David Bowie’s Serious Moonlight Tour — The Frank & George Simms Archive
DavidBowieWorld.com Archive Series
First-hand accounts from the people who worked with David Bowie.
This archive is based on personal correspondence, photographs, contemporary diary material and first-hand recollections generously shared with DavidBowieWorld.com by Frank Simms and George Simms. As additional material becomes available, this archive will continue to expand.
David Bowie performing with George Simms and Frank Simms during the Serious Moonlight Tour, 1983. Photograph by Dimo Safari, who later presented the original negative to Frank Simms. Hero image courtesy of the personal archive of Frank and George Simms. Published with permission.
This archive preserves the remarkable first-hand memories of Frank Simms and George Simms, two vocalists whose voices became an essential part of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album and the worldwide Serious Moonlight Tour.
Unlike most published accounts of Bowie’s touring years, the story presented here is told by two people who experienced it from inside the production itself. Their recollections are supported by personal correspondence, photographs, backstage memories and, most importantly, a diary written by Frank Simms while the tour was taking place.
Beginning with the Let’s Dance recording sessions at The Power Station in New York and continuing through rehearsals, the world tour and life behind the scenes, this archive documents one of the most successful periods of David Bowie’s career through the eyes of two trusted members of his 1983 touring band.
- Archive: The Frank & George Simms Archive
- Main subject: David Bowie’s Let’s Dance sessions and the Serious Moonlight Tour
- Period covered: March–December 1983, with later archive additions
- Primary sources: Frank Simms‘ contemporaneous diary, personal correspondence, photographs and first-hand recollections
- Contributors: Frank Simms & George Simms
- Archive status: Ongoing — new material will be incorporated as additional photographs, diary extracts and memories become available.
Editor’s Introduction
Every major David Bowie tour has generated stories. Some have become part of rock history, while others have gradually faded into memory. Very few, however, were recorded day by day by someone travelling with Bowie throughout the tour itself.
During 1983, vocalist Frank Simms began keeping a detailed diary from the very first rehearsals in New York City until the final concert in Hong Kong. Rather than relying solely on memories recalled decades later, he documented events as they happened, creating an extraordinary contemporary record of the Serious Moonlight Tour.
More than forty years later, Frank and his brother George generously contacted DavidBowieWorld.com, offering access to their memories, photographs and historical material. Their willingness to share these first-hand accounts has made it possible to create this growing archive, preserving an important chapter of David Bowie’s career from the perspective of two musicians who experienced it alongside him.
This page has therefore been designed not as a traditional biography, but as a living archive. As Frank and George continue revisiting their collections, additional photographs, diary extracts, backstage stories and personal recollections will be incorporated into this page, ensuring that these remarkable memories remain available for Bowie fans and future researchers alike.
The Beginning of the Journey
Every remarkable journey has a beginning. For Frank and George Simms, it did not start beneath the lights of a packed arena, but years earlier through their own musical partnership. By the time David Bowie invited them to participate in the Let’s Dance sessions, the brothers were already experienced professional performers whose vocal blend had been developed over many years of singing together.
Their story with David Bowie therefore began long before the first rehearsal for the Serious Moonlight Tour. It began with two brothers whose professionalism, musicianship and stage experience prepared them for one of the greatest opportunities of their careers.
Early 1980s
The Simms Brothers Before David Bowie
The Simms Brothers Band during the early 1980s. Before joining David Bowie’s Let’s Dance sessions and the Serious Moonlight Tour, Frank and George Simms had already established themselves as professional recording and performing artists. Photograph from the personal archive of Frank and George Simms.
By the time David Bowie entered The Power Station studios in 1983 to record Let’s Dance, Frank Simms and George Simms had already built solid reputations as professional musicians. Performing together as the Simms Brothers Band, the brothers had spent years developing the close vocal harmony and instinctive stage chemistry that would later become one of the strengths of Bowie’s live backing vocal team.
Working throughout the American music scene, Frank and George gained valuable experience in both live performance and recording studios. Their musical partnership was built upon years of performing together, creating a vocal blend that came naturally through experience rather than rehearsal alone.
