New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Toronto singer/songwriter Steve Paul Simms has some �Blues for Back Alley John� in this, his latest single - available now. The song serves as a celebration for one of Ottawa - and later, Calgary�s - finest bluesmen, the late, great Back Alley John Wilson, Simms shares. �I conjured up a little of Back Alley John�s harmonica magic and philosophical musings for this one,� he explains. �There�s also some vintage Byward Market scenery for good measure.�
The song sits atop the swirling keyboards and biting guitar stylings of Ed Michael Roth and Bob Cohen, respectively, and is the latest to land off of Steve Paul Simms� fourth album, Ingrid and the Messenger Boy.
Released December 2020, the 12-track LP offers a fine introduction to the Toronto-based troubadour whose signature brand of storytelling has long evoked notions of cabarets to cityscapes, dreams to memories, alike.
A classically trained actor who�s performed in well over 60+ theatrical productions nationwide, this is Simms� first album available via digital streaming. In all, Ingrid and the Messenger Boy is the culmination of Simms� genre-spanning talents; while �Blues for Back Alley John� may be blues in focus, the veteran of the creative arts scene includes pop, jazz, ragtime, rock, soul, country, world, and Broadway tunes among his expansive repertoire.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2q1Nji50DvxxsjQe6xrl5a?si=57c2bfd1b8564ad3
In addition to Back Alley John Wilson, Ingrid and the Messenger Boy pays tribute to the likes of a screen legend in �Anything with Ingrid,� a classic 1960s songwriter in �Goodbye Ellie,� and more.� A one-man doo-wop group laments the life of a legal �Messenger Boy, and �Te Quiero� celebrates young love without borders,� Simms shares. ��Karma Makes a Comeback� is a song about consequences, and �Rolling� captures the lure of the open road.
��No Money Comin� In� chronicles one of life�s most familiar struggles,� he concludes, �and �Anytime� is a declaration of love and friendship.�
