Paul Simon (drummer)

Last updated

Paul Simon
Also known as(The other) Paul Simon
Born1950 (age 7273)
Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
Genres New wave, post-punk, punk rock, world music
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1970s–present

Paul Simon (born 1950 [1] in Halifax, West Yorkshire, [2] ) is an English drummer who played with different punk and new wave artists including Ian North, Radio Stars, John Foxx and Glen Matlock. He is the brother of Robin, Ultravox and Magazine guitarist, with whom formed Ajanta Music, an experimental band, in the 1990s.

Biography

Being an organizer of the Halifax Arts Lab, in Halifax, he played with his younger brother Robin, in the 1970s in different bands of the area, and one of them included Billy Currie, later Ultravox. Later, he and Robert played in Limmie Snell's Limmie Funk Limited, touring England. In 1976, he was introduced to Ian North and the pair formed Radio, later Neo. [2]

Between early and mid 1977, while playing gigs with Neo, he joined Radio Stars, with former Radio's bandmate Martin Gordon, and recorded the "Good Personality" 7" single and some songs which were released in their Radio Stars Somewhere There's A Place For Us (1992); the time of his two bands were very full, dropping out from Radio Stars, who were preparing for a Japanese tour, while Neo had to do a gig at Marquee Club, being leal to North and his brother, rejoining for full-time with the latters, although Gordon and company asked him to tour in Japan. [3] That line-up in Neo continued until February/March 1978, when his brother Robert decided quit and join to Ultravox, so Paul was sacked by North shortly afterwards. [4]

After Neo, he integrated a number of bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 1979, he formed part of The Civilians, where began to team up with Trevor Herion; in 1980 joined Cowboys International, replacing ex-The Clash Terry Chimes, recording some songs and doing the last tour before the split of that band; later, he was briefly in Girls At Our Best, recording their single "Politics!" / "It's Fashion" (November, 1980); later he and Herion dissolved The Civilians and formed The Fallout Club, with Thomas Dolby, releasing a number of singles, in 1981. By the time he collaborated with his ex-Cowboys International bandmate, singer Ken Lockie in his album The Impossible (1981), Glen Matlock's The Mavericks and The Philistines as member, and with John Foxx and Sue Rachel as collaborator.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex Pistols</span> English punk rock band

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most culturally influential acts in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspired many later punk, post-punk and alternative rock musicians, while their clothing and hairstyles were a significant influence on punk image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Matlock</span> English musician

Glen Matlock is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only officially released studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, although he had left the band early in the recording process, credited as bassist and backing vocalist on only one song on the album, "Anarchy in the U.K.". However, on the bootleg album Spunk, Matlock played bass on all the songs, which included earlier studio recordings of 10 of the 12 songs that later appeared on the Bollocks album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultravox</span> British new wave band

Ultravox were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "Vienna".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Cross</span> English bass guitarist

Chris Cross is an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the new wave band Ultravox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midge Ure</span> Scottish musician (born 1953)

James Ure is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, Rich Kids and Visage, and as the second frontman of Ultravox. In 1984, he co-wrote and produced the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK. The song is the second-highest-selling single in UK chart history. Ure co-organised Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof. He acts as a trustee for the charity and also serves as an ambassador for Save the Children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Foxx</span> Musical artist

John Foxx is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the new wave band Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a solo career in 1980 with the album Metamatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Kids</span> English new wave band

Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage together. They released one album and three singles during their existence, from March 1977 to December 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clem Burke</span> American drummer

Clement Burke is an American musician who is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. He also played drums for the Ramones for a brief time in 1987, under the name Elvis Ramone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicious White Kids</span> English punk rock band

Vicious White Kids were an English punk rock band from London that formed for only one concert on 15 August 1978, staged at the Electric Ballroom in London. The former bassist of Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious, was the lead singer. It was his final concert in England, as he died of a heroin overdose the following February.

Girls at Our Best! were an English post-punk band, founded in Leeds, England in 1979 under the name The Butterflies. They had several UK Independent Singles Chart hits during their three-year existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve New</span> Musical artist

Stella Nova, born Stephen Charles New, was an English guitarist and singer who performed with a number of punk rock and new wave bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Rich Kids. In the 2000s, they came out as transgender and changed their name to Stella Nova, whilst performing with the band Beastellabeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Stevenson (musician)</span> British guitarist

James Stevenson is an English punk/alternative rock guitarist, at one time a member of the Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel, Gen X, the Cult, Holy Holy, the International Swingers and Chelsea.

Cowboys International were a new wave and synthpop band formed by vocalist and songwriter Ken Lockie that put out one album in 1979, The Original Sin, and a handful of 45s before dissolving in 1980.

Robin Simon is a British guitarist who was a member of Ultravox, Magazine and Visage.

Stevie Shears is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox!, as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International.

Neo was an early new wave band which was part of the English musical scene originated by punk in the 1970s. The group was formed by the American-born singer Ian North, who was the frontman and the only continuous member from the band formation in 1977 to the end in 1979.

Tiger Lily was a short-lived glam rock band and the seed of Ultravox!. It was founded in London in April 1974 by Royal College of Art student Dennis Leigh (vocals), who left his northern industrial environment in Lancashire, Chris St. John (bass), another college student who previously played with Stoned Rose, and Stevie Shears (guitar), a Dagenham based musician. The following month, British-Canadian drummer Warren Cann (drums), who was recently rejected as a band member by Sparks, joined the band, followed by William Currie, named Billy Currie, who was in a theatre band, later in the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Savage</span>

"Young Savage" is the second single by Ultravox!. It was released as a single by Island Records on 28 May 1977, during a time of experimentation to define a new sound for the band, in advance of their second album.

<i>Neo</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Ian North and Neo

Neo is a 1979 debut solo album by the American punk musician Ian North. It was recorded in 1978 in Ian Gillan's studio and released in 1979 by Aura Records. Although the album was released as a solo work of Ian North, he recorded it with three session musicians: Steve Byrd on guitar, John McCoy on drums and Bryson Graham on drums and they later formed Neo, as a "semi-band", because they were paid by North. Many songs were written by North while the band comprised him and the brothers Robin and Paul Simon. This line-up, the band's first played a gig during 1977. In early 1978, Robin Simon left to join Ultravox and, shortly afterwards, his brother Paul was sacked by North and joined Cowboys International.

<i>Revisited</i> (Cowboys International album) 2003 compilation album by Cowboys International

Revisited was a compilation by new wave band Cowboys International. It was released in 2003 by Pnuma Records, in USA.

References

  1. "United Kingdom Yorkshire, Robert Simon | findmypast.co.uk". Search.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Biography". Archived from the original on 14 February 2009.
  3. Radio Stars - Somewhere There's A Place For Us compilation (booklet) (1992)
  4. "Neo - A Punk History with Pictures". Punk77.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2014.