John Simon (record producer)
Encyclopedia
John Simon is an American
musician
, record producer
, and composer
. He is best known for his work with The Band
as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink
and The Band
.
, where he produced music for a wide variety of acts. Among his early production credits are the 1966 No. 2 hit song "Red Rubber Ball
" by The Cyrkle
.
He produced Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company
, Leonard Cohen
's debut Songs of Leonard Cohen
, Child Is Father to the Man
by Blood, Sweat & Tears
, Jackrabbit Slim by Steve Forbert
among many other albums, and has recorded as a solo artist. He also played tuba
in "Rag Mama Rag".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He is best known for his work with The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink
Music from Big Pink
Music from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock band The Band. It features the well-known song, "The Weight". The music was composed partly in 'Big Pink', a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, in upstate New York...
and The Band
The Band (album)
- Bonus Track listing from 2000 re-release :All songs by Robbie Robertson unless otherwise noted. The 2000 re-release has also been packaged as a double CD with The Band's debut album Music from Big Pink.- Personnel :...
.
Biography
He began his career with Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where he produced music for a wide variety of acts. Among his early production credits are the 1966 No. 2 hit song "Red Rubber Ball
Red Rubber Ball
"Red Rubber Ball" is a pop song which became a hit in the 1966 version recorded by The Cyrkle....
" by The Cyrkle
The Cyrkle
The Cyrkle was a short-lived American rock and roll band active in the mid-1960s. The group charted two Top 40 hits, "Red Rubber Ball," and "Turn Down Day"...
.
He produced Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
's debut Songs of Leonard Cohen
Songs of Leonard Cohen
Songs of Leonard Cohen is the debut album of Canadian musician Leonard Cohen. It foreshadowed the future path of his career, with less success in the United States and far better in Europe, reaching #83 on the Billboard chart but achieving gold status only in 1989, while it reached #13 in UK and...
, Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man is the debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968. It reached number 47 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.-History:...
by Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
, Jackrabbit Slim by Steve Forbert
Steve Forbert
Steve Forbert is an American pop music singer-songwriter. He is best known for his song "Romeo's Tune", which reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1980....
among many other albums, and has recorded as a solo artist. He also played tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
in "Rag Mama Rag".
Solo discography
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | John Simon's Album | Water Music Records |
| 1973 | Journey | Warner Bros. |
| 1992 | Out on the Street | Pioneer Japan |
| 1995 | Harmony Farm | Pioneer Japan |
| Home | ||
| 2000 | The Best and Beyond | |
| 2000 | Hoagyland: Songs of Hoagy Carmichael | Dreamsville |
| No Band | ||
| 2006 | Baroque Inevitable | Sony Music Distribution |
| Don't Forget What I Told You | Warner Bros. |