Simon Halfon / Biography
Straight from a brief spell at University, it was Clash ‘right hand man’ Kosmo Vinyl who secured Simon gainful employment in the STIFF RECORDS Post Room.
Eighteen months later having jumped from the post room to the Art department, the next stop was to work for NEVILLE BRODY at the offices of the newly formed FACE magazine.
Six months later, Simon started his freelance career in 1982 and and his working relationship with Paul Weller began. THE JAM had just split and Simon was given the nod to design the sleeves for Paul’s new group, THE STYLE COUNCIL. Their relationship continues to this day.
During the 1980s Simon’s portfolio continued to grow, designing record sleeves for the likes of NICK HEYWARD, JOHN LENNON, THE WHO, MADNESS, BLUE NOTE Records and GEORGE MICHAEL.
1990 and the start of a new decade saw a move to Los Angeles, where Simon continued to work with George Michael and the now solo Paul Weller as well as U.S. acts such as DON HENLEY, LENNY KRAVITZ and PAUL SIMON.
While in California, Simon was instrumental in getting British rockers ‘Future Primitive’ a record deal. The band changed their name to BUSH and 8 million copies of their debut album sold in the States alone.
Returning back to London in ’96 and Simon had the pleasure of working with PETER BLAKE on Paul Weller’s Stanley Road album cover.
As the‘90s drew to a close NOEL GALLAGHER picked up the phone and asked Simon to work on the new Oasis album, ‘Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants’. Almost a decade later Simon and Peter Blake would renew their collaboration to work on Oasis’s ‘Stop The Clocks’
Through Noel’s initial instigation to ‘take a few snaps’, Simon has built up quite a collection of photographs capturing the band at various recording, video and photo sessions around the world.
2007 saw Simon produce his feature film, SLEUTH starring MICHAEL CAINE and JUDE LAW. The film was directed by KENNETH BRANAGH with a screenplay by HAROLD PINTER.
