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Jeff Simmons | |
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| Birth name | Jeffrey Lael Simmons |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, guitar, vocals, harmonica, piano |
Jeffrey Lael Simmons [1] is an American rock musician, best known as a former member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention.
Simmons provided bass, guitar, vocals and harmonica for Mothers of Invention during 1970 and 1971. He left the Mothers in early 1971 just prior to the filming of 200 Motels (where he was replaced by Ringo Starr's chauffeur Martin Lickert). Simmons later returned to the Mothers occasionally during the period of 1972 to 1974. Zappa and Mothers albums he appeared on include Chunga's Revenge (1970), Waka/Jawaka (1972) and Roxy & Elsewhere (1974).
In later years Zappa released a number of archival recordings that feature Simmons including You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (1988), You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 (1992), and Playground Psychotics (1992). Simmons also appears in the Zappa movie The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels (1989). Numerous Zappa bootleg recordings from the same era also feature Simmons.
Simmons's music career began in Seattle. In 1967 he became a member of the local group Blues Interchange which soon changed its name to Easy Chair. The group self-financed their only recording, released by the regional Vanco label in 1968. [2] The 12" one-sided, three-song album sold well in the independent record shops along University Way NE (known locally as The Ave) in Seattle's University District. Only about 1000 copies of locally produced Easy Chair record were pressed. 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). During the sound check Easy Chair was discovered by Zappa, who recognized that the group's style was compatible with his own. The group followed Zappa back to Los Angeles. [2]
In December 1968, Easy Chair was a supporting act for Zappa and The Mothers for 2 concerts at the Shrine Auditorium. The concerts were organized to showcase Zappa's two new record labels, Bizarre and Straight. Other artists appearing at the shows included Alice Cooper, The GTOs and Wild Man Fischer. But Easy Chair never had the opportunity to make a record in Los Angeles. After disagreements and unexpected delays the group broke up before any recordings were made.
Simmons stayed in Los Angeles and completed two solo albums for Straight in 1969. These were the soundtrack for the Roger Corman biker film Naked Angels and the album Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up . The recording engineer and de facto producer was Chris Huston, formerly with the British band The Undertakers. Also featured were guitarist Craig Tarwater of The Daily Flash and drummer Ron Woods from The Dynamics.
Lucille was recorded at Huston's Mystic Studios at Selma and Vine in Hollywood and finished at Whitney Studios in Burbank. Zappa contributed the title track and co-wrote another while also playing guitar. It was voted the best album on Straight by Mojo Magazine. Both albums were re-issued on CD and vinyl in 2007 by World In Sound Records.
Simmons is one of only a handful of musicians to share songwriting credits with Zappa. The collaboration "Wonderful Wino" appears on Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up , and also on Zappa's 1976 album Zoot Allures . Simmons is also listed as co-writer (with Zappa and Napoleon Murphy Brock) on "Dummy Up" from Zappa's 1974 album Roxy & Elsewhere . [3]
During a 1982 guest DJ spot on UK's BBC Radio 1, Zappa played some of his favorite recordings including Simmons' song "I'm In The Music Business".
Simmons continued to play music with various groups in the Seattle area during the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in the 1988 movie Rock and Roll Mobster Girls which was produced on video tape in Seattle during the very early stages of the grunge music scene. His most recent work is Blue Universe (2004). It showcases his days and nights in Vancouver B.C., post Hollywood.
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.
Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa developed a strong affinity for playing the guitar and producing music. Able to learn directly from guitarists such as Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen, Zappa released his first single at the age of 12.
The Grand Wazoo is the eleventh album by The Mothers, sixteenth overall by Frank Zappa, released in November 1972. It was written and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence after being assaulted in December 1971 in London, UK.
Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (Eddie).
Bizarre Records, self-identified simply as Bizarre, was a production company and record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen.
Waka/Jawaka is the fourth solo album, fifteenth album counting the work of his band the Mothers of Invention, by Frank Zappa, released in July 1972. The album is the jazz-influenced precursor to The Grand Wazoo, and as the front cover indicates, a sequel of sorts to 1969's Hot Rats. According to Zappa, the title "is something that showed up on a ouija board at one time."
