WELCOME TO THE JOE SIMON MINISTRIES WEB SITE
Bishop Joe Simon -
Well, the word is out. Bishop Joe Simon will be headlining the 21st Annual Soul Festival
in Porretta Terme, Italy this coming July. Considered one of the premier events of
the European summer concert season, this year's lineup will also feature Etta James,
Mabel John and Sugar Pie DeSanto in what promises to be some show! As I'm sure you
know, Joe Simon was one of the true superstars of Soul, with no less then 48 appearances
on Billboard's R&B chart between 1965 and 1981, including 38 that reached the top
forty, 12 that broke into the top ten, and 3 number one smash hits... wow!
An absolute
natural, to say that he was the 'real deal' would be an understatement. I've featured
Joe a couple of times on The B Side, and he's been a major part of our Case Five
investigation over at soul detective on Allen Orange and Sound Stage 7. In the early
eighties, Simon walked away from R&B, and devoted his life to God. He is quoted on
his excellent MySpace page as saying "My greatest joy in life was the day I met Christ."
Over the years, he has built the Bishop Joe Simon Ministries Community Crusade into
a positive global force that invites those of us in need to "Make Your Future Better
Than Your Past -
I was completely amazed
when I received an email last week asking me to contact Bishop Simon! No stranger
to the world wide web, he had visited my site and read what I had written about all
of the people he used to work with back in his Nashville days. He had lost track
of everybody years ago, he said, and was looking to try and re-
Bishop Simon was kind enough to speak with me at length
about his days as an R&B powerhouse, and his partnership with the legendary John
R, who was the man behind his meteoric rise to the top. Above all, however, it was
all about that voice. Simon's smoky velvet baritone, his soaring soulful delivery,
carved out a unique place in the history of R&B. I'll tell you what, this excellent
selection we have here today shows that he's still got it, man. The vocals are every
bit as powerful as they were back then. Isn't it great to hear him singing like that
again! This track is taken from the phenomenal Gospel album he recorded in 2006 for
Parliament Records, Time To Change, available both on CD, and as a digital download
on his MySpace page. Go ahead and buy one.
As a part of Bishop Simon's Community Crusade,
he has become involved with the Avenue D Boys Choir, a heroic group of young men
from Fort Pierce, Florida whose after school program has provided an alternative
to the mean streets around them. After performing with the Choir several times down
on the 'Treasure Coast', he invited them to Chicago to record with him. Simon would
now like to bring the Boys to Italy to sing with him at Porretta. If you would like
to donate something, however small, to help make that dream a reality, please contact:
The
Bishop Joe Simon Community Crusade/Avenue D Boys Choir
Chicago Office: 847-
Florida
Office : 772-
New York Office: 516-
Or you may e-
Just Click here
I asked Bishop Simon if he will be performing any of his 'secular' R&B material at
the festival... he's not talking.