Paul Simonon (born December 15, 1955 in Brixton, London, England) is best known as the bass guitarist and vocalist for punk rock band The Clash. He grew up in the South London area of Brixton, a poor but cosmopolitan neighbourhood with a sizeable black population. Before joining the Clash, he had planned to become an artist. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 401 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2561 × 3825 pixel, file size: 959 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of Frances largest rock music festivals. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Brixton is an area of South London, England, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the United Kingdom anthem is God Save the Queen. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Havana 3am was the short-lived post-Clash band of bassist Paul Simonon. ... The Good, the Bad and the Queen is the debut album by an unnamed alternative rock band fronted by Damon Albarn released in January 2007. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Brixton is an area of South London, England, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the United Kingdom anthem is God Save the Queen. ... Fender Precision Bass Bass Guitar is a commonly spoken phrase used to refer to the electric bass and horizontal acoustic basses, a stringed instrument similar in design to the electric guitar, but larger in size, commonly fretted and sometimes fretless and with a lower range. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Brixton is an area of South London, England, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ... The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practising the arts and/or demonstrating an art. ...

He was asked to join The Clash in 1976 by lead guitarist Mick Jones, who planned to teach Simonon guitar. However, the instrument proved too difficult for Simonon, so Jones decided to teach him bass instead. He is credited with coming up with the name of the band and was mainly responsible for the visual aspects such as clothing & stage backdrops. He was also immortalized on the front cover of the band's double album "London Calling"; Pennie Smith's image of him smashing his bass has become one of the iconic pictures of the punk era. For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Mick Jones on stage with The Clash Michael Geoffrey Jones (born June 26, 1955) is an English guitarist and singer best known for his work as lead guitarist with The Clash. ... London Calling is a double album released by The Clash in December 1979, in the UK and the first week of January 1980 in the U.S. The album marked the bands critical and commercial breakthrough. ... Pennie Smith is a renowned rock photographer born in London in 19??. Smith attended Twickenham Art school in the late 1960s, studying graphics and fine art. ...

Often described during this period as 'the most handsome man in London', Paul Simonon wrote three of the Clash's songs: "The Guns of Brixton" on London Calling, "The Crooked Beat" on Sandinista!, and the B-side "Long Time Jerk". He sang "Red Angel Dragnet" from Combat Rock but this song was written by Joe Strummer. The Guns of Brixton is a song by The Clash on their third album, London Calling, released in 1979. ... London Calling is a double album released by The Clash in December 1979, in the UK and the first week of January 1980 in the U.S. The album marked the bands critical and commercial breakthrough. ... Sandinista! is the fourth album by the punk rock band The Clash. ... Combat Rock is a 1982 album released by The Clash. ... John Graham Mellor (August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2002) better known as Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. ...

Simonon played bass on almost all of the Clash's songs. Songs that weren't played on by Simonon: "The Magnificent Seven" and "Lightning Strikes (Not Once but Twice)" on Sandinista! (played by Norman Watt-Roy), "Rock the Casbah" on Combat Rock (played by Topper Headon), and 10 of the 12 tracks on Cut the Crap (played by Norman Watt-Roy). Many of the tracks on Combat Rock are thought to have bass tracks laid down by Mick Jones or engineer Eddie Garcia and early recordings on Sandinista! featured bass played by Jones or Strummer, some but possibly not all of which Paul later re-recorded once he rejoined the sessions after filming "Ladies & Gentleman the Fabulous Stains".^{[citation needed]} Sandinista! is the fourth album by the punk rock band The Clash. ... Rock the Casbah, one of the most popular songs by The Clash, was released on their 1982 album Combat Rock. ... Combat Rock is a 1982 album released by The Clash. ... Cut the Crap is The Clashs final album. ... Combat Rock is a 1982 album released by The Clash. ... Sandinista! is the fourth album by the punk rock band The Clash. ...

Simonon's contrapuntal reggae-influenced lines set him apart from the bulk of other punk rock bassists of the era in terms of complexity and the role of the bass guitar within the band [1]. He usually played with a pick as opposed to plucking the strings with his fingers. Counterpoint is a very general feature of music (especially prominent in much Western music) whereby two or more melodic strands occur simultaneously - in separate voices, either literally or metaphorically (if the music is instrumental). ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... Various guitar picks A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. ...

After the Clash dissolved in 1986, Simonon started a band called Havana 3am. They recorded one album in Japan before breaking up. He also participated in a Bob Dylan session along with the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones that became part of the Dylan album Down in the Groove. Presently, Simonon works as an artist - his first passion before joining the Clash. He has had several gallery shows, and even designed the cover for one of Big Audio Dynamite's (Mick Jones' post-Clash band) albums, as well as the cover for Herculean from the album The Good, the Bad and the Queen, an unnamed project with Damon Albarn on which Simonon plays bass. Havana 3am was the short-lived post-Clash band of bassist Paul Simonon. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... The Sex Pistols were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... Stephen Phillip Jones (b. ... // Down in the Groove Down in the Groove is a 1988 album release by Bob Dylan. ... Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) was a British musical group formed in 1984 by the ex-guitarist and singer of The Clash, Mick Jones. ... Herculean is the forthcoming debut single by Damon Albarns new group The Good, the Bad and the Queen. ... The Good, the Bad and the Queen is the debut album by an unnamed alternative rock band fronted by Damon Albarn released in January 2007. ... Damon Albarn, (IPA: []) (born March 23, 1968 in Leytonstone, London), is an English singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead singer of rock band Blur. ...

