*****JOE SIMON*****


Somebody needs to click on this man's "Wikipedia" link. Joe is one of the last great Soul Singers. With his accomplishments and chart stats, he should be in already !!

* Grammy Award Winner

* Rhythm and Blues Founder "Pioneer Award" winner

* Tons of hit records. More than many Inductees

* Very influential. Everybody praises Dorothy Moore for her cover if "Misty Blue". Joe made the first hit R&B version...It was HIS version that influenced HERS. (It was originally a country song).

Never nominated....of even considered. (Why am I not surprised ? )

Posted by Bill G. on Friday, 08/2/2013 @ 17:39pm

*****JOE SIMON*****


Somebody needs to click on this man's "Wikipedia" link. Joe is one of the last great Soul Singers. With his accomplishments and chart stats, he should be in already !!

* Grammy Award Winner

* Rhythm and Blues Founder "Pioneer Award" winner

* Tons of hit records. More than many Inductees !!

* Very influential. Everybody praises Dorothy Moore for her cover if "Misty Blue". Joe made the first hit R&B version...It was HIS version that influenced HERS. (It was originally a country song).

From Wikipedia:

"Joe Simon (born September 2, 1943)[1] is an American chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B musician. A consistent presence on the US charts between 1964 and 1981, Simon charted 51 U.S. Pop and R&B chart Hits between 1964 and 1981,including eight times in the US top forty, and thirty-eight times in the top 40 of the US R&B charts,and 13 chart hits in Canada. His biggest hits included three number one entries on the US Billboard R&B chart: "The Chokin' Kind" (1969), "Power Of Love" (1972), and "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)" (1975)."

Never nominated....or even CONSIDERED for Nomination OR Induction !!! (Why am I not surprised ? )

Posted by Bill G on Monday, 05/8/2017 @ 03:28am

Joe Simon is an artist I've taken a little bit of time to look into. His songs are quite good. I wouldn't call it anything groundbreaking, as his singing voice and style are very much patterned after Jerry Butler. I could be easily led to believe that the Undisputed Truth tried to imitate Joe Simon. The songs are quite good. "Nine Pound Steel" is one I particularly enjoy. "Power Of Love" has a great groove to it, and "Trouble In My Home" is another wonderful song, too.

Aside from the general difficulty that R&B has been having getting recognized by the Hall, one thing I think that particularly hurts Joe's chances is his overall attitude. It's hard to believe that he would have stayed in music, first in a gospel group and then as a secular soloist, if he didn't enjoy it; however, that's exactly how he's been chronicled. Supposedly, he didn't really care all that much for being a singer, and in his own words, the only reason he did it for so long was that it was better than picking cotton. In the studio, he claims he never really did more than read/sing off the page, never fully immersing himself into the music, giving it any extra heartfelt inflection or flourish unless directed to do so by the producer. He was also reportedly more interested in the sales, again as a part of just trying to make a living that kept him out of the fields. Supposedly, he was particularly irked at not getting a gold record until he finally accomplished that with "The Chokin' Kind."

I think that attitude towards his own music will keep Joe Simon out of the Hall long after the Hall wakes up and starts seriously inducting R&B artists again, if that ever happens. The Hall loves impassion, not dispassion. If he hadn't been as commercially successful as he was, I'd call it a waste of talent. But his talent was completely wasted. Instead, I look at him more as a case of wondering what could he have accomplished, how much more could he have done, and what new sonic architecture could he have laid foundation too if he'd cared just a little bit more.

As is, I'd say he'd be a decent inductee to have, just for the sake of the music itself. But in terms of pecking order, he falls behind Joe Tex and Johnnie Taylor, and WAY behind Brook Benton and Jerry Butler as a soloist.

Posted by Philip on Monday, 05/8/2017 @ 12:16pm

Thank you for your input.

