John Simon
b. 11 August 1941, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA. Having studied music at college, Simon joined Columbia Recordswhere he initially worked on documentary material. He switched to pop in 1966 and produced Red Rubber Ball, a US Top 3 hit for the Cyrkle. This led to involvement with other acts, including Simon And Garfunkel and Leonard Cohen, and his score for the off-beat movie, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. One of Simon's songs from the film, My Name Is Jack, became a major hit for Manfred Mann. The artist's relationship with the Band was especially fruitful. He not only produced the group's first two albums but also acted as an auxiliary member on piano, tuba and horns. Simon's first solo album featured reciprocal help from several Band members and included Davy's On The Road Again, a song he composed with Robbie Robertson. However, despite successful work with Gordon Lightfoot, Bobby Charles and Seals And Crofts, John Simon later drifted out of favour as both producer and performer.