David Simmons

Born in Philadelphia, the baritone whose vocal approach recalled Teddy Pendergrass and David Ebo made his first recordings with the Exzels. The group released a lone single in 1964 on Crossfire Records, “Hit Talk” (penned by Morris Bailey and Leon Mitchell) backed with “Canadian Sunset,” under the supervision of producer, arranger and writer Bobby Martin. The disc failed to chart and remains scarce, owing to the label’s small pressing quantity.

Simmons subsequently assembled Neo Experience, which issued two singles on Sahara Records: “Human” b/w “God Make My World” (1975) and “Eternally Sunshine” b/w “Paradise (Where My Baby Live).” The lineup also featured Vera Brown, later of the Ritchie Family, and Venson Unto, known professionally as Vincent Paul Unto, who had previously sung with the Millionaires and later Executive Suite. The act presented smooth Philadelphia harmonies paired with strong showmanship. Although the 45s now circulate widely among collectors, they drew little attention at the time of release.

Disillusioned with the demands of vocal-group life, David embarked on a solo career and signed with WMOT/Fantasy in 1978. The arrangement produced the albums Hear Me Out (1978) and The World Belongs to Me (1979) plus several singles, yet Simmons found stronger acclaim in England than at home. Soul magazines offered positive notices while WMOT’s promotional support stayed limited; his most prominent sides from the period were “Holdin’ Back,” “Hooked on You” and “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You.”

One career peak arrived when he recorded the duet “All the Man I Need” with Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge and spent a year touring with the siblings. After a period away from recording he returned in 1984 with “Love Tonight” on Pearl Harbor Records, a track Atlantic also released the same year. It received some notice but never became a major hit, an outcome that has repeatedly eluded the gifted Simmons throughout his career.