Simmesport honors singer Joe Simon this week

Simmesport will honor one of its favorite sons this week when it dedicates a section of La. Hwy 1 as “Joe Simon Boulevard.”

The town will host a reception in Simon’s honor at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 23) in the Riverside Elementary gym-auditorium. At noon Thursday (Aug. 24), that section of Hwy 1 passing through Simmesport will be dedicated in the Grammy Award-winning singer’s honor.

Simon is expected to attend both events.

“This is the kind of change that's conducive for community empowerment, provoking tourism and honoring humble beginnings,” Mayor Leslie Draper III said. “We are gearing up for the big event."

Draper said he began working on the project in November 2016. In January, after Draper’s inauguration as mayor, the council unanimously adopted a resolution to honor Simon “by dedicating that portion of La. Hwy 1 that passes through the city limits of Simmesport as Joe Simon Boulevard.”

Draper said state Rep. Robert Johnson “took this project from the local level to the state level by presenting and legislating uncontested unanimous votes of approval in the House and Senate and on to Gov. John Bel Edwards for his signature.”

SIMON'S BACKGROUND

Simon was born in Simmesport on Sept. 2, 1943.

“He lived and worked right here in our small town and developed his singing talent here,” Draper said.

Simon sang in his Baptist church, but didn’t pursue his love of music full-time until his family moved to Richmond, Calif., near Oakland, in the late 1950’s.

He joined the Golden West Gospel Singers group. The group branched out into secular music and changed its name to the Golden Tones in 1959.

In 1964, Simon went solo on the Vee-Jay label and scored a hit with “My Adorable One.” After Vee-Jay folded, Simon signed with Sound Stage 7 records in 1966 and had more hits -- such as “Teenager’s Prayer,” “Hanging On,” and “The Chokin’ Kind.”

Simon won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1970. He moved to Spring Records and recorded “Drowning in the Sea of Love,” which reached #3 on the R&B charts. That was followed by a #1 chart hit, “The Power of Love” in 1972, which earned him a gold record.

He wrote the theme song to the 1973 movie "Cleopatra Jones" and continued producing hit records.

In his career, 38 of his songs reached the R&B Top 40 and made it into the Pop Top 40 eight times.

ENTERED MINISTRY
In the early 1980’s Simon felt led to enter the ministry as an evangelist. However, he continued singing -- returning to his first love of Gospel -- by recording his own albums and producing Gospel albums for other artists.

Simon was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999, receiving the Pioneer Award. He has also been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

He is still active preaching and singing the Gospel message.