When the opportunity arrived to work with David Bowie, the brothers were already seasoned performers. They entered the studio not as newcomers, but as musicians whose professionalism and musical ability had prepared them for the demands of recording one of the defining albums of the 1980s and, soon afterwards, performing before audiences around the world.
Looking back, this photograph captures Frank and George just before one of the most important chapters of their musical lives began. Within a relatively short time, they would be standing inside The Power Station recording studios alongside David Bowie, producer Nile Rodgers and engineer Bob Clearmountain, contributing backing vocals to what would become Bowie’s best-selling album.
Their years of performing together had quietly prepared them for that moment. The next stage of their journey would take them into one of New York City’s most famous recording studios, where they would meet David Bowie for the first time.
March 1983
The Power Station, New York City
Before rehearsals began and long before the first audience filled an arena, David Bowie assembled his musicians at The Power Station in New York City. Together with producer Nile Rodgers, he was completing the recordings for Let’s Dance, the album that would become the biggest commercial success of his career.
For Frank Simms and George Simms, these sessions marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey. Invited to record backing vocals alongside fellow singer David Spinner, the brothers suddenly found themselves working with one of the world’s most influential artists. Looking back more than four decades later, Frank still remembers that first meeting with remarkable clarity.
The Let’s Dance sessions brought together an exceptional group of musicians and technicians. Alongside David Bowie and producer Nile Rodgers were engineer Bob Clearmountain, guitarists, rhythm section players and three backing vocalists: Frank Simms, George Simms and David Spinner. Working in one of New York’s premier recording studios, they recorded backing vocals for almost the entire album in only a short period of time.
Frank vividly remembers the atmosphere inside The Power Station. Rather than simply directing the sessions, David Bowie remained closely involved throughout the recordings, sharing jokes with the singers while maintaining the focus needed to complete the album.
From Frank’s Diary
We first met David at The Power Station in New York during the Let’s Dance album sessions. The singers were Frank, George and David Spinner. Also present were David Bowie, Nile Rodgers and engineer Bob Clearmountain. David was energetic and excited to be working with Nile for the first time. David and Nile were prepared. We speedily recorded background vocals on every track on the Let’s Dance album except one, Criminal World. Nile and David constantly broke up laughing at our sarcastic studio banter. David loved it.
The sessions moved quickly, reflecting the confidence and preparation of everyone involved. For Frank and George, the recordings also marked the beginning of a professional relationship that would soon extend far beyond the studio. Once the album had been completed, attention shifted almost immediately towards rehearsals for an ambitious world tour that would introduce the new material to audiences across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Before the band gathered for full rehearsals, another important step took place. The official Serious Moonlight Tour programme was produced, introducing the musicians who would accompany David Bowie on what would become one of the most successful tours of his career.
Spring 1983
Introducing the Touring Band
Frank Simms as featured in the official Serious Moonlight Tour programme, published for David Bowie’s 1983 world tour. Image from the personal archive of Frank Simms.
As preparations for the Serious Moonlight Tour continued, the official tour programme introduced audiences to the musicians and singers who would appear on stage with David Bowie throughout the world tour. Frank Simms was featured as one of the members of Bowie’s touring band, marking the transition from the recording studio to the live stage.
Today, the original programme remains an important historical document, preserving the official presentation of the artists who helped bring the Serious Moonlight Tour to audiences around the world. Frank’s personal copy forms part of the archive he has generously shared with DavidBowieWorld.com.
Late March 1983
Top Cat Rehearsal Studios, New York City
Musicians rehearsing during preparations for the Serious Moonlight Tour, spring 1983. Photograph from the personal archive of Frank and George Simms.
With the Let’s Dance album completed, attention quickly turned to preparing the live production. The musicians gathered at Top Cat Rehearsal Studios on 21st Street in New York City, where the songs recorded only weeks earlier would be transformed into a major international concert production.
For Frank and George Simms, this was where they truly began working alongside David Bowie on a daily basis. Long rehearsal days allowed the band to develop the musical arrangements, while the production team prepared every technical aspect of what would soon become the Serious Moonlight Tour.
