Morris Eugene Simmons (July 10, 1937 – August 29, 2006), better known as Jumpin' Gene Simmons, was an American singer and songwriter best known for his 1964 novelty single "Haunted House".

Biography

Gene Simmons was born in Itawamba County, Mississippi, and began his recording career with

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...

in 1956 a couple of years after performing as an opening act for former labelmate

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

. However, the label released only one (non-charting) single from his recording sessions. His first and only Top 40 hit was "Haunted House", a cover of a 1958 recording by Johnny Fuller, which peaked at No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1964 and No. 7 in Canada. The song represented one of Hi Records' early successes. The track was later covered by the Compton Brothers,

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

, Ace Cannon,

Hasil Adkins Hasil Adkins (April 29, 1937 – April 26, 2005) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His genres include rock and roll, country, blues and more commonly rockabilly, and because of his unusual playing and singing style, ...

Sam the Sham Domingo Samudio (born February 28, 1937), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer. Sam the Sham is known for his Camp (style), camp robe and turban and hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hears ...

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, and John Anderson. His last work was " Indian Outlaw," which he co-wrote, and was a hit for

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artist

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in 1994. Simmons' Hi Records recordings were released as an anthology, ''Haunted House: The Complete Jumpin' Gene Simmons on Hi Records'', in June 2001. Sun Records followed suit in December 2006 with the 33-song collection ''Drinkin' Wine: The Sun Years, Plus''. He had recorded several albums with both labels but they were never released. In late 1962, he travelled to Mexico to appear as a diver in Paramount's '' Fun in Acapulco'', starring Elvis Presley who, incidentally, could not travel there as he was persona non grata.

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

covered one of Simmons' singles, "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford," for his 2005 album ''Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records.'' A year later, on August 29, 2006, the 42nd anniversary of the entry of "Haunted House" into the top 40, Simmons died after a long illness at age 69 in his hometown.

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

bassist

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

(birth name: Chaim Witz) chose his stage name as a tribute to the singer.

Discography

*''Jumpin' Gene Simmons'' (1964) *''Goin' Back to Memphis'' (1987) *''706 Union Ave. And Beyond'' (1998) *''Haunted House: The Complete Jumpin' Gene Simmons on Hi Records'' (2001) *''Drinkin' Wine: The Sun Years, Plus'' (2006)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Jumpin Gene 1937 births 2006 deaths American rock songwriters People from Tupelo, Mississippi American rockabilly musicians Place of death missing Songwriters from Mississippi Country musicians from Mississippi Sun Records artists Hi Records artists 20th-century American songwriters