Marty Simon

Marty Simon (born February 18, 1948) is a Canadian entrepreneur, TV and film score composer, music director, 
drummer, keyboardist, singer, session musician, songwriter, recording artist, record producer and music publisher. Known as the founder of MRD-Music Revenue Data Inc., a global royalty management service for composers and rights owners of film and television music. He is also the founder, President and CEO of Powerscore Music, the tech-reporting subsidiary of MRD. In the 70s, he was a member of Mylon LeFevre's Holy Smoke Band in Atlanta, GA. He formed rock band Sharks (band formed 1972) in London, U.K., with former Free bass player Andy Fraser and guitarist Chris Spedding. Simon's co-songwriting credits include Céline Dion's "Des Mots Qui Sonnent", Wilson Pickett's "I Want You" album, Bombers' "Everybody Get Dancin'," and Rick Ross' "Ashamed." Simon's career as a collaborator with notable talent includes Céline Dion, Brian Eno, Wilson Pickett, Rick Ross, Leslie West, April Wine, Aldo Nova, Allen Toussaint, Felix Pappalardi, Diane Dufresne, Serge Gainsbourg, Luc Plamondon, Robert Charlebois, Michel Pagliaro, Montréal dance band Bombers, Patsy Gallant and Julien Clerc, among many. As a film and TV score composer, Simon has worked on more than 25 movies and series. His best known work is through his music score for Lexx, the sci-fi Germany-Canada TV series co-production, through 65 episodes between 1996-2002.
Simon was born in Montréal, Québec, in 1948 to Arthur and Miriam Simon, originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His mother, an accomplished pianist, played for fashion shows for Eaton's department stores in Montréal and throughout Canada. His father was a music fan and encouraged Simon to pursue music as his craft. At age 5, Simon surprised his father by playing the piano by ear with both hands the very first time he sat down at the instrument.
However, Simon didn't discover his professional calling, the drums, until he was in his early teens, attending a summer camp in the Adirondacks, New York.
In the mid-60s, Simon played with numerous local outfits influenced by The Beatles, who represented a life calling for him.
In 1966, Simon attended Sir George Williams University (later known as Concordia University) where he met fellow drummer Corky Laing, who would go on to play for New York City hard rock band Mountain (band) and blues rock power trio West, Bruce & Laing.
During his initial university stint, Simon got his first taste of a recording studio with his group The Scene in 1967. Signed to The Tokens’ (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”) record label B.T. Puppy Records, The Scene recorded "Scenes (From Another World)" in New York City in the summer of '67.
In 1968, after dropping out of Sir George Williams, Simon enrolled at McGill University's Faculty of Music (famous alumni include Burt Bacharach, Leonard Cohen and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler) where he studied piano and percussion.
Simon's next band, Life, formed in 1969. The band enjoyed a regional hit with “Hands of the Clock” . Life was hired to open renowned concert promoter Donald K. Donald (Donald Tarlton)’s first show at the Montréal Forum featuring headliners Steppenwolf and Robert Charlebois on June 23, 1969.
Life released its self-titled - and only album - on Polydor Records. In January 1970, he moved to New York’s Greenwich Village, rooming with Corky Laing, before heading to L.A. in April. After briefly relocating to Sausalito, California, Simon was recruited by Mountain's management firm, through Laing's suggestion, to join their latest signing in Atlanta that summer, Cotillion Records recording artist Mylon LeFevre, a hard-rocking gospel singer and songwriter. Billed back then solely as "Mylon," Simon became a member of Lefevre’s “Holy Smoke” band, opening for Mountain twice at The Fillmore East, once on New Year's Eve 1970 and again the following Easter with T. Rex (band) serving as opener.
A busy touring schedule with Mylon began at the Capital Theatre in Port Chester, New York, in September 1970, and continued for two years as the warm-up act for the rock elite of the time: Mountain, The J. Geils Band, Humble Pie, Alvin Lee and Ten Years After, Grand Funk Railroad, Jethro Tull (band), The Byrds, Traffic (band), Rod Stewart and The Faces and most significantly, as the opener for The Who’s U.S. leg of their Who's Next List of The Who tours and performances#Who's Next Tour tour in late 1971.
