Editing Calvin Simon

{{Short description|American singer (1942–2022)}}
{{more footnotes|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name          =  Calvin Simon
| image         = Calvin Simon.jpg
| birth_name    = Calvin Eugene Simon
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1942|5|22}}
| birth_place   =  [[Beckley, West Virginia]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2022|1|6|1942|5|22}}
| death_place   = [[San Antonio, Florida]], U.S.
| nationality   = 
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = Singer
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = 
}}
'''Calvin Eugene Simon''' (May 22, 1942 – January 6, 2022) was an American singer who was a member of the bands [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] and [[Funkadelic]]. He is a member of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], inducted in 1997 along with fifteen other members of [[Parliament-Funkadelic]].

==Early life==
Simon was born in [[Beckley, West Virginia]] on May 22, 1942. Simon was drafted into the [[United States Army]] in 1966, and served with C Battery, 3rd Battalion, [[13th Field Artillery Regiment]], 9th Infantry Division during the [[Vietnam War]] in 1967–68.<ref name=VFW>Williams, Kari, "From P-Funk to the Mekong Delta", ''VFW Magazine'', vol. 105, no. 5, February 2018, pp. 18-20.</ref>

==Career==
Simon started out in the late 1950s as one of [[The Parliaments]], a [[doo wop]] [[barbershop quintet]] led by [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]]. In 1978, Simon (along with other original Parliaments [[Fuzzy Haskins]] and [[Grady Thomas]]), left [[Parliament-Funkadelic]] after financial and management disputes with Clinton. In 1981, the trio caused confusion when they formed a new band, and released an album called ''[[Connections & Disconnections]]'' under the name Funkadelic. In 1998, Simon, along with original Parliaments bass vocalist [[Ray Davis (musician)|Ray Davis]], Haskins, and Grady Thomas, founded [[Original P]], performing until his departure in 2007.

After a hiatus from the music industry, Simon turned to [[gospel music]] and recorded for his own label, [[Simon Says Records]]. In June 2004 he released an album called ''[[Share the News]]'', which reached #32 on the "Billboard" Top Gospel Albums chart. In 2019, he and Parliament-Funkadelic were given Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards.

==Death==
Simon died on January 6, 2022, at the age of 79.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rizik |first1=Chris |title=Parliament-Funkadelic singer Calvin Simon dies at age 79 |url=https://www.soultracks.com/story-calvin-simon-parliament-funkadelic-dies |access-date=7 January 2022 |publisher=Soul Tracks |date=7 January 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.calvinsimon.com CalvinSimon.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627085522/http://www.calvinsimon.com/ |date=2010-06-27 }}
* {{Discogs artist|Calvin Simon}}
* {{IMDb name|7433391}}

{{Funkadelic}}
{{P-Funk}}
{{The Parliaments}}
{{Parliament}}
{{1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Calvin}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American singers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Beckley, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Beckley, West Virginia]]
[[Category:P-Funk members]]
[[Category:Singers from West Virginia]]
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]