Frank Simes

Born in Tokyo as a US citizen, Frank Simes began studying guitar at the age of ten. The second and younger son of Stephen Hardy Simes, legal attaché to General Douglas MacArthur and judge advocate at US Army Japan, and Japanese model and restaurateur, Sachiko Nakamura. His early interests also included close-up magic and fine arts, which remain lifelong passions. His professional career began at 14 when his band, Sunrise, which he formed with Mickie Yoshino and Steve Fox, later of Godiego released a record on RCA Victor. The following year he moved to Los Angeles to study music at Fairfax High School. When Simes was 16 he began attending college as a music major. At 20, his band, the Whizz Kidds, was signed by Highland/A&M Records, and Frank's song, "Sweet Honey", their debut single, received national airplay.

Simes continued his music career, working with Martha Davis of The Motels as a songwriter, producer, and guitarist for three years in the mid-1980s. In 1989, he began touring with Don Henley as a guitarist, and vocalist and soon after as a songwriter when Simes co-wrote "Workin' It" and "Goodbye to a River". Simes was featured on the Inside Job DVD and continues to work with Henley today.

Simes toured and recorded with Mick Jagger on his Wandering Spirit album and tour, was the band leader for Don Henley on the Inside Job tour, and played guitar and sang for Stevie Nicks on the Enchanted tour. During the next two decades, Simes also worked with Rod Stewart, Don Felder, Charlotte Church, Sylvie Vartan, Engelbert Humperdinck, David Lee Roth, Warren Zevon and Roger Waters. Simes played on Roger Daltrey's album Moonlighting and appeared in The Who's documentary Amazing Journey. Simes was named musical director for Roger Daltrey's band No Plan B.

Since 1993, Simes has composed over 1,400 pieces of music for such companies as Paramount Television and Los Angeles Post Music. Simes has also composed original guitar and piano pieces in the Modern, Baroque, and Romantic styles, some of which were recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Simes produced several albums for major labels[1] such as Sony Music Entertainment, RCA Records, Epic Records and Mitsubishi. Frank Simes is the recipient of nine platinum records with such artist as Don Henley, Rod Stewart and various soundtrack albums. His credits include producing three albums on Sony, recording with Rod Stewart on his album entitled, As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook, Volume II, performing on Roger Daltrey's Moonlighting anthology CD and DVD, and Daltrey's Gold CD, as well as on Engelbert Humperdinck's The Winding Road album and Greatest Hits and More. Simes also recorded with Art Garfunkel on Some Enchanted Evening, Mylène Farmer on her Innamoramento album, and with Sylvie Vartan on her album Nouvelle Vague. He has produced five albums for vocalist Ann Lewis.

Simes composed and recorded a musical entitled The Door with partner Lisa Verlo. Together they formed Soundlove Productions, collaborating on a children's CD, Turner's Treehouse,[2] as well as music for TV and film.

In 2009, Simes toured as lead guitarist and musical director in Roger Daltrey's No Plan B band for the Use It or Lose It tour.[3] The band also opened for Eric Clapton on two tours in 2010. In 2011, continuing as musical director and lead guitarist for Roger Daltrey, Simes performed the rock opera Tommy and other songs at a warm-up show in Bournemouth at the O2 Academy in preparation for a show at the Royal Albert Hall to benefit Teenage Cancer Trust. Simes performed alongside Pete Townshend who played and sang as a guest at the TCT show. In July 2011, Roger Daltrey and band toured England,[4] Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, and Denmark, performing the legendary rock opera Tommy, The Who classics, and Roger's solo works. Roger and band also toured in the US and Canada[5] beginning September 2011.[6] Additional dates in Europe, Australia and Japan were booked for 2012.

On 18 July 2012, The Who announced Simes as musical director and on keyboards/backing vocals for a 35-date tour where they played their album Quadrophenia in its entirety.[7]

In November 2014, The Who started their 50th-anniversary world tour, The Who Hits 50![8] with Simes as musical director and playing keyboards, mandolin, banjo, percussion, and backing vocals.

• The Who – 2012 Olympics
• The Who – Quadrophenia tour, 2012–2013
• The Who – The Who Hits 50! tour, 2014–2016
• Keith Moon: The Real Me – musical, Mick Berry, 2015
• Roger Daltrey – Tommy tour, 2011
• Roger Daltrey – 2006 to present
• Don Felder – 2005 to present
• Don Henley – Inside Job, tour and video, 1999 to present
• Stevie Nicks – Enchanted tour, 1998
• Heartbeat of a Planet – TV show, 2013
• The Door – musical, 2012

• "The Who Quadrophenia Live in London" – The Who
• "Inside Job" – Don Henley
• "The How" – Roger Daltrey
• "Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who" – interviewed in the documentary
• "VH1 Storytellers" – Don Henley
• "VH1 Storytellers" – Stevie Nicks
• "MTV Unplugged" – Don Henley

Simes is composer of over 1,200 musical pieces. His works have appeared in TV shows and films including:

• Colgate – 2015
• Honda – 2014
• Beneful – 2014
• Blue Cross – 2013
• Burger King – 2013

• Official Who website – Frank Simes Musical Director, keyboards/backing vocals
• Official Who website – Frank Simes on tour with Roger Daltrey
• Frank Simes – Artistdirect.com
• Frank Simes at IMDb
• Official Frank Simes blog
• THE DOOR a musical
• Frank Simes at IMDb
• Gary Graff (2009) Roger Daltrey plots rare North American solo tour
• Frank Simes Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2016)