website associated_acts years_active birth_place name background birth_date instrument genre article_title birth_name occupation
official website camel 1970s & ndash ; present chesterfield , derbyshire , england mickey simmonds non_vocal_instrumentalist 31 january 1959 keyboard neo-progressive rock mickey simmonds
 michael simmonds keyboardist , composer
mickey simmonds

mickey simmonds -lrb- born 31 january 1959 , chesterfield , derbyshire , england -rrb- is an english session keyboardist , arranger and composer .
he is best known for his work with progressive rock acts , mike oldfield , renaissance , camel and fish .
he has also worked with joan armatrading , paul young , the rutles , art garfunkel , kiki dee , john coghlan 's diesel band , elkie brooks , judie tzuke , imagination , bucks fizz , jennifer rush , the mods , 4 bills & a ben , and , most recently the bonzo dog doo-dah band .
simmonds has a long standing relationship with neil innes , hence the rutles -lrb- including all the arrangements on archaeology 1996 -rrb- and the bonzo dog doo-dah band , whose studio album `` pour l'amour des chiens '' was co-produced by simmonds & innes .
simmonds has released two solo albums , `` the shape of rain '' -lrb- 1996 -rrb- and `` the seven colours of emptiness '' -lrb- 2009 -rrb- .
as influences , he cites progressive rock acts such as early genesis , emerson , lake & palmer and pink floyd .
