Band

Meet the band

artist Profile

Ken Simms - Guitars, Vocals
Founder. Band Leader. Musician Extraordinaire, Singer, Song Writer, Composer, Engineer. Bay Area Rock and Blues Legend. See "Legacy" section below for a detailed history of the Simms Band and Ken's storied musical career.

John E. Allbee - Drums & Percussion
John has been with the Simms Band for aprox. 2 years. John is a versatile, professional, powerhouse drummer, who played his first paid gig at 15 years old. John's 30+ years behind the kit has taken him places most band dream about - up and down the sunset strip to include whiskey a gogo and other legendary venues across the country.

Johns custom DW studio set is beautiful to behold and a sonic monster behind the band in the studio. On the road, John plays a Gretsch set, smaller more mobile but big on boom.

Maura Pearson - Lead Vocals, Percussion
Maura is our lead singer. She has been a driving vocal force for Simms band since 2014. Maura's style is akin to Stevie Nicks. She works hard to perfect her sound and the backup vocalists harmony parts. She is the energetic, crowd engaging, inspirational leader of our vocal section. Maura's love affair with music spans most of her life - here is an summary bio of her journey to date:
First Band - High School - Age 14 - Rock Band
Nigel Ajax Band - Chicago - Rock - '79-80 - Rock Band
The Musicians - '80-'82 - Rock / Pop
Pure Fire / Hot Stuff - '82-'86 - Rock - Opened for Norton Buffallo
Pearson Sisters - '84-'89 - Variety Musical Genres - Sac karaoke pioneers
Buster Blues Band - '90-'93 - Rock
Maura's Music Express - '95 - '00Entertainer - DJ, Singer - Parties, Weddings, Events
Johnny and the Moondogs '01 - '05- Rock
Simms Band - 2014- Present - Rock / Blues / Fusion

Inna Beethoven - Violin, Vocals
Inna is both musician and vocalist, playing an electric violin, lead vocals on select tunes and backup harmony. Inna has been with the band since 2015 and is a native of the Ukraine. Her musical and vocal talent add a rich dimension to the band sound and allow us to explore new territory with our original compositions.

Todd Holsopple - Keyboards, Vocals
Todd grew up on the west coast of Florida and started playing piano at 5 years old, with classical piano lessons, then switched
to Jazz piano in his teens, which ultimately lead him to study Jazz Piano and Music Engineering at the University of Miami. After playing
in various bands in Florida (including a gig where his band was an opener for Molly Hatchet), he took a job at a software company
in El Dorado Hills and moved to California. His "day job" involved quite a bit of traveling, so he spent a lot of time
writing music on the road, but was unable to commit to playing live. Now, he's off the road and ready to have some fun playing live
gigs once again!

Charles - Bass Guitar
Chuck started playing Bass way back in 1973 with a country band. They played the Military Club circuit throughout Northern CA. which led to a steady gig at a club in Fair Oaks, CA. The band eventually broke up and Chuck stopped playing for a few years. He then started playing with another country band that played the County Fairs while opening up for the late Freddy Fender. After the band disbanded, “I took a 28 year hiatus from playing music.” He says that he “met the guys from Midlife CRISIS at a jam at the Crossroads Coffee Shop in Somerset”, then started jamming with them on a regular basis which led to the formation of MIDLIFE CRISIS, together for five years. After a few other bands and a year off he is back with a vengeance. He states he loves playing with the Simms Band and that he is having “the time of my life and loving every minute.”

Legacy - Ken Simms Band History

Career Synopsis
Ken Simms started his first band at age 13 in the Bay Area. In junior high school in 1958, it was unusual to have a band. He was in the vanguard of rock and roll, and was right there in the midst of the burgeoning San Francisco music scene in the 1960s. Simms knew and played with them all, Boz Skaggs, Elvin Bishop, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana; all the names that still resonate today. He experienced the music history of the Bay Area first hand with his guitar in hand and music on his mind. In 1971, Simms led 'Truckin', a band that also experienced numerous successes. Then Simms left the music world of his own accord, dedicating his life to his wife and family.

He went back into music wholeheartedly in 2000, teaming up again with Paula Sorce, with whom he co-wrote many songs, performed and produced several CDs with their 11-piece band Just Truckin. A highlight of their collaboration was writing the sound track for 'Liquid Space'. He left the band and only recently started performing under the 'Simms Band' title. By participating in the local music scene and by reconnecting with past friends and musicians, Simms realized that El Dorado County had the raw talent he could capitalize on to create the band of his dreams.