Equipment

He started off playing through a 4x10 combo, but in 1978 he began using Ampeg cabinets and Ampeg toppers and has since used Ampegs. Ampeg is an American instrument amplifier manufacturer. ...

His first bass was a cheap knock-off that he used through 1976 and into 1977, which he splattered in paint. In 1977, during the recording of The Clash, he received a black Rickenbacker from Patti Smith, which he also decorated in paint, but he didn't quite like the sound of it, as it sounded too thin, and then he got hold of a white Fender Precision Bass in 1978, and after that he has only played white Fenders live. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mod revivalist band The Jams Bruce Foxton (left) on a Rickenbacker bass and Paul Weller on a Rickenbacker guitar Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker (IPA pronunciation: ) [1]), is an electric guitar manufacturer, notable for having invented the first electric guitar during the 1930s. ... Patricia Lee (Patti) Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American musician, singer, and poet. ... The Fender Precision Bass, known as P-bass for short, is the first model of the electric bass designed by Clarence Leonidas Fender and brought to market in 1951. ...

This one was probably just a cheap bass, that he gave up and later he received a better Fender which he used many for years. It was another P-Bass, and this one is known for having "Paul" scratched into the body. The pickups were black on all of his Fenders but he changed the ones on this bass into white.

He used it mainly through 1978 and used it as a backup in 1979. He played a Wal during the recording session in 1978, because the producer Sandy Pearlman suggested it, but Paul disliked it, because it had too many switches. Wal Mach II Fretless Bass Wal is a brand of electric bass manufactured by Electric Wood Ltd. ... Sandy Pearlman was the original producer, manager and a songwriter for the Blue Öyster Cult. ...

In 1979 he got a new Fender, which was the one he smashed on the cover of London Calling. And after it was smashed, it was back to the old Fender, which he used until he got a new bass in 1980. All of his Fenders up to then had maple necks. London Calling is a double album released by The Clash in December 1979, in the UK and the first week of January 1980 in the U.S. The album marked the bands critical and commercial breakthrough. ...

But in 1981, he got a Fender Fretless Precision with a rosewood fingerboard. He played it through 1981, but he got back to fretted Fenders in 1982. He then got hold of two Fender Precisions with black heads, rosewood fingerboards, and white pickups. The fretless guitar is a guitar without frets (including similarly configured bass guitars known as fretless bass). ...

One of them he used most as a backup and the other one he played mainly, and he still uses it as a main axe today (it can be seen on the picture of him on the top of the page.) He had a sunburst Precision in the last years of The Clash, but that one was only used as a backup and by Joe Strummer during the song "The Guns of Brixton". John Graham Mellor (August 21, 1952 – December 22, 2002) better known as Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. ... The Guns of Brixton is a song by The Clash on their third album, London Calling, released in 1979. ...

He had a sunburst Gibson EB-2, which can be seen in the videos for "The Call Up" and "London Calling", but he was also seen with it in the earliest days of The Clash. It had probably belonged to Joe Strummer or Mick Jones or someone in their former bands, The 101ers (Strummer) or London SS (Mick Jones). He used an acoustic bass during the recording of The Good, the Bad and the Queen. The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s, notable only as being the band that gave Joe Strummer (later of The Clash) his initial start as a musician. ... London SS was Mick Jones and Paul Simonons band prior to joining up with Joe Strummer and Terry Chimes to form The Clash. ... The Good, the Bad and the Queen is the debut album by an unnamed alternative rock band fronted by Damon Albarn released in January 2007. ...

Discography

see also The Clash discography

The Clash The Clash - UK Version Give Em Enough Rope This page includes discography of the rock band The Clash, with chart placings in the UK and US. // London Calling Sandinista! Combat Rock London Calling Single Rock The Casbah Single Categories: | ...

• The Clash, 1977, CBS Records
• Give 'Em Enough Rope, 1978, CBS Records
• London Calling, 1979, CBS Records
• Sandinista!, 1980, CBS Records
• Combat Rock, 1982, CBS Records
• Cut the Crap, 1985, CBS Records

Havana 3am The Clash is the first full-length recording released by the English punk band The Clash. ... Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... Give Em Enough Rope was The Clashs second album. ... London Calling is a double album released by The Clash in December 1979, in the UK and the first week of January 1980 in the U.S. The album marked the bands critical and commercial breakthrough. ... Sandinista! is the fourth album by the punk rock band The Clash. ... Combat Rock is a 1982 album released by The Clash. ... Cut the Crap is The Clashs final album. ...

• Havana 3am, 1991, Capitol Records

Unnamed project Havana 3am is an eponymously named debut album by post-clash Paul Simonons band Havana 3am. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the...

• The Good, the Bad and the Queen, 2007, EMI

The Good, the Bad and the Queen is the debut album by an unnamed alternative rock band fronted by Damon Albarn released in January 2007. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a British music company comprising of the major record company EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Kensington in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Paul Simonon

• Interview with Bass Player magazine
• From Punk to Paint(BBC Interview)
• Paul Simonon's gallery @ BBC
• Gallery @ Msc.org
• Gallery @ Art-Tube.com
• Interview with 3:AM Magazine
• Interview with Bassist Magazine