One of the most versatile soul singers of the 1960s and '70s, Joe Simon first found success on mid-western Vee-Jay Records in the mid-'60s, but in 1966, he signed to Nashville country label Monument, for whom he recorded a brilliant run of chart hits through the end of the decade, including his immortal signature song “The Chokin' Kind.” The early '70s found Simon paired with Philly soul hitmakers Gamble & Huff, who got him started on another round of successes that lasted until he forsook secular music to become a preacher and gospel singer.