Biography

Bobby Simmons was born and raised on Prince Edward Island September 27 in the 20th century (lol). He graduated from Montague Regional High School in 1980 (Go Vikings!). In 1984, Bobby joined the military and has served as a loyal Royal ever since, with tours in Cyprus, Former Yugoslavia, Middle East, Haiti, and Afghanistan. In 1990, he married his sweetheart Gloria (nee Wood) and they have raised four wonderful children, Bobby, Kyle, Jason, and Ashley.

His musical background seems to have been inherited from his grandfather, the late Ray Simmons, who was a member of Don Messer’s Jubilee. As a youth, Bobby used to repeatedly listen to Elvis Presley (thanks to his Mom), trying to imitate him. His first time learning guitar was in 1981. A good friend of his, Wilf Glazier, taught him how to play “Stairway to Heaven” and “Classical Gas” on a nylon string guitar.

In 1992, after returning from Bosnia, Bobby started writing songs, his first being “Innocent Children”. With the responsibilities of raising a young family, he put song writing on the backburner until August 2007. Finishing his tour in Afghanistan, Bobby noticed something was different about him, and was diagnosed with an Operational Stress Injury (OSI), which included PTSD, depression, and social anxiety disorder.

Due to the calming effect music had on Bobby after operations overseas, part of his treatment included writing songs and playing music as a grounding technique. Unsure as to whether he will be able to serve as a deployable soldier again, Bobby has recorded a collection of his songs on the CD “Magic of the Music” in hopes of still serving his country and the world…through music.

“Once a Royal, always a Royal.” Pro Patria.