Mylon with Holy Smoke, produced by Felix Pappalardi, was recorded in 1971 for Columbia Records. Simon is credited as drummer and arranger of a cover version of Mountain’s “Silver Paper” which featured Mountain backing Mylon with Simon on piano. He also wrote “Railroad Angels” with LeFevre.
In 1972, Mylon’s album Over The Influence, produced by Allen Toussaint, was released. Despite additional touring, the record did not perform well and the band broke up in May of that year.
Simon wanted to explore the UK next and signed to Windfall Music, co-run by future Foreigner (band) Prager and future Ramones, Eurythmics and Talking Heads manager Gary Kurfirst . 
On the recommendation of Kurfirst, Simon met and teamed up with former Free (band) Andy Fraser to form Sharks (band formed 1972), recruiting Chris Spedding on guitar and eventually Stephen W. Parsons ("Snips") on vocals. Managed by Island Records principal Chris Blackwell, Sharks began recording their debut album First Water with engineer Andy Johns and performed on the popular BBC TV program The Old Grey Whistle Test. They toured Europe with Traffic and opened a U.K. tour for Roxy Music. Fraser departed the band after suffering a hand injury in a car accident following one of those shows. Sharks made one more Island album, 1974’s Jab It In Yore Eye, produced by Peter Jenner. 
In 1973, Simon contributed as a drummer and percussionist to several tracks on ex-Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno’s 1974 solo debut, Here Come The Warm Jets, specifically the tracks “The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch,” “Baby’s On Fire” and “Cindy Tells Me.” He also appeared in the 1973 Alfons Sinniger documentary Eno, along with Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Busta Jones and Chris Spedding. 
The same year, Simon also worked on English folk rock singer and songwriter Roy Harper (singer) album Valentine (Roy Harper album), supplying drums for one song. The album featured many top UK musicians contributing their skills, including Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson, Keith Moon and Max Middleton.
In 1974, Simon returned to Montréal and became the first Canadian artist signed to Island Records, releasing one self-produced, self-penned single, “Roll You Over.” The B-side, “By The River,” was co-written by Simon and Andy Fraser. The song was featured on Air Canada international flights as part of the on-board taped entertainment and added to Rosalie Trombley’s influential CKLW radio playlist in Windsor, Ontario.
Simon contributed piano to a track on Leslie West’s second solo album, 1975's The Great Fatsby. He toured briefly with him as The Leslie West Band’s drummer, opening for Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive tour and Queen (band) A Night At the Opera tour in 1976-77 in a lineup that included ex-Spooky Tooth and future Foreigner founder Mick Jones (Foreigner guitarist) on guitar and Busta Cherry Jones (no relation) on bass..
In Montréal, Simon also began playing on jingles penned by Leon Aronson’s Listen! Audio Productions in the mid-‘70s along with many of Aronson's label releases.
In 1976, Champlain Productions' Bob Hahn, hired Simon to produce the Montréal Olympics theme song “Welcome to Montréal” and “Let The Games Begin” for the group Kidstuff (TV series). 
Simon also served as touring and studio drummer for Patsy Gallant, notably performing on her hits “Sugar Daddy” and “Are You Ready For Love” and on many of her best-selling English and French albums.
That year, he joined Michel Pagliaro’s band, Rockers, recording and touring and co-writing “Si Tu Voulais,” “Le Temps Presse”, “Say You Will” ,“Aujourd’hui” and others. 
As disco began to dominate the charts, Simon joined guitarist Walter Rossi and Busta Cherry Jones under the umbrella of producers George Lagios and Pat DeSario, to form Bombers, a band that specialized in the dance music of the time. After releasing Bombers 1, Simon took a more integral role for Bombers 2, co-writing their worldwide dance hit “(Everybody) Get Dancin’” which reached #3 on Billboard's Dance chart . He also co-wrote “Pistolero,” “Disco Galaxy,” “Shake” and “Let’s Dance.”
 
In 1978, Simon became drummer for Diane Dufresne’s first headlining show at L’Olympia in Paris., beginning a 13-year association with the French Canadian superstar. 
