the audiences could bring in anything that they would want. Bottles, anything. Now days you would have to get squished. We were playing a show there and some guys had a Jack Daniels bottle and got crazy. Drank it all, threw it in the air. 'Course it came my way and hit me right in the chest and it stopped the concert. They apologized afterwards. But stuff like that."

TG- "Did you have to go to the hospital?"

Simmonds- "No! No! I was lucky! I was shaken though. But luckily it hit flat side on to my chest. So you know it didn't cause any damage. But crazy stuff like that was happening all the time. We did a festival. Must have been 1969 somewhere might have been out west here. I know that Ike and Tina Turner were on the bill and lots of acts. There was a huge riot started. There was police with tear gas and shields. And back then everyone wanted to come in. It was full. They wouldn't let anybody go in. So they just you know there was a huge crowd outside. They battered down. They battered down the fence. Police trying to guard them off and your inside thinking woe! Let's get out of here. Tons of stuff like that went on.

You know, not to mention doing shows and it's pouring down with rain. You know, outside shows. But the fans are staying to see you. So you have to walk on to do a show and you know that electricity and rain doesn't mix. So you take your life in your own hands. But you do all that and when you look back and sort a wonder how you made it through all that."  

Kim Simmonds interview continued on next page