From Frank’s Diary
David appeared after about two or three days of basic rhythm section rehearsal at Top Cat Rehearsal Studios, which is now a flower warehouse on 21st Street in New York City. He had just returned from Australia after making the promotional videos for Let’s Dance and China Girl. George and I had already spent time with him during the album sessions at The Power Station. Just as at The Power Station, he was curious and attentive, watching Carlos Alomar teach the band the songs. He wore a stylish pale-blue jumpsuit and smoked a Gauloise cigarette, as he often did. It took a few days before every member of the band had arrived and learned the material well enough to perform a complete set. David was pleased with the progress and was often right there, microphone in hand, singing during rehearsals.
Frank’s recollection provides a rare glimpse inside the rehearsal process. Rather than standing apart from the musicians, Bowie remained closely involved, observing every rehearsal while Carlos Alomar guided the band through the new material. As more musicians arrived over the following days, individual performances gradually evolved into the polished production that audiences would soon see on stage.
The atmosphere combined hard work with genuine enthusiasm. Every rehearsal brought the production closer to completion, while Bowie quietly watched, listened and occasionally joined the band with microphone in hand. These sessions laid the musical foundations for a tour that would eventually be seen by more than two million people around the world.
April 1983
Dallas – Creating the Serious Moonlight Tour
Once the New York rehearsals had been completed, the production moved to Dallas, Texas. Here, the final weeks of preparation transformed a group of individual musicians into one of the most polished touring productions of the decade. Lighting cues were programmed, stage movements refined and every song carefully rehearsed before the opening night in Brussels.
For Frank and George Simms, Dallas became much more than another rehearsal location. It was here that they spent long days working closely with David Bowie, creating the stage choreography that would become an integral part of the Serious Moonlight Tour. Away from the recording studio and before the pressures of the world tour began, they also came to know Bowie as a colleague and friend.
From Frank’s Diary
George and I spent hour after hour, day after day rehearsing with David in Dallas, creating the on-stage choreography for the Serious Moonlight Tour. While the technical crew programmed the computer-assisted lighting cues, we shared stories about early bands, managers, movie scripts, projects offered to David, British humour… you name it—we joked about it.
Frank’s recollections reveal a side of David Bowie that audiences rarely had the opportunity to see. Between rehearsals, conversations moved naturally from music and film to humour, travel and everyday life. Bowie was just as interested in listening as he was in talking, creating an atmosphere in which everyone felt included.
These days in Dallas also shaped the visual side of the production. Every movement on stage was carefully rehearsed, ensuring that the music, choreography and lighting would work together seamlessly once the tour opened. By the time rehearsals came to an end, the musicians were no longer simply performing songs—they had become part of a fully integrated stage production.
With the rehearsals complete and the production ready to leave for Europe, attention now turned towards the opening night. Months of preparation were over. The next stop would be Brussels, where David Bowie and his band would present the Serious Moonlight Tour to the public for the very first time.
18 May 1983
Brussels – Opening Night
David Bowie performing with Frank Simms and George Simms during the Serious Moonlight Tour, 1983. Photograph from the personal archive of Frank and George Simms.
Months of recording sessions, rehearsals and preparation had all led to one moment. On 18 May 1983, David Bowie and his band arrived at Forest National in Brussels to present the opening night of the Serious Moonlight Tour. Outside the arena, thousands of fans waited for Bowie’s first major tour in five years, while backstage the atmosphere combined concentration, anticipation and excitement.
Every member of the production understood the significance of the evening. Weeks of rehearsals in New York and Dallas were about to be tested before a live audience for the first time. As the lights dimmed and the musicians gathered in the darkness behind the stage, David Bowie unexpectedly handed Frank Simms a sheet of paper containing the words that would introduce the show.
From Frank’s Diary
Each show—suddenly, with no warning—the house lights blackened. The band secretly gathered just off stage… invisible… huddled, expectantly listening for that roar of tens of thousands of people screaming in unison. Backstage, just before we went on for the first Brussels show, David handed me a paper with the announcer’s introduction and asked if I would read it in the booming television voice my father and my uncle, Hank Simms, had used throughout their broadcasting careers. Stage manager Eric Barrett handed me the wireless microphone. In every city I felt as though my body was electrically connected to every fan in the arena as I shouted: “Ladies and Gentlemen… for the first time in five years… David Bowie and his band!” That 1983 smile has never left my face.
