Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. The band is currently a core duo of original members Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (guitar), augmented by guest musicians.
Notable former members include Mick MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (bass), Brian McGee (drums), Mel Gaynor (drums), and John Giblin (bass).
members: Jim Kerr, Mick MacNeil, Charlie Burchill, Mel Gaynor, Eddie Duffy
formed in: Glasgow
labels: Virgin Records, Zoom Records, Chrysalis Records, A&M Records
genres: new wave, art rock, post-punk, arena rock, synth-pop
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Simple Minds originated from a cover band called Biba-Rom! formed by school-friends Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Tony Donald and Brian McGee, whose members would subsequently make up part of the punk band Johnny & The Self-Abusers, formed in early 1977 on Glasgow's South Side, as the brainchild of Alan Cairnduff. Cairnduff left the organisation of the band to John Milarky, suggesting that he enlist two strangers, singer and lyricist Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill. Kerr and Burchill, who had been acquainted since age eight, roped in their school friends Brian McGee and Tony Donald to play drums and bass respectively. Milarky served as singer, guitarist and saxophonist, and recruited his friend Allan McNeill to be the band's third...
Simple Minds' name was derived from a lyric in the David Bowie song "The Jean Genie". Early influences on the band included Bowie, Mott the Hoople, the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Magazine, Kraftwerk and Neu!. As teenagers, Kerr and Burchill also listened to Yes, Genesis, the Stooges, Stevie Wonder, Hawkwind, and Van der Graaf Generator. Recordings such as Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (1977), OMD's "Electricity" (1979), and Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures (1979) had an influence on the band. While touring the UK in 1980, Simple Minds developed relationships with peers like OMD, Echo & the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes, and began "swapping notes" with those bands.
The Simple Minds album New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84) was an influence on U2 during the making of The Unforgettable Fire (1984). They were an influence on the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, including on their album Futurology (2014). James Dean Bradfield cited Empires and Dance as a "massive influence" on his music, saying that the album was "like learning a new language; it's a nuclear reactor of musical orchestration from five working-class Glasgow boys". Nicky Wire said, "They made five stupendous albums, up to Sparkle in the Rain. So futuristic, and coming from these working-class kids [...] And Derek Forbes is one of the greatest bass players ever." Additionally, the band have been said to have played an influence on fellow...
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Don't You Forget About Me is a 2009 Canadian documentary film about screenwriter, director, and producer John Hughes. Directed by Matt Austin, the film was named after the 1985 song of the same name by Simple Minds, which in turn was the theme song for Hughes' film The Breakfast Club.
The film specifically focused on Hughes' fade from prominence in the early 1990s.
The documentary details the journey of a group of young filmmakers who go in search of the reclusive icon, documenting their search through interviews of the people with whom Hughes had worked and fans of his films. Those interviewed include Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Kelly Le Brock, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Kevin Smith, Roger Ebert, and Jim Kerr of the band Simple Minds. Filming began in 2006.