Simon closed out the decade working at the famed Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Québec, in 1979. His session work included Paris recording artist Catherine Lara’s Geronimo album that featured Simon on drums, Jean Roussel on keys, France’s top guitarist Claude Engel, and Tony Levin on bass. 
 
He then worked with R&B legend Wilson Pickett in Montréal as arranger, drummer and co-musical director of Pickett’s I Want You, produced by André Perry at Le Studio. In partnership with Jean Roussel, Simon co-wrote most of the album’s seven songs.
Simon spent the summer and fall of 1980 touring France with French artist Julien Clerc, with whom he recorded two albums - Vendredi 13:1981 and Sans Entracte (1981) - co-writing “Mangos” and “Belinda” with Clerc and French superstar Serge Gainsbourg.
During the 1980s, Simon continued in Montréal as a musician and songwriter, creating Jonathan Mars, his project with Jean Roussel. In 1980, the duo signed to Atlantic Records and released the 45 “Don’t Pretend." Simon and Roussel also contributed “Run Johnny Run” to Long John Baldry’s eponymous album.
From 1982-1990, Simon served as musical director and record producer for Québec chanteuse Diane Dufresne, including 1982’s landmark back-to-back sellout Hollywood-Halloween concerts at the Montréal Forum and her grand 1984 performance Magie Rose at a sold-out Olympic Stadium (Montreal), both a first for a Québec artist.
Also in 1984, Simon produced and arranged Robert Charlebois' Super Position, and was his music director on many TV shows and tours in Québec, including Charlebois’ Felix Award-winning “Best Concert of the Year” at the Spectrum, Montréal.
On the English side, Simon assembled a new studio version of April Wine in 1985 for bandleader and founder Myles Goodwyn. Simon played drums on April Wine’s album Walking Through Fire. A year later, he and Bud Prager became co-managers of April Wine guitarist Brian Greenway. That led Simon to co-produce, with Paul Northfield, Greenway's 1987 solo album Serious Business for Atlantic Records. .
Simon also produced Diane Dufresne's 1986 album Fôllement Votre, which earned two ANIK Awards respectively for his music arrangements and music direction. In that same year, he was music director for Dufresne's live concert Top Secret at Montréal's Theatre du Nouveau Monde.
From 1987-1989, Simon transitioned into composing film scores and TV music, commencing with the Bernard Zukerman production And Then You Die for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation(CBC). Before the end of the decade, Simon would score the music for another Zukerman film, The Squamish Five (1988), as well as Eddie and the Cruisers II - Eddie Lives! (1989), and George’s Island (1989)
Simon’s soundtrack and score work continued through the ‘90s. In 1990, French Canadian film producer René Malo hired Simon to score a pair of sequels to the popular box-office David Cronenberg-helmed cult classic Scanners: Scanners II: The New Order and Scanners III: The Takeover. 
1991 was the year that Robin Spry contacted Simon to compose music for his first episodic series, Urban Angel - which aired on CBC-TV in Canada and CBS in the U.S.
In 1991, Céline Dion’s tribute to noted Québec composer Luc Plamondon - Dion Chante Plamondon - included the opening track “Des Mots Qui Sonnent”, co-written by Simon with Plamondon and Aldo Nova.. (The album was called Des Mots Qui Sonnent in European Francophone countries.) The album sold more than 2 million copies around the world, attained double platinum stature in Canada and moved 660,000 copies in France. The song also made the collection of Dion’s 1994 live effort À l'Olympia (Celine Dion album) | À l'Olympia, which also sold 200,000 copies in Canada and another million in Europe.
Numerous movies scores followed, as did another episodic series for Robin Spry's Telescene. Simon's score for Sirens (1993 TV series), which lasted two seasons and 35 episodes, earned him his first Gemini Award nomination for his work.
In 1996, after his second son Morgan was born, Simon began work on the series score that would become his most successful, Lexx. The internationally financed and distributed sci-fi series, produced by Salter Street Films in partnership with Showtime (TV network), found Simon contributing music to 65 episodes, spawning two soundtrack releases and another Gemini Award nomination.
Still providing music scores for films, Simon composed the soundtracks for HBO’s No Alibi and the Eric Roberts-starrer Rough Air: Danger on Flight 534.
