SIMON CLOTHIER SIGNS WITH UNIVERSAL/GENEPOOL

Simon Clothier

The past few years have seen the public embrace artists who sum up part of their everyday lives. We have had The Priests, The Soldiers, The Nurses, and even The Fisherman. Now the ukulele playing Simon Clothier, with his blue collar, construction background may be about change the way we view builders and white van drivers for ever. Having signed a deal with one of the biggest labels in the world through their imprint Genepool he is set to take his music to a global stage.

With his beautiful vocal range, his talent for creating heartfelt songs and melodies in part based on his emotional twenty year search for his parents Simon's music is likely to touch the heart and soul of those who hear it. In addition, his understanding of every day people, having spent his working life in the construction and van rental industries, means his songs will appeal to the public masses who simply have a love for great music.

Having worked on the iconic Wembley Stadium and Olympic 2012 sites his musical and vocal talent was recognized by his fellow workers, becoming something of a talking point. Known for belting out a tune on site and his impromptu playing of the ukulele, his work colleagues always felt it was only a matter of time before he had his big break.

The break actually came when his daughter encouraged Simon to play the ukulele at a school charity event. A spontaneous rendition of The Beach Boys classic 'God Only Knows' was exuberantly received, prompting him to record the song for his daughter, along with an original track, Lost in Your Life.

His family and friends then got him to send the tracks to Roy Sakuma, the Eric Clapton of ukulele players and a hero of Simon's. He then thought nothing else of it until a few weeks later when at midnight the phone rang and it was Roy inviting him to Hawaii. A few weeks later to perform live on KSSK FMs prime time Perry and Price show.

If things could have got any better they were about to as the next day Simon was invited to perform on the same stage as Jack Johnson, becoming the first European to appear at the legendary Starbucks Ukulele Festival of Hawaii, the largest ukulele festival in the world.

Prestigious endorsements followed from premier manufacturers Kanilea & KoAloha providing inspiration for him to finally pen his debut solo album but most of all encouraging a syndicate of fans to club together to set Simon on the road to funding his debut album which then found it's way into the hands of major national label distribution company Universal/Genepool who contacted him and offered an all important deal.

But talent is the key to Simon's future and the fact that he has a distinct working class, Dad next door appeal, adds intrigue to the sound he has honed. Simon Clothier offers a refreshing slant on the singer/songwriter genre. The emotion he puts into his music is fuelled predominantly by the search for his father.

Simon was adopted when he was 6 weeks old and as he got older he had a burning desire to find out who his birth parents were. He tracked down his mother when he was 24 but the journey to find his father on the other hand was much more challenging. Finally, twenty years after it began Simon tracked him down but even then it still took a year for his father to agree to meet him.

Sadly the meeting was short and ultimately, Simon was hugely frustrated after having only an hour and a half put aside by the man he called his father. A sad end to the journey, but this sadness has manifested itself both in his music and a desire to help others searching for their real parents. To Simon it became clear that he was 'surplus' to his father's requirements and it left him with a sense of injustice and anger.

As touched upon earlier, in part some of these emotions were channelled through his music, to create the wonderful album that epitomizes his life; all the passion, frustration and mixed feelings crystallized in poignant lyrics and expressive melodies that give you an insight into the depth of his character, and the scars his search have left on him.

For further information please call Louise Harris at Quite Great Publicity on 01223 410000 or email publicity4@quitegreat.co.uk