Andy Simpkins

Andy Simpkins (b. Richmond, Indiana, April 29, 1932 – d. Los Angeles, June 2, 1999) – Bassist. Simpkins played clarinet and piano at Wilberforce University, an African American school in the Dayton area – not far from his birthplace in Richmond, Indiana. Shortly before joing the U.S. Army in 1953, he switched to the bass and then joined jazz groups after his discharge in 1955. In 1956, he joined a South Bend based combo called the Four Sounds, which relocated to New York in 1958. Starting in 1958, the Four Sounds recorded several albums on Blue Note and also backed other artists, such as Stanley Turrentine, Anita O’Day, Nat Adderley, and Lou Donaldson. Simpkins left the Four Sounds in 1968, three years before the group dissolved. The group also recorded as the Three Sounds. From 1968 to 1974, Simpkins played with George Shearing, while also picking up freelance jobs. His next regular gig was with Sarah Vaughan’s trio, of which he was a part of from 1979 to 1989. Throughout his career, he also played with Stéphane Grappelli, Carmen McCrae, Joe Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Gerald Wiggins, Benny Carter, Zoot Sims, Monty Alexander, and Buddy DeFranco.