Simon Stokes(I)

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.