Biography
It was as a young teenager in Dundee that Simon first came across a steel guitar which was gracing the cover of the Dire Straits album ‘Brother in Arms’. Subsequently his fascination with the sound of this instrument lead him on a journey of musical discovery which took him back to the blues masters of Son House, Robert Johnson & Lightnin’ Hopkins. It was the honesty, simplicity and emotion in the voice, songs and guitar of the music of this genre that struck a chord with Simon – how so much could be achieved with so little.
Following hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed debut album ‘Beyond Desolate’, Simon, with his distinctive contemporary alternative blues act ‘Man Gone Missing’, has written and recorded the follow-up album entitled ‘Burn You.’ The new album offers another diverse and fantastic collection of material and certainly marks a step forward in both the sound and writing from ‘Beyond Desolate.’ At the same time it will also please fans of the debut album as Simon continues in this collection to maintain those trademark haunting melodies and that seemingly effortless, yet highly complex guitar style. Armed with his trusty resonator, Simon once again recorded in what he considers the perfect surroundings for his music, the century old All Souls’ Church in Invergowrie, Perthshire. This time however, with a change of both recording & producing personnel. Simon enlisted the gifted Glaswegian harp player Drew Lynch to play alongside him on this album. Drew’s wonderfully economic harp playing provides the perfect foil to Simon’s voice, indeed it is rare to find two musicians who have such a perfect understanding of the importance of space & silence within a song.
With excellent reviews for both ‘Beyond Desolate’ & ‘Burn You’ in publications across the country, Simon hopes that ‘Burn You’ will mark another significant step forward in his musical career. With appearances at Blues Festivals & Clubs across the UK planned for later in 2011, and into 2012, Man Gone Missing is impressing more & more critics & audiences alike with Simon’s take on modern acoustic blues.
Press Quotes
‘Beautifully authentic guitar style & heartfelt vocal’ – Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6
‘The sparse beautiful bleakness of the songs work their way inside you. They may not be from the Delta, but, my goodness, they owe every gut-wrenching bit of sadness to that area. This is a brilliant debut album’ – Blues Matters Magazine
‘The songs give you goosebumps on the goosebumps’ – Cherrie McIlwaine, BBC Radio Ulster
‘Currie’s singing is reminiscent of early John Martyn and the guitar playing is clear sounding, attractive and imaginative. Having often reflected on the paucity of the Scottish Blues Scene, Currie might help revitalise things north of the border – this is one artist to watch’ – Blues & Rhythm Magazine