Chunga's Revenge is the third solo album, and eleventh album counting the work of his band The Mothers of Invention, by Frank Zappa, released on October 23, 1970. Zappa's first effort of the 1970s marks the first appearance of former Turtles members Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan - nicknamed Flo & Eddie - on a Zappa record, and signals the dawn of a controversial epoch in Zappa's history. Chunga's Revenge represents a shift from both the satirical political commentary of his 1960s work with The Mothers of Invention, and the jazz fusion of Hot Rats.
The Mothers of Invention were an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows.
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Journey, Jefferson Starship, Nils Lofgren, Eric Burdon, Shuggie Otis, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Whitesnake, Pat Travers, Sammy Hagar, Michael Schenker, UFO, Michael Chapman, Jake E. Lee, Leslie West, Kathi McDonald, Keith Emerson, Mike Onesko, Herbie Mann and Flo & Eddie. Dunbar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.
Roxy & Elsewhere is a double live album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers, released on September 10, 1974. Most of the songs were recorded on December 8, 9 and 10, 1973 at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Ruth Underwood is an American musician best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. She collaborated with the Mothers of Invention from 1968 to 1977.
Donald Ward Preston is an American jazz and rock keyboardist. He is best known for being a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention during the late 1960s. He continued to work with Zappa during the early 1970s following the band's spilt.
Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up is the debut album of American musician Jeff Simmons. Released in 1969, the album was produced by Frank Zappa, who wrote two songs for the album under the pseudonym "La Marr Bruister". The album features musicians Craig Tarwater and John Kehlior, both of whom had previously been members of the Seattle group The Daily Flash.
Son of Cheep Thrills is a compilation album by Frank Zappa, with material from previously released albums.
The Old Masters is a box set series by Frank Zappa, released in three volumes on Barking Pumpkin Records from April 1985 to December 1987, consisting of studio and live albums by Zappa and The Mothers of Invention originally released from 1966 to 1976 on other labels, as well as "Mystery Discs" which contained previously unreleased material. The graphics on all three sets was airbrush illustrated by Larry Grossman. 200 Motels was not included in the series, as it was the only Zappa/Mothers album for which Zappa was unable to secure the rights.
Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood was an American rock musician notable for being a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention, providing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects. He appeared on all the albums of the original Mothers line-up and the 'posthumous' releases Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh, as well as certain subsequent Zappa albums. He also appeared in the films 200 Motels, Video from Hell and Uncle Meat.
Charles "Buzz" Guarnera was an American trumpet and flugelhorn player. Under the name Buzz Gardner, he was a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention during the 1960s alongside his brother Bunk Gardner.
"Sofa" is a composition by American musician Frank Zappa, released in 1975 on One Size Fits All. In 1993, the year of Zappa's death, Steve Vai covered "Sofa" for Zappa's tribute album Zappa's Universe. The cover won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1994. This was Vai's first of three Grammies.
Road Tapes, Venue #3 is a posthumous album of Frank Zappa, released in May 2016, consisting of the recording of the two shows on July 5, 1970, at Tyrone Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN. The album was recorded as one of the first shows with the (then) newly formed Mothers of Invention featuring Flo & Eddie, Aynsley Dunbar, George Duke, Jeff Simmons and returning member Ian Underwood. This release is notable for being one of the few tapes in the Zappa Vault from this time period, and line up. It is the ninth installment on the Vaulternative Records label that is dedicated to the posthumous release of complete Zappa concerts, following the releases of FZ:OZ (2002), Buffalo (2007), Wazoo (2007), Philly '76 (2009), Hammersmith Odeon (2010), Carnegie Hall (2011), Road Tapes, Venue #1 (2012) and Road Tapes, Venue #2 (2013).
Zappa/Erie is a live album by Frank Zappa, released posthumously on June 17, 2022. The album is a six CD boxset consisting of several shows performed in the Erie, Pennsylvania area in 1974 and 1976. All the material is previously unreleased, except for roughly ten minutes of audio that appeared on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) in an edited form.
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