From that first evening in Brussels onwards, Frank delivered the introduction before each performance of the tour. Standing just beyond the audience’s view, he listened to the growing roar inside each arena before announcing David Bowie and the band only moments before they stepped into the spotlight.
Although thousands of fans heard the announcement every night, few realised that the powerful voice introducing the concert belonged to one of Bowie’s own backing vocalists. It became one of Frank’s most treasured memories of the tour and marked the beginning of a concert series that would travel across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand during 1983.
1983
Life on the Road
Once the opening night in Brussels was behind them, the Serious Moonlight Tour quickly settled into its demanding rhythm. The production travelled from city to city across Europe before continuing to North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. While audiences experienced the excitement of each evening’s performance, another story unfolded behind the scenes as musicians, crew and production staff lived and travelled together for months.
For Frank Simms and George Simms, the tour became far more than a series of concerts. Long flights, hotel stays, rehearsals and days between performances created opportunities to spend time with David Bowie away from the stage. Those shared experiences allowed friendships to develop naturally, revealing a side of Bowie that audiences rarely had the chance to see.
From Frank’s Diary
It’s hard to overstate the pleasure of David’s presence. Looking back, I certainly wish I had spent even more hours at his side between concerts. Because David was so accessible, invitations for lunches in Los Angeles, shopping trips in West Berlin, walks along Australian beaches and cruises around Sydney Harbour appeared regularly during breaks in the tour. Work time and relaxing time with David often felt like one and the same. Wherever he went, he frequently invited us along.
These memories reveal a David Bowie who genuinely enjoyed the company of the people around him. Away from the concert stage, he shared meals, explored cities and welcomed members of the touring party into experiences that many musicians would never forget. Rather than remaining distant, Bowie created an atmosphere in which professional collaboration and everyday friendship often blended together.
For Frank and George, these moments became just as memorable as the concerts themselves. They offered a rare opportunity to know Bowie not only as an internationally celebrated performer, but also as a thoughtful travelling companion whose curiosity about people and places remained constant throughout the tour.
As the months passed, these shared experiences strengthened the sense of camaraderie within the touring party, contributing to what many participants would later remember as one of the most enjoyable productions of their careers.
1983
Everyone Mattered
David Bowie backstage with George Simms and Frank Simms during the Serious Moonlight Tour, 1983. Photograph from the personal archive of Frank and George Simms.
As the Serious Moonlight Tour continued around the world, Frank and George Simms discovered that David Bowie’s professionalism extended far beyond the concert stage. Whether speaking to musicians, technicians, security staff or members of the road crew, Bowie treated everyone with the same respect and genuine interest. Those qualities left a lasting impression on many of the people who travelled with him throughout 1983.
Although audiences saw the finished production each evening, the tour depended upon hundreds of people working together behind the scenes. Frank remembers that Bowie never lost sight of the contribution each individual made, often expressing his appreciation in quiet, thoughtful ways rather than through grand gestures.
From Frank’s Diary
People often said that David regarded the Serious Moonlight Tour as one of the most professional and polished productions he had ever taken on stage. After one leg of the European tour, he organised a huge party especially for the crew. He regarded everyone in the production as an important part of the show. One day I watched him quietly kneel down to roll up the trouser legs of Gary Walls, the technician who handed David his microphone cable from the side of the stage each night. He genuinely enjoyed seeing new faces wherever we travelled. During the Los Angeles concerts, a constant stream of well-known visitors came backstage, including Michael Jackson, Raquel Welch and Susan Sarandon. In the United Kingdom, members of the Royal Family also visited the tour.
For Frank, these moments revealed the character of the man behind the performer. Bowie’s attention was never reserved solely for celebrities or senior members of the production. Acts of kindness towards crew members, technicians and colleagues were simply part of his everyday behaviour, creating an atmosphere of mutual respect throughout the tour.
Those who travelled with Bowie experienced not only one of the biggest concert tours of the decade, but also a working environment shaped by generosity, curiosity and professionalism. It is these quieter moments, remembered decades later by Frank and George Simms, that help complete the picture of David Bowie beyond the spotlight.
