Sonny Simmons

Huey "Sonny" Simmons (b. August 4, 1933, Sicily Island, Louisiana) is an American jazz musician.

Biography
He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the english horn. At age 16 he took up the alto saxophone, which became his primary instrument. He plays primarily in an avant-garde style occasionally bordering on free jazz. He was married to Barbara Donald, who played trumpet on several of his early records, including his ESP Disk titles: Staying on the Watch and Music From the Spheres. Personal problems derailed both his music career and home life, leading to divorce and homelessness. He busked on the streets of San Francisco for many years, until he resurrected his career in the early 1990s and began playing in night clubs again. He is one of the few jazz musicians to play the english horn.

In the early 1960s he worked with Charles Mingus and Prince Lasha, before recording his own LPs for ESP-Disk.

As leader

 * 1966: Staying on the Watch
 * 1968: Music From the Spheres
 * 1969: Manhattan Egos
 * 1970: Rumasuma
 * 1971: Burning Spirits
 * 1982: Backwoods Suite
 * 1990: Global Jungle
 * 1994: Ancient Ritual
 * 1997: American Jungle
 * 2001: Tales Of The Ancient East
 * 2004: The Future Is Ancient
 * 2005: The Traveler
 * 2006: I'll See You When You Get There
 * 2007: Last Man Standing
 * 2007: Ecstatic Nostalgia
 * 2008: True Wind
 * 2009: Atomic Symphony
 * 2011: Symphony Of The Peacocks

As sideman
With Prince Lasha With Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison With Eric Dolphy
 * The Cry! (Contemporary, 1962)
 * Firebirds! (Contemporary, 1967)
 * Illumination! (Impulse!, 1963)
 * Conversations (1963)
 * Iron Man (1963)