Bobby Simmons started his music career at a  age 7 with 8 years of formal piano training and 6 years of playing brass horns. After touring 4 years with The Ice Band in the late 70's.  Bobby Entered the Real Estate Business for 22 years. In 2000 he sold his company and returned to his first love, music. Bobby formed The Rickey Godfrey Band with Nashville guitarist, Rickey Godfrey, and recorded their first CD "Soul Sensations". In 2004 The Rickey Godfrey Band won the CBMA Band of the Year, Album of The Year for "Soul Sensations", and Song of The Year for "Can't Change My Heart". Bobby also won Producer of The Year for "Can't Change My Heart", which topped the charts for 13 months. From 2000 to 2008 Bobby recorded and played live with Bill Pinkey and The Original Drifters, The Reflections, Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs, Angel Rissoff, Johnny Rawls, The Fabulous Shades, Brasstyme, and along with Rickey, produced a full length CD on The Tams which produced 3 chart topping hits. During these years he maintained a full touring schedule with The Rickey Godfrey Band, and in 2005 the second Rickey Godfrey Album was released titled "Once In A Lifetime Love" This CD won Album of The Year and Blues Album of The Year at the CBMA Awards in 2006, and The Rickey Godrey Band won Band of The Year for a second time. Know as the dynamic duo Rickey and Bobby put 6 singles in the top ten in 6 years. In 2008 Bobby came off the road and played with numerous local bands in Upstate SC, while working partime at The Music Maker. In 2009 Bobby purchased The Music Maker with Robert Fortner and continued to play locally and work at the store. In the Summer of 2010 Bobby "came out of retirement" to produce a single "My Knees Are Gettin' Sore From Crawlin' Back To Your Door" written by his old pal, Rickey Godfrey, with the Shag Attack Band from Greenwood SC. This single will be released in September, and Bobby is playing with the band every weekend around the SC/GA/NC area. He became a Grandpa in August 2010 and sums up the last 10 years of his life as just a blur.  "I love what I do, no matter if it's in the studio, at the store, or on the road with the band" at 52 years old there's not many people can say that. 

I guess you could say I was destined to be a guitar player, with a name like Robert Johnson Fortner. What else could I have been? My love for music started at a very early age, when most children where reciting nursery rhymes, I was reciting Jimmy Buffett, Dion, and Van Morrison songs. “The Wanderer” was a personal favorite, and still is until this day. My mom is an avid music lover, and I would have to give her all the credit for my love of music. Also, I would have to give my father credit for giving me all the opportunities to express my love for music. I started playing the saxophone when I was eight, and continued a love for music. When I turned 13, I discovered Metallica and that was the end of my classical training. I worked all summer to buy my first guitar, in hopes of being as cool as James Hetfield. After suffering a few skateboarding injuries, I was able to play guitar a few years later. I started guitar lessons here at Music Maker, from Glenn Cannon and my music knowledge and tastes grew. I still remember Glenn telling me about this album called “Still Alive, and Well” by Johnny Winter. I went out and brought the album, and it was the rawest, nastiest thing I had ever heard. I had to have more! I played in many “garage bands” throughout high school. After graduating high school, much like any normal 18 year old kid, I had no clue what I was going to do. So I enrolled in Greenville Tech. During the summer and winter breaks, I helped Bobby Simmons and Rickey Godfrey, while they were on the road touring the south east. I did everything from driving the bus, setting up sound equipment, and any other duties that came up.  I wouldn’t trade my road experience for any piece of literature in the world. I learned sound techniques from Bobby, stole some guitar licks from Rickey, Tony Kennedy made we wish I still played horns, and Frank Wilkie taught me the number system. But the real plus is I got to hear what great musicians do best every night, play music. After two years at Greenville tech, I transferred to Clemson University. At Clemson, I earned a bachelor’s of science in Economics, and a minor in Management. While I was at Clemson, I met many musicians and we played a good many shows around the area. Though once the summer hit, I was back on the road with the Rickey Godfrey Band. In August 2009, lifelong friend and mentor Bobby Simmons and I purchased Music Maker. Like journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson used to say, “Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride.”