1983
An Unforgettable Incident During Young Americans
No matter how carefully a concert is rehearsed, live performances always carry the possibility of the unexpected. During one performance of Young Americans, Frank Simms witnessed an incident that quickly became one of the most memorable stories of the Serious Moonlight Tour.
Everything had unfolded exactly as rehearsed. Following Ashes to Ashes, Frank and George Simms took their positions while David Bowie stood centre stage holding his Ovation guitar. The band introductions had just finished and Bowie began strumming the opening chords of Young Americans. Seconds later, the unexpected happened.
From Frank’s Diary
One evening, on a hot European stage, George and I took our places after Ashes to Ashes. I pressed a huge vinyl balloon replica of the Earth onto a Velcro patch on the proscenium where David stood holding his guitar. He introduced the entire band and then began strumming the opening chords of Young Americans. Suddenly, like a runaway bull, a fan charged directly at David, grabbed him around the waist like a rugby player and simply would… not… let… go. Four security guards struggled to pull her away. Before they finally succeeded, she punched a fist-sized hole in the body of David’s Ovation guitar.
For those standing on stage, the incident unfolded only a few feet away. While the audience watched events develop in real time, the musicians could do little more than wait as security struggled to separate the fan from Bowie. Fortunately, the situation was brought under control without anyone being seriously injured, although the guitar did not escape undamaged.
Later, backstage, Bowie revealed how he had finally managed to break the woman’s grip.
From Frank’s Diary
Later we gathered around David backstage as he explained what had happened. He quietly turned the woman so that his back faced the audience. Hidden from view, he bit her hand. She instantly let go and, at that very moment, the security guards were finally able to pull her away. Afterwards, we joked that David might need a rabies vaccination.
Although the incident briefly interrupted the performance, it also demonstrated David Bowie’s remarkable composure under pressure. Rather than panicking, he reacted instinctively, allowing security to regain control while ensuring that the concert could continue. More than forty years later, it remains one of Frank Simms‘ most vivid memories of life on the Serious Moonlight Tour.
1983
Cracked Actor
David Bowie performing Cracked Actor during the Serious Moonlight Tour, 1983. Frank Simms appears on stage during the performance. Photograph from the personal archive of Frank and George Simms.
Among the many theatrical moments that formed part of the Serious Moonlight Tour, Cracked Actor remained one of the most visually striking performances. David Bowie appeared on stage with a skull, creating an image that became one of the best remembered moments of the entire production.
Frank and George Simms performed on stage alongside Bowie throughout these performances, witnessing every show from a unique perspective. While audiences experienced the drama from the arena, the band shared the stage with Bowie night after night as the carefully choreographed production unfolded around them.
In his correspondence with DavidBowieWorld.com, Frank mentioned that George has his own memorable story connected with Cracked Actor. Rather than relying on secondary sources or later recollections, that story will be added to this archive when George is ready to share his own first-hand account.
Like the rest of this archive, this chapter will continue to develop as additional photographs, diary extracts and personal memories become available from Frank and George Simms, ensuring that their experiences are preserved as accurately as possible.
1983
Beyond the Stage
After months of recording, rehearsing, travelling and performing together, Frank Simms realised that many of his strongest memories of David Bowie had little to do with concerts themselves. Instead, they came from the quieter moments between performances, when Bowie was simply spending time with the people around him.
Whether sharing meals, exploring unfamiliar cities or talking late into the evening after rehearsals, Frank came to know Bowie as someone whose curiosity extended far beyond music. Conversations rarely remained focused on the tour for long. They drifted naturally towards films, art, fashion, literature, travel and everyday life, reflecting the wide range of interests that characterised Bowie throughout his career.
From Frank’s Diary
I have no secret story, but Bowie was the most fascinating collaborator I have ever known. David was generous to a fault, even gifting and supporting distant childhood friends. He would surprise George and me with a late-night invitation to a local sushi restaurant. I remember the first night we arrived in Tokyo. I had never been so culturally gob-smacked. Sharing fascinating experiences with David as a world-class ambassador of music, film, art, fashion and couture stretched my imagination and challenged me to expand my own artistic life and expression. I felt blessed to be one in a million singers given the enormous gift of spending time with an artist of David’s magnitude, intelligence, intuition and vision.
