Marty Simon
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Marty Simon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Education | McGill University |
| Occupations | Composer, music director, entrepreneur |
Marty Simon is a Canadian drummer, composer and music director.[1] In the 1970s, Simon was part of Mylon LeFevre's Holy Smoke Band and later formed the rock band Sharks in London with Andy Fraser and Chris Spedding.[2] His songwriting credits include works with Celine Dion, Wilson Pickett, and Rick Ross.[3] Simon has collaborated with artists such as Brian Eno, Leslie West, and Serge Gainsbourg.[4] As a film and TV composer, he is best known for scoring the sci-fi TV series Lexx (1996–2002), contributing to 65 episodes.[5]
Simon was born in Montreal, Quebec, to Arthur and Miriam Simon, who were originally from Winnipeg.[1] His musical talent emerged at age 5 when he played the piano by ear.[6]
In the mid-1960s, Simon played in local bands influenced by The Beatles.[7] He attended Concordia University (then Sir George Williams University) in 1966, where he met drummer Corky Laing.[8] Simon's first studio experience came in 1967 with his band The Scene, which recorded "Scenes (From Another World)" for B.T. Puppy Records.[9] In 1968, after dropping out of Concordia University, Simon studied piano and percussion at McGill University's Faculty of Music.[1] In 1969, he formed the band LIFE, which gained regional success with the hit Hands of the Clock for Polydor Records.[10]
Career
In the 1970s, Simon had a progressive music career, starting with his involvement in New York City with Mountain's management firm and joining Mylon LeFevre's "Holy Smoke" band in Atlanta.[11][12] He toured with Mylon and opened for bands like The Who, Ten Years After, and Traffic.[13] Simon contributed to projects such as Mylon's albums Holy Smoke and Over the Influence.[14] He later formed Sharks in London with Andy Fraser, recording albums and touring Europe, and worked with several artists there, including Brian Eno on Here Come the Warm Jets.[15]
Simon continued collaborating with artists, including The Leslie West Band, Michel Pagliaro, and Wilson Pickett.[16] He co-wrote the disco hit "(Everybody) Get Dancin'" by The Bombers in the late 1970s.[17]
He is the founder of MRD-Music Revenue Data Inc., a global royalty management service, and Powerscore Music, a tech-reporting subsidiary.[5]