Despite his mountain of hits during the 1960s and '70s, his heart just wasn't into his work, aural evidence obviously to the contrary - You'd never know it from listening to the contents of this collection, culled from his fabulous hit-loaded 1966-1970 stint with Producer Richbourg at the helm for Sound Stage 7 Records. His conviction sounds unshakable. Maybe that's a large part of the reason why Simon scored 16 R&B chart entries during that timeframe for SS7, including a #1 seller. 'I never wanted to sing rhythm and blues,' said Simon, who until his untimely death in December 2021, was a bishop and leader of his own ministries in south suburban Chicago. 'My heart was never in it, but yet I could sing rhythm and blues. John Richbourg was my producer. And he used to ask me, how could I sing these songs so great and never knew 'em? But I never had an interest to go in the studio and know a song. I just said, 'Man, I just sing 'em!' Sunset Blvd Records is proud to present the most comprehensive collection of Joe Simon's extraordinary work with Nashville Soul Label Sound stage 7.