These reflections reveal why Frank’s memories have remained so vivid for more than four decades. His admiration for David Bowie was never based solely on artistic achievement, but also on the generosity, intelligence and curiosity he experienced while travelling and working alongside him throughout 1983.
For Frank and George, the Serious Moonlight Tour became far more than a successful concert tour. It was an unforgettable period of shared experiences that continued to influence both brothers long after the final performance in Hong Kong.
1983 – Reflections
Understanding David Bowie
After spending much of 1983 alongside David Bowie, Frank Simms was often asked what made Bowie such a remarkable artist. His answer was not about fame, record sales or sold-out arenas. Instead, it reflected the qualities he observed while working with Bowie day after day.
From Frank’s Diary
That is the question; what part does one’s birth and environment play in making an artist who he is? I know David studied the arts as a child; it is covered in multiple biographies. Some of us are born with a remarkable curiosity inherited from some unknown force. Simply, David loved people—their energy, their humour, their courage, their individualism and their willingness to take journeys beyond their comfort level.
Frank’s reflections bring this archive full circle. From their first meeting at The Power Station through months of rehearsals, performances and international travel, he consistently remembers David Bowie as an artist whose genuine interest in people never diminished, regardless of his worldwide success.
For Frank and George Simms, those experiences became lasting memories that continue to shape the way they remember one of the most significant chapters of their musical careers.
DavidBowieWorld.com Archive Series
A Living Archive
The Frank & George Simms Archive has been created to preserve first-hand memories from one of the most successful periods of David Bowie’s career. Rather than relying solely on published interviews or secondary sources, this archive is built around contemporary diary material, personal correspondence, photographs and recollections shared directly by Frank and George Simms.
As additional photographs, diary entries and personal memories become available, this page will continue to grow. Every future addition will be carefully researched and integrated chronologically, ensuring that the archive remains historically accurate while preserving the original experiences of those who were there.
DavidBowieWorld.com is honoured that Frank and George Simms have chosen to share part of their personal archive with Bowie fans around the world. Their generosity makes it possible to document an important chapter of David Bowie’s history through the eyes of two musicians who experienced it from inside the production itself.
Personal Archive
A Personal Dedication
A page from Frank and George Simms‘ original Serious Moonlight Tour programme featuring a handwritten dedication from fellow vocalist David Spinner. Photograph from the personal archive of Frank and George Simms.
Among the many items preserved in Frank and George Simms‘ personal archive is their original Serious Moonlight Tour programme. More than four decades after the tour, it remains an important reminder of the musicians, friendships and shared experiences that developed while travelling with David Bowie during 1983.
One page contains a handwritten dedication from fellow vocalist David Spinner, who worked alongside Frank and George during the Let’s Dance recording sessions and throughout the Serious Moonlight Tour. Personal items such as this provide an authentic glimpse into the relationships that existed within Bowie’s touring company and form an important part of the historical record preserved by this archive.
Together with Frank’s contemporary diary, personal photographs and correspondence, this programme helps document the tour through original material created and preserved by the people who experienced it first-hand.
Follow Frank Simms
Frank Simms continues to share photographs, memories and updates from his remarkable musical career through his official Instagram account. Visitors interested in future archive material and additional stories from the Serious Moonlight Tour are encouraged to follow his ongoing posts.
Official Instagram:
instagram.com/frank.simms
Official Website & Further Information
DavidBowieWorld.com is dedicated to documenting the careers of David Bowie’s collaborators through carefully researched historical information and, where available, first-hand contributions from the artists themselves.
This page has been created with the generous cooperation of Frank Simms and George Simms, who have shared personal correspondence, contemporary diary material, photographs and first-hand recollections from David Bowie’s Let’s Dance sessions and the Serious Moonlight Tour. Their ongoing contributions continue to expand this archive and help preserve an important chapter of Bowie’s history with the highest possible historical accuracy.
Article Origin
This article has been researched and written exclusively for DavidBowieWorld.com. It combines verified historical research with first-hand material kindly provided by Frank and George Simms, including personal correspondence, contemporary diary extracts, archive photographs and memories recorded by participants in David Bowie’s 1983 Let’s Dance sessions and Serious Moonlight Tour.
© DavidBowieWorld.com — The Frank & George Simms Archive.