A few points here:

It doesn't matter just WHERE he is in the pecking order, and I didn't say anything about that.
What matters is...with the sheer number of hits Joe Simon has had, he should AT LEAST be in the discussion, as regards nomination and induction.
When you consider the sheer number of "pet projects" that the Hall has inducted, that can't even claim an ALBUM'S worth of hit records, I don't think that's too much to ask.
Also, I think that the idea of his origins and reasons...or motives if you will, for his wanting to quit working "in the fields" and finding another career has absolutely nothing to do with whether he should- or shouldn't be inducted. The point IS, that what he DID . he did WELL .Well enough to have 51 chart hits.
Joe Simon is definitely NOT the first singer to leave secular music for the ministry. Do Little Richard and Al Green ring a bell ? That didn't prevent THEIR inductions.
People in all walks of life strive to leave "jobs" for "careers" to better their lives, or , at least make them happier.There is nothing wrong with that, either. If something doesn't work for you, you CHANGE it . That's called LIFE.
Some people's jobs are so abhorrent to them that they'll do ANYTHING to get out of them for a better life . Again, there's nothing wrong with that. And it certainly shouldn't be a factor in failing to induct an artist who deserves it.
Sadly, due to the Hall's current undeclared ban on inducting R&B acts, Joe Simon , and the other artists you mentioned (with the exception of Jerry Butler, who's already inducted with The Impressions) will probably NEVER get inducted.

Posted by Bill G on Thursday, 05/11/2017 @ 20:04pm

Thanks, Bill. I wasn't trying to put him down too much, by putting him behind Butler, Tex, etc. It's just more the reality that when we write up our lists of snubs/wishes, there's usually some sort of priority or pecking list, but yeah, as long as he's in the conversation.

As far as 51 hits versus other inductees... it really is a weird paradox, isn't it? The Hall claims that it really isn't about hits, but then again, hits are one way influence can happen, as well as the chief way for overall general impact. But the Hall also prides itself on awarding the innovative and the influential. You'd know better than me how influential he is, but as I said, listening to many of his songs, he's not very original, sounding very derivative of Jerry Butler, both in vocal stylings and arrangements behind that voice.

I don't begrudge his going into the ministry either. One of the members of Public Enemy became an ostrich farmer. Post-music career is really neither here nor there. I'm sorry if I confused you in the midst of the employment.

But why someone got into music? Should that matter? We can debate that until Armageddon. I think it's pretty clear that it matters to the Hall. The Hall wants people who believe in something when they sing. Who elevate the music as an artform by bringing it up from a place in the heart, soul, or spirit. Especially when some of the newer inductees are talking about rock 'n' roll being an attitude first and foremost, rather than just a style of music. When Joe Simon considers himself more of a hired hand than an artist, it doesn't help his case. The Hall definitely prefers those who were in it for more than just the money... KISS notwithstanding: they were just too influential to ignore.

Clearly you disagree with that standard, but if nothing else, they do apply that standard fairly here.

I guess my question for you is this: on a scale of 1-10, how worthy of the Hall do you rate Joe Simon? Pretend you're DDD... rate Joe Simon. I give him a 4, to be honest, but I'm okay with 4's getting inducted too, along with the 5 and ups.

Posted by Philip on Friday, 05/12/2017 @ 00:27am

I understand that Joe sings like Jerry Butler, but to me James Carr and Joe Simon sound much more alike in terms of vocals and production. Joe's voice is deep and smooth, like Brook Benton or Solomon Burke early on, while James's voice is more a gravelly, soaring tenor that's not afraid of shouting to get the point across. Jerry had his first solo single in '59 but didn't truly hit his stride as a big seller with a solid streak of hits until '67; James came on the scene in '66, and Joe scored his first big hit in '66 as well. All three came on the scene almost at the same time, so it's hard to say who took the style from whom. James Carr is great but for a guy who had just 14 singles (only 10 charted) in a 3-year period I don't think he should be considered the greatest soul singer of all time and no I don't think that he's better than Otis Redding. Joe had 3 dozen hit singles over the course of a decade ranging from West Coast soul to deep Southern Soul and then later to, ugh...disco. He was versatile. In terms of pure solid soul, Butler's music falls way short in terms of quality; I find Joe and James to be much more expressive. Most of Jerry's Vee-Jay material is virtually unlistenable, since they were trying to market him toward the teenage rock-n-roll market. I find Jerry's Philly sessions to be over-produced and the heavy strings often overpower his not-so-powerful vocals. All this to say, I think Joe Simon should not be at the bottom of the list for any induction. Maybe he shouldn't be recognized as much as say, Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, but I think he deserves to be put on the same tier as Percy Sledge, Johnnie Taylor, or Little Willie John.

Posted by John Taylor on Friday, 03/6/2020 @ 16:54pm