Van Downham

Simon Van Downham first picked up the guitar at the age of 10. By age 13, the self-taught artist was playing in his older brother’s band throughout the North West of England. By the time Simon was 15, he had formed his own band with a couple of school friends. The band played music that they had all been listening to at the time such as The Doobie Brothers and Joe Jackson. During this time Simon also realized that his voice was coming into its own and that he really loved the harmonies in the bands he had been listening too. Simon would continue on his musical journey and for the next 5 years he would form various type bands from Southern  Rock to Pop. One such band named Immediate Blues featured songs from one of Simon’s hero’s Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Now 26, Simon had decided to take time out and concentrate on something, which had always been at the forefront of his mind, that being to write original material. A new band soon followed named, On The Edge. On The Edge was a five-piece band consisting of guitar, keys, bass, drums and sax. The band went on to win a nationwide battle of the bands original music composition award and several doors were opened for the group including being able to record in a major recording studio and receiving music promotion and radio airplay. Although the band seemed to be headed in the right direction lack of commitment from some of its members caused the band to break up.

Later Simon was asked and agreed to join Lieutenant Pigeon, a band who had recently reformed and enjoyed some chart success. The move would prove to be a very good one as Van Downham went on to perform for a number of years with the band touring the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Since this time Simon has played with many well-known names including: Denny Laine (Wings), Alan Silson, Peter Spencer (Smokie), Clive Bunker (Tull) and is one of the famed artists who played with The UK Legends.

Currently, Simon Van Downham is concentrating on his solo career with the UK Band called, Van Downham. The group is quite special because the music combines great vocal harmonies with stellar musicianship. It is no surprise then that from marketing the music and promoting the band that press and fans alike have compared Van Downham’s sound to The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty, and other great classic southern rock bands. The group through venue management and band management has enjoyed massive success across Europe over the past several years (Particularly in Eastern Europe), where they have performed steadily in stadiums and huge festivals. Van Downham has also had the pleasure of performing live on Polish TV at the Miss Intercontinental Contest.

Simon, a fine record producer and the owner of a state of the art recording studio,  has recently recorded and released a new CD entitled, THE DARKNESS.

My Space:http://www.myspace.com/vandownhamofficial

Website: http://www.vandownham.com/index.htm