John Simon

About

John Simon (born August 11, 1941, in Norwalk, Connecticut) is an American record producer, composer, and performer whose work shaped the sound of late-1960s rock. He produced landmark albums for The Band (Music from Big Pink, The Band, The Last Waltz), Janis Joplin (Cheap Thrills), Leonard Cohen (Songs of Leonard Cohen), and Simon & Garfunkel (Bookends), earning him the informal title of "the sixth member of The Band." Beyond production, he has released seven albums of original songs and written for Broadway and film.

own solo albums

12+

produced classical albums

Billboard Top Ten Music Books 2018 (memoirs Truth, Lies & Hearsay)

2090

followers on Facebook

What's new

2026-10
John Simon will perform on October 10, 2026 at Emerson Center with the program Legendary Songs and Stories, where he will combine his own songs with stories about his career.
2026-04
In April 2026, Simon performed at Emerson Center with the program Songs and Stories, where he combined his own compositions with stories from behind the scenes of famous recordings.
2025-07
In July 2025, Simon performed with John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful) at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock in a show called Stories We Could Tell.
2024
In 2024, Simon participated in Legendary Blues Cruise, where he conducted an orchestra with his longtime collaborator Taj Mahal.
2022
In the summer of 2022, Simon co-produced and arranged the album Savoy with blues guitarist Taj Mahal.