Jeff simmons frank zappa biography
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His second album Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up (1970), featured Zappa as producer.
From: fred hopkins
Another part of Jeff's career which is conspicuosly overlooked is his soundtrack to The Naked Angels (1970). It really smokes. There were quite a few copies pressed at one time. I purchased about 30 cut-outs of the album for about 15 cents each in the mid-80's, though I understand now that it goes for collectors' prices. Jeff is playing with an extremely sparse, but not poorly fed, band which, I believe, consists of Doug Hastings (formerly Daily Flash) on gtr and Ron wood (The Dynamics) on drums. Jeff does a few vocals as well as playing keyboards, bass, and gtr. Jeff's vocals and his R'n'B influecnes soar in "Leaving Las Levags Boogie" as well as Rat Grind. The movie, itself, was briefly available on video. The Naked Angels is a gritty, extremely vicious and somewhat oil-stained later entry in the biker cycle starring a few contract players from Warner television. Jeff's music makes this film more than it is, though there is a slightly compelling garage scene where a lonely garage attendant tries to get romantic with a biker-- unsuccessfully.
From: Steve Leathart ([email protected])
Jeff is an old friend of mine whith whom I have played in 3 or 4 bands over the years (each of which lasted about 6 weeks until he got distracted by something else, or had to take a cheeze gig to make some money) He is currently working on (or has finished) a new album of his own stuff with the assistance and support of David Lanz (yes, THAT David Lanz) the new-age keyboard guy that Jeff played with in several bands in the 60's and 70's.
He left the group during the making of "200 Motels", although he would return for appearances on Zappa's "Waka/Jawaka" and "Roxy & Elsewhere" albums.
In the 1980's, Simmons was busy again in Seattle, performing with such bands as The Backtrackers, The Shimmering Guitars, and Cocktails For Ladies.
Only about 1000 copies of locally produced Easy Chair record were pressed. 'lucille...'(frank zappa) & 'wino man' (simmons, zappa)
11
(1970, lp, usa, bizarre)
15
(1972, lp, usa, bizarre)
(1972, lp, usa, reprise/warner records ms 2073) - feat.jeff simmons, billy mundi
19
(1974, 2lp, usa, discreet)
(1988, 2cd, usa, ryko)
(1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70539)
(1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 70540)
(1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 71017)
(1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 71018)
(1991, cd, usa, rhino foo-eee records r2 71020)
(1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)
(1992, 2cd, usa, ryko)
3
(2004, cd, usa, private release) - incl.
The owner told me that Jeff had called him the day before about something (apparently they are old friends) and I told him that someone on the Net was asking about the former Mothers' whereabouts. Now Jeff has returned to another goroup, "Cocktails For Ladies" featuring hopkins on rhythm gtr, Steve Abrams on Ventures=style gtr, Nick Hagen (of The Sonics on Bomp) on drums. Jeff, a/ka/ lil Bobby Sumpner, is archetypal on bass and cheesy Euro-trash organ. He is no longer the janitor of the Blues, He is Robert Sumpner, Jr.
Exchequer (by Royal Appoitment), Ombudsman, and spare traffic comptroller of the blues. Cocktails for ladies re-unites Simmons with long-time band-member Hopkins, who remember the era, one decade ago, when The Backtrackers flew with a superb rendition of Jeff's biggest hit (to date) "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up." Jeff is back in the late-90s! He's working on several projects with new age keyboardist/composer Dave Lanz and Jeff is intertaining offes to re-release the legendary Easy Chair 10" LP from 1969, along with newer material cut by most of the original members. The coktail nation movement was only a pathetic imitation of what Jeff has been musically preaching for years. The time has come, pipples, lissen to Lil Bobby rock!
He, however, remains my friend to this day and although I've lived in L.A. for the past 19 years, we speak often on the phone & I'm looking forward to hearing his new CD.
I'm grateful to Jeff for teaching me a great deal of what I know about music, as well as introducing me to other fine players who have also taught me much over the years.
Numerous Zappa bootleg recordings from the same era also feature Simmons.
Jeff's music career began in Seattle. One was a mostly instrumental (of 14 tracks, only two have vocals) soundtrack for the obscure biker film "Naked Angels".
Jeff later returned to the Mothers occasionally during the period of 1972 to 1974. Simmons provided bass, guitar, and/or vocal for the group between 1970 and 1971. It is now a highly valued collectible.
Easy Chair was then booked as the opening act for an August 24, 1968 concert by The Mothers of Invention at the Seattle Center Arena (renamed in 1995 to Mercer Arena).
Jeff did not play in the Roxy shows proper.
From: [email protected]
What has been left out of most Simmon's biographies is his eclectic trans-morphic mid-1980's period in North Seattle where Jeff carved out a unique musical plateau for himself by excelling at all forms of truly anarchic insturmental and obscure rockabilly music. Jeff foremd The Backtrackers in 1984 featuring himself on bass, guitar, and keys and also spotlighting Fred Hopkins on rhythm gtr, Jim Waymeyer on bass, and Rich Spring on drums. Other highly vaunted participants were Linda Woods on drums, Bill Larsen (of The Dynette Set) on 12 string rhythm, Pete "Big Bear" DePoe from Redbone on drums, Jon Bonno (from Juggernaut) on guitar and vocals, Chris Layton (of Randy Bachman' Rion Horse and Union) on drums. It made for some neo-precipitous evenings where fun and joy were nothing to casually scoff at. Jeff's Backtrackers honed in on material as diverse as Joe Turner's version of "Honey Hush," Brian Hyland's "The Joker Went Wild" and Jeff's stinging, but not remorseful, version of the '57 regional hit, "High School Ceaser" (from the Astor picture of the same name.) A few years later, Jeff formed The Shimmering guitars, featuring John Nelson of Crowe Studios on bass, Dr.
Phil Kirby (of Easy Chair) on gtr, and Russ Kemmerer (of Locomotive) on drums.
Simmons was then signed to Straight Records to record two albums: one a - mostly instrumental - soundtrack for the biker film "Naked Angels" (Straight STS 1056) and the other "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" (Straight STS 1057 / Straight/Reprise RS 6391, February 9, 1970).
Zappa wrote two songs and played lead guitar under the pseudonym La Marr Bruister.
Jeff Simmons first came to the attention of Frank Zappa as a member of the Seattle-based group Easy Chair when they opened for the Mothers at the Seattle Center. So is the whole museum. The recording engineer was Chris Huston, who also worked on Led Zeppelin II at about the same time.
(Zappa would later release his own version of the song on his "Zoot Allures" album.