Writing the opening theme to 2002’s Adventure Inc. for Gale Ann Hurd was the last soundtrack work Simon did, as he focused on a second career act with his new business in Toronto: MRD-Music Revenue Data Inc.
By 2006, with the help of Bud Prager, Bob Presner and working with noted music executive Joel Sill in L.A., MRD had signed up A-list clients for music royalty management that included Academy Award winners Hans Zimmer and Mychael Danna and Emmy Award recipient James Newton Howard.
Simon was elected as a film and TV music publisher to the Board of SOCAN, serving from 2003 to 2006 at the Canadian performance rights organization. He then served as its 1st Vice-Chairman from May 2006 to June 2009. Simon was simultaneously signed to ASCAP as a writer. Simon claims that understanding
complex global music royalty collections of film and TV music from his SOCAN position contributed to MRD's future success with international clients.
In 2012, the Simon 1979 co-write “Shameless,” released on Wilson Pickett's I Want You, was sampled as the basis of the Rick Ross song “Ashamed” and recorded for his album God_Forgives,_I_Don%27t.The album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S.Billboard (magazine) 200 retail albums sales chart with first-week U.S. sales of 218,000 for the week of February 13. The album was eventually certified gold in September by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold more than 555,000 copies in the U.S. alone.
God Forgives, I Don’t earned Simon a Grammy plaque as recognition from The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) - the Grammy Awards' governing body - for the project's nomination in the Best Rap Album of the Year category.
The same year, Simon launched MRD’s technology reporting services for Film/TV music royalties, PowerScore Music.
In 2016, Simon's eldest son, Adrian Simon of NorthSideArtists Management, asked for help with publishing the music of their first signing, London, Ontario/Los Angeles-based, Juno Award-winning, music production and DJ duo Loud Luxury. 
MRD published the music to Loud Luxury's recordings, including 2017's "Body," which became a worldwide multi platinum success. SOCAN presented a Number 1 Song Award in 2019 to Loud Luxury and publisher MRD.
Simon has spoken at many music and film industry events, such as ASCAP's first “I Create Music” three-day conference in 2006 and his most recent was the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2019.
* "Scenes From Another World" - The Scene (1967)
* "Hands Of The Clock" - Life (1969)
* “Strawberry Fields Forever” - Life (vocal, drums, arrangement) (1970)
* Life - Life - Polydor (drums, vocal, arrangements) (1970)
* Mylon with Holy Smoke - Mylon LeFevre (drums) (1971)
* Over The Influence - Mylon LeFevre (drums) (1972)
* First Water - Sharks (drums, songwriter) (1973)
* Jab It In Yore Eye - Sharks - (drums, songwriter) (1974)
* Here Come the Warm Jets - Brian Eno (drums, percussion) (1974)
* Valentine (Roy Harper album) - Roy Harper (drums) (1974)
* “Roll You Over” - Marty Simon (artist, producer) (1975)
* The Great Fatsby- Leslie West (piano) (1975)
* "Theme for Montréal Olympics" - Kidstuff (1976)
* Are You Ready For Love? - Patsy Gallant (drums) (1976)
* "Louise"/ "Château D'Espagne" - Michel Pagliaro (drums) (1976)
* "Si tu voulais" - Michel Pagliaro (co-writer, piano, drums) (1976)
* La Pleine Lune - Jean-Pierre Ferland (drums) (1977)
* Besoin D'Amour - Patsy Gallant (drums) (1977)
* Will You Give Me Your Love - Patsy Gallant (drums) (1977)
* "Aujourd'hui" - Michel Pagliaro (co-writer, piano, drums) (1977)
* "Time Race" - Michel Pagliaro (co-writer, drums) (1977)
