Who was Kim Simmonds? Tributes pour in for Savoy Brown guitarist after death
- Kim Simmonds, a legendary musician, and Savoy Brown member has died
- Simmonds' was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer a few months back
- He started the Savoy Brown Blues Band in October 1965
Kim Simmonds, a legendary musician, and Savoy Brown member died on December 13, following a battle with cancer at the age of 75.
Simmonds’ was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer a few months back and his upcoming shows had to be canceled. Since September he had been undergoing chemotherapy. The band announced his death on social media with a photo and wrote, “Kim Simmonds passed away peacefully in the evening of December 13th — may he rest in peace.”
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“You’ve gone away. We’ll get by somehow. Just right now, all we can do is cry,” they wrote in the photo tribute, which are words from one of their songs called All I can do.
The band further noted that one of Simmonds’ “last requests was to thank the fans of Savoy Brown.” Simmonds is survived by his wife and family members.
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Who was Kim Simmonds?
Simmonds was born on December 5, 1947. As a teen, he learned to play from listening to his brother’s blues records.
He started the Savoy Brown Blues Band in October 1965 and they began playing gigs at the Nags Head in 1966 in London. Although the members kept on changing over the years, Simmonds, along with Pat DeSalvo and Garnet Grimm, remained in the main lineup.
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In 1967, Savoy Brown released their first studio album, Shake Down, with 11 tracks, which received a positive response from critics and audiences. The band continued to release more albums like Getting to the Point, Blue Matter, A Step Further, Looking In, Hellbound Train, and singles I’m Tired, and Tell Mama, etc
Simmonds also pursued a solo career, during which he released five albums. His solo debut album, Solitaire, was released in 1997, followed by Blues Like Midnight in 2001. Three more albums followed.
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In August 2022, Simmonds announced that he had been battling stage-four cancer. He shared that chemotherapy “made it hard for me to play gigs.”
“Chemotherapy has been an ongoing reality in my life since the first diagnosis and surgery last September. It has kept me going with a decent quality of life. I’m very grateful for that and all the superb health care I’ve received locally as well as the unending support of my wife, family and friends,” he said.
Tributes for Kim Simmonds
Tributes poured in for Simmonds on Twitter. “Kim Simmonds was one of kindest souls I’d had ever met in this business of music. Always smiling and jovial. He along with Lonesome Dave made some beautiful records with Savoy Brown. Rest in Peace Kim. You will be missed,” one of the fans said.
Another wrote, “So sad to hear we lost Kim Simmonds today. Savoy Brown were as big a part of the British Blues Boom as anyone.” One more said, “I just heard Kim Simmonds founder of Savoy Brown has died. I’m gonna spin a couple of my favorites in his memory. Thank you for all the great music, Kim. I absolutely love this album, Looking In from 1970.”
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