Sharrif Simmons

Story and photo by Jan King

On any given day you may find musician and spoken word artist Sharrif Simmons working in the Birmingham Public Schools teaching poetry, hosting his local TV show Real Arts Birmingham, or performing with his band The Sharrif Simmons Experience. This whirlwind of activity, though, was nearly cut short less than a year ago when a gunshot nearly took his life.

While driving home last spring, Simmons’ car stalled downtown. When he got out to check the car he was suddenly surrounded by five men, one holding a gun to his head. As Simmons backed up, a bullet hit him in the leg. He lay bleeding in the street wondering if he was going to die, wondering if he would ever see his son, Omari, again. He survived, but was left in tough position of being a working musician unable to work, with no health insurance and no way to support his family.

As a native New Yorker, Simmons brought years of experience working the club scene with him when he arrived in Birmingham over three years ago. The Birmingham art and music community quickly embraced him. He received a grant to teach poetry and music in the public schools from the Alys Stephens Center, landed his own public television show and started working with some of the most sought-after musicians in Birmingham. He was focused on recording his second album and touring to test his music in different markets. But the shooting put a stop to that process and forced Simmons to spend some time healing and refocusing his life.

“It has made me more appreciative of my opportunity to be an artist.” Simmons says. “Honestly, who expects to get shot?” The shooting is luckily turning out to just be a large bump in the road to the kind of artistic fulfillment he had his eyes on from the beginning.

The Birmingham arts community came to Simmons’ aid in the days after the shooting. Simmons has amassed over $100,000 in medical bills that continue to mount. His friends in the local art community have held events for him to help raise money.

“Birmingham has been very supportive of me; artists, poets, writers, photographers and painters have all helped me out,” Simmons says. “Friends and family have also donated money to help with medical bills. But it is an uphill battle that will take time.”

Even more committed to helping his community, Simmons is also active in several other projects. During the past year a couple of his songs were included on the soundtrack for the double Emmy award-winning movie Mr. Dial Has Something to Say. He has hosted several screenings of the movie and facilitated open dialog on the issues surrounding the film.

“It is ironic that I am involved in that project since the theme is making it through adversity,” says Simmons. “My life has started to parallel the film’s theme of the uphill battle of facing obstacles. I can relate more with how Dial dealt with survival. It is something I am still working through.” His first performance was just three weeks after the shooting at the City Stages Festival in Birmingham. He and his band performed while he was still in a wheelchair.

The band is currently working on a new CD entitled American Music, which they plan on releasing this spring. The CD is being recorded at Instant Karma Records and Jeff Lesicki is producing it. The band includes guitarist Carlos Pino, bassist Caldwell Mackin and drummer Jessie Suttle. The band’s sound is unique; Simmons describes it as a crossection of genres, with touches of everything from soul, funk, rock, hip-hop and spoken word poetry.

Simmons’ advice for any other artist who might find themselves in a similar situation is simple, but profound: “Live in and appreciate the moment, but always be aware of what could be coming in the future. Keep your head in a positive place and realize that time is on your side.”

www.myspace.com/sharrifsimmons