Simon Stokes(I)
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Hard-rock singer/songwriter Simon Stokes was a loner as a kid. He was
raised by his grandparents in Reading, Massachusetts and had trouble
sleepwalking at age ten. His grandfather introduced Simon to music by
taking him to see the Harry D. Stokes Orchestra on a regular basis.
Stokes was also highly influenced by blues music; he avidly listened to
local disc jockey Sid Symphony and saw such blues greats as Hank
Ballard and Big Mama Thornton at live all-night concerts. Simon won the
top prize in a local songwriting contest and subsequently moved to Los
Angeles in his early 20's. In 1965 he started recording several singles
under such alternate names as the Flower Children, Perpetual Motion
Workshop, and Heathen Angels. Stokes worked as a staff writer at
Elektra Records. He formed a band called the Nighthawks and signed up
with Elektra the same day as the MC5. Simon recorded his debut album
"Incredible Simon Stokes" for Spindizzy Records in 1973. His follow-up
album "Simon Stokes & the Black Whip Thrill Band" was banned in the
United States because of its offensive cover art which showed women
being bound and tortured. With his highly distinctive rough'n'raspy
gravel voice, often harsh lyrics, and raw, gritty, trashy hard-rocking
bluesy sound, Stokes soon amassed a sizable underground cult following
(he's especially popular with bikers). He co-composed the score for the
boxing documentary "The Fighters." Simon's songs are featured on the
soundtracks to the movies "Outlaw Riders," "Vice Squad" (Stokes penned
the lyrics for the amazing theme song "Neon Slime"), "Wanted: Dead or
Alive," "Poltergeist III," "The Hard Way," "A Kiss Before Dying," "Bad
Channels," and "Slaughter of the Innocents." Stokes took a regrettably
lengthy nearly two decade hiatus from recording after releasing the
album "Buzzard of Love" in 1977. In 1996 Simon reemerged and
collaborated with legendary 60's hippie guru Timothy Leary on his album
"Right to Fly." More recently Simon Stokes recorded the country-rock
album "Honky" in 2002 and the bluesy "Head" in 2007.