The Sims Twins (I’ve also seen their last name spelled Simms) tend to get a footnote at best in the annals of rock history, but their one big hit influenced male duo singing for years to come.
The Sims brothers (they’re really twins) were discovered by the great Sam Cooke in 1961. Cooke had written “Soothe Me” and would release his own version the following year, but he decided to let The Sims Twins release it first.
The Sims Twins’ version of “Soothe Me” peaked at #4 on the Billboard R&B chart and stayed on the charts for an impressive 22 weeks. (It barely missed the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.) Cooke released his version on his Twistin’ the Night Away album the following year.
The original version of “Soothe Me” influenced R&B duos for years afterward, including Sam and Dave, who recorded a live version in 1967 and scored a Top 20 hit with it in the U.S.
(Longtime readers of this blog know what’s coming. I’ll take any opportunity to slide a classic Sam and Dave performance into this blog. Trust me: watch this 1967 performance and you’ll see why Bruce asked Sam Moore to lend his vocal talents to his upcoming Only the Strong Survive album. (My apologies for the over-excited camera operator.))
Ten years after that incredible performance, another soul duo performed “Soothe Me” on the stage of The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Former house band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes were holding court that October evening, and local-boy-made-good Bruce Springsteen stopped by to join them for a few classic R&B covers.
Bruce was no stranger to “Carol” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg“; he’d performed both of them during the Born to Run Tour. “Soothe Me,” however, was both a debut and a never-to-be-repeated performance.
The surviving recording from that night is unfortunately muddy, but it’s clear enough for us to appreciate how loose and improvisational the boys were that night. Bruce and Southside interplay in true Sam and Dave fashion, working snippets of “Good Times” and “Shout” into a good-time performance that seemed like it might go on forever.
It didn’t though, and that 1977 team-up with Southside remains Bruce’s only performance of “Sooth Me” to date.
Soothe Me
First performed: October 13, 1977 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: October 13, 1977 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Thanks for this great post. I never knew “Soothe Me” as anything but a Sam Cooke song!
An aside (and always worth revisiting this video): While playing “Havin’ a Party” with Southside Johnny at the Cleveland Agora in 1978, at ~ 2:55, Bruce delivers the line, “don’t forget Soothe Me, no other song will do!”
I was fortunate enough to see Sam and Dave open for the Young Rascals at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC back in the late 60’s. That show alone solidified my lifetime love of Motown. Yes the Young Rascals were great, but Sam and Dave brought the soul to the show that I remember to this day!
GoodOnYa Ken…..meanwhile “downunder” here in Australia, the song was a big hit for local band (kiwi) Peter Williams and The Groove. Loved it!
https://youtu.be/uZ2FzAc6WfA
Rod Stone from the band is recorded as saying he had not heard Sam Cooke’s version at the time (or the original) but had seen Sam & Dave perform it in London in 1967, and Soothe Me became The Groove’s most popular song on stage.