* "Le temps presse"/"Rock 'n roll" - Michel Pagliaro (co-writer, drums) (1977)
* "Happy Together" / "Say You Will" - Michel Pagliaro ("Say" co-writer, drums) (1977)
* Time Race - Michel Pagliaro (drums) (1977)
* Bombers - Bombers (Keyboards, drums, vocal) (1978)
* Patsy! - Patsy Gallant (drums) (1978)
* Patsy Gallant et Star - Patsy Gallant et Star(drums) (1978)
* "C'est L'Amour" - Patsy Gallant (co-songwriter, drums) (1978)
* I Want You - Wilson Pickett (Arranger, Music Director, drums) (1979)
* Bombers 2 - Bombers (Keyboards, drums, songwriter) (1979)
* Long John Baldry - Long John Baldry (Songwriter with Jean Roussel, “Run Johnny Run”) (1979)
* “Don’t Pretend” - Jonathan Mars (artist with Jean Roussel) (1980)
* Vendredi 13:1981 - Julien Clerc (1981) (drums, co-songwriter)
* Sans Entracte - Julien Clerc (1983) (drums)
* "China Darling" - Radar (songwriter, producer) (1983)
* “Fais Semblant” - “La fiancee qui venait du froid" - Robert Charlebois (1983)
* Heart Gallery - Jonathan Mars (writer, producer, arranger, keys, synths, drums)(1984)
* Magie Rose (Diane Dufresne concert) - Diane Dufresne (drums, musical director, live concert) (1984)
* “Juke Box/Tout Nucleaire” - Robert Charlebois (producer, arranger) (1984)
* Walking Through Fire - April Wine (drums) 1985
* Super Position - Robert Charlebois (producer, arranger, vocals, drums, music direction) (1985)
* Follement vôtre (Diane Dufresne album) - Diane Dufresne (musical director, drums, songwriter) (1986)
* Serious Business - Brian Greenway (producer, keyboards, synth, vocals) (1988)
* Piano Melodies Vol. 2 “ A Return Home” - Various Artists,(all instruments) (production library) (1988)
* Happy Stories - "Color Of Life" - Various Artists, (all instruments) (1988)
* Dion Chante Plamondon - Céline Dion (co-composer, “Des Mots Qui Sonnent” with Aldo Nova and Luc Plamondon) (album released in France as Des Mots Qui Sonnent) (1991)
* Eno Box II: Vocals - Brian Eno (drums, percussion) (compilation) (1992)
* Star Funk Vol. 12 - Various Artists (1994)
* À l'Olympia (Celine Dion album) - Céline Dion (co-writer) (1995)
* A Thrill’s A Thrill: The Canadian Years - Long John Baldry (compilation) (1996)
* Lexx - Music From The Original Television Sci-Fi Movie Series (Tales From A Parallel Universe) (1997)
* Lexx: The Series (composer) (2001)
* Julien Demenage: Acoustique & Electronique - Julien Clerc (2002)
* On ne change pas - Céline Dion (co-writer)(2005)
* Triple Best of Julien Clerc - Julien Clerc (2009)
* J’Aurais Voulu Etre un Artiste - Pour Pouvoir Dire Pourquoi J’Existe - Luc Plamondon (2010)
* God_Forgives,_I_Don%27t - Rick Ross (“Ashamed") - (co-written sample) (2012)
* Céline une seule fois/Live 2013 CD/DVD - Céline Dion (co-writer) (2014)
Scores:
* And Then You Die (1987)
* The Squamish Five (1988)
* Eddie and the Cruisers II - Eddie Lives!! (1989)
* George’s Island (1989)
* Back Stab (1990)
* Scanners II: The New Order (1991)
* Deadly Surveillance (1991)
* Scanners III: The Takeover (1991)
* Urban Angel (16 episodes) (1991-2)
* New York, alerte à la peste (1992)
* Quiet Killer (1992)
* A Cry In The Night (1992)
* Buried On Sunday (1992)
* Split Images (1992)
* Life With Billy (1993)
* Sirens (1993 TV series) (35 episodes) (1993-1995)
* The Child (1994)
* Paint Cans (1994)
* The Wrong Woman (1995)
* Hiroshima (1995 film) (1995)
* Marked Man (1996)
* Lexx (65 episodes) (1996-2002)
* Stranger In The House (1997)
* Captive (1998)
* The Ultimate Weapon (1998)
* No Alibi (2000)
* Rough Air: Danger on Flight 534 (2001)
* Blind Terror (2001)
* Adventure Inc. (2002)
Category:1948 births
Category:Canadian businesspeople
Category:Canadian film score composers
Category:Canadian music video directors
Category:Canadian record producers