Savoy Brown Founder Kim Simmonds Dies at 75

Kim Simmonds, founder of Savoy Brown, died on Tuesday (Dec. 13), according to a statement released by the band. He was 75 years old.

“Kim Simmonds passed away peacefully in the evening of December 13th — may he rest in peace,” the group shared on social media. “Please note one of Kim’s last requests was to thank the fans of Savoy Brown — your support was and shall always be immensely appreciated.”

In August, the blues guitarist announced that he had been fighting stage 4 colon cancer — specifically, a a rare form called signet cell colon cancer –for more than a year. He noted that the chemotherapy he was receiving had made it difficult for him to play his instrument due to the side effect of “peripheral neuropathy which has now deadened the nerves in my fingers and hands (feet too).” At the time, Brown explained that his type of cancer “is rarely found early enough to provide a chance for cure,” and occurs in less than one percent of cases.

While Simmonds initially formed The Savoy Brown Blues Band in 1965 with singer Brice Portius, bassist Ray Chappell, drummer Leo Mannings, keys player Trevor Jeavons and harmonica player John O’Leary, he remained the sole constant member of the band throughout nearly six decades of lineup changes. Throughout their career, the band released more than 40 studio albums with the two most recent — Ain’t Done Yet and Taking the Blues Back Home: Live in America — arriving in 2020.

Read Savoy Brown’s tribute to Simmonds below.