Kim Simmonds: Savoy Brown founder and blues legend dies aged 75

19 December, 2022

Kim Simmonds

Savoy Brown founder and UK blues legend Kim Simmonds has died at the age of 75, the band have announced.

The singer died last Tuesday (December 13) after a battle with a rare form of signet cell colon cancer.

“Kim Simmonds passed away peacefully in the evening of December 13th — may he rest in peace,” Savoy Brown wrote on Facebook.

“Please note one of Kim’s last requests was to thank the fans of Savoy Brown,” they added. “Your support was and shall always be immensely appreciated.

Back in August, Simmonds announced that he had been battling cancer for a year. “I’ve been receiving chemotherapy and that has made it hard for me to play gigs,” he said in a statement at the time.

“One of the side effects is peripheral neuropathy which has now deadened the nerves in my fingers and hands (feet too).”

The Savoy Brown Blues Band were formed by an 18-year-old Simmonds in 1965, alongside vocalist Brice Portius, keyboardist Trevor Jeavons, bassist Ray Chappell, drummer Leo Manning and harmonica player John O’Leary. They went on to become pioneers in the post-Beatles blues movement in the UK.

Releasing albums consistently since the band’s formation, Simmonds’ debut solo album, ‘Solitaire’, landed in 1997.

After Billboard-topping 2017 album ‘Witchy Feeling’, Savoy Brown released two albums in 2020 – ‘Ain’t Done Yet’ and ‘Taking the Blues Back Home’. Live shows in 2021 were then postponed due to Simmonds’ cancer battle.

Among those paying tribute to Simmonds was Joe Bonamassa, who wrote: “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.”

See more tributes to the late guitarist below.

The post Kim Simmonds: Savoy Brown founder and blues legend dies aged 75 appeared first on NME.