Savoy Brown founder and British blues legend Kim Simmonds has died aged 75, the band has announced.
The singer passed away last Tuesday (December 13) after a battle with a rare type of colon cancer called signature cell.
“Kim Simmonds passed away peacefully on the evening of December 13th – may she rest in peace,” Savoy Brown wrote on Facebook.
“Please note that one of Kim’s last requests was to thank Savoy Brown’s fans,” they said. “Your support has been and will always be greatly appreciated.
In August, Simmonds announced that he had been battling cancer for a year: “I have been undergoing chemotherapy and that has made it difficult for me to play concerts,” he said in a statement at the time.
“One of the side effects is peripheral neuropathy, which has weakened the nerves in my fingers and hands (also my feet).”
18-year-old Simmonds formed the Savoy Brown Blues Band in 1965, along with singer Brice Portius, keyboardist Trevor Jeavons, bassist Ray Chappell, drummer Leo Manning, and harmonica player John O’Leary. . They were pioneers of the post-Beatles blues movement in the UK.
Simmonds has been releasing albums steadily since the band’s formation, and his first solo album, “Solitaire,” came in 1997.
After the 2017 album ‘Witchy Feeling’, which topped the Billboard charts, Savoy Brown released two albums in 2020: ‘Ain’t Done Yet’ and ‘Taking the Blues Back Home’. The 2021 concerts have been postponed due to Simmonds’ battle with cancer.
Among those who paid tribute to Simmonds was Joe Bonamassa, who wrote: “Kim Simmonds was one of the kindest souls I have ever met in this music business. I was always smiling and laughing. With Lonesome Dave he made some beautiful records with Savoy Brown Rest in peace Kim. We will miss you.”
See more tributes to the late guitarist below.
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