Savoy Brown Hellbound Train

In the heart of the ‘Swinging Sixties’, a British rock band called Savoy Brown was born and almost immediately began to make a profound impact with their pioneering blues-rock sound. Energetic blues has always been Savoy Brown’s calling card. In fact, Blues Rock became the catch-all phrase in the late 1960s to describe the band’s music along with that of contemporaries including Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and Jimi Hendrix. Even though the band was plagued with a constantly changing line-up, the group’s guiding hand from the outset in 1966 was held by its founder, the late Kim Simmonds. Unfortunately, Savoy Brown never reached the same level of commercial success as their contemporaries but despite this they were a huge influence on the blues-rock genre, which led to their long-standing legacy in the industry. The band’s discography is a testament to their enduring influence. Albums like “Shake Down,“ “Blue Matter,“ and “Street Corner Talking“ showcased the band’s exceptional song writing and instrumentals. Through the 60s, 70s and 80’s songs such as “I’m Tired”, “Train to Nowhere”, “Tell Mama” and “Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone” became Hot 100 entries. Savoy Brown has always toured relentlessly, making it one of the longest running blues rock bands in existence. They also provided other groups opportunity. Kiss opened the bill on a Savoy Brown national tour as did ZZ Top, The Doobie Brothers and many, many more acts. Former members, having cut their teeth under Simmonds’ leadership, have gone on to complete their careers with other bands. Among others, these include singer Dave Walker with Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath, Bill Bruford with King Crimson and Andy Pyle with the Kinks. Savoy Brown helped spawn the 1968 UK Blues Rock boom and later opened the eyes of many 1970s American teenagers to their own home territory blues artists. Today, more than 50 years later, Savoy Brown remains a formidable, progressive Blues Rock force. The band continues without its leader, Kim Simmonds, who passed away late last year and is led by my special guests this week on A Breath of Fresh Air – - bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm. Both have been in the line-up for more than 10 years and share their incredible journey.