Bassist for legendary UK punks
The Clash. Went to
art school, and was many times the brains behind the Clash's
1977-era eye-catching
sartorial choices.
Paul Simonon (pronounced "sim-onon", not "simon-on") was the secret weapon/unsung hero of The Clash, his pumping lines infusing energy into tracks like "Remote Control", "Police & Thieves", and, of course, "The Guns of Brixton". Entirely responsible for the group's finest moment, writing and singing on the excellent "The Guns of Brixton", off the 1979 LP "London Calling", the only song Paul ever wrote for the group, which was dominated by the admittedly formidable Strummer/Jones tandem. (You can also find "The Guns of Brixton" as a b-side to the 1980 Australia single release of "Clampdown", yielding the Clash their best single ever, and the posthumous 1990 EP "Return to Brixton".) Was with the Clash from the beginning until the bitter end after Jones had left and the group released the abysmal "Cut the Crap". Post-Clash years have seen Paul front the short-lived Havana 3 A.M. before going back to his pre-punk roots and settling into a successful career as an artist.
BTW, someone who penned a node for Guns of Brixton implies that the LP credits Paul Simon (!) for writing the tune...this misguided individual obviously knows nothing about The Only Band That Matters.