BREAKING: Industry Veteran Lesly Simon Passes

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Lesly Simon

Lesly Simon passed away on Thursday (March 27) peacefully surrounded by her family after a battle with breast cancer.

Simon spent over 20 years in the music industry. In 2016, she was tapped by Garth Brooks as General Manager of his label, Pearl Records. She served in the same capacity for Trisha Yearwood’s, Gwendolyn Records, and has been integral to the continued success of both.

Prior to joining Pearl/Gwendolyn, Simon spent time as the Vice President of Promotion for Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville overseeing radio promotion and marketing for the roster including Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Cam and more. During her tenure, she led the Arista team to more than 40 No. 1 singles on the Billboard and Mediabase Country charts. She was also instrumental in launch of Platinum and multi-Platinum albums and tracks from Underwood, Paisley, Brooks and Dunn, Alan Jackson, Cam and many more.

Simon started her career at RCA in Nashville, and she expanded her expertise through roles with artist management and with both pop and country record labels in promotion and marketing.  She served as tour manager for country artist Mindy McCready on the top grossing tours of Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson and George Strait.

While working in promotion at Capitol Records, she contributed to the airplay success of artists like Coldplay, The Beastie Boys, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead, Jane’s Addiction and Snoop Dogg.

In 2020, Simon turned her passion for design and real estate into two new ventures, launching a Florida-based interior design firm with friend and interior designer Tyler Colgan, and starting the residential real estate division of the company with Corcoran Reverie.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, Simon was a member of SOURCE, a Leadership Music Class of 2013 alum, and served on the Board of Directors for Country Radio Broadcasters. She was celebrated throughout her career with multiple industry award nominations and has been named one of Billboard’s Top 100 Country Power Players.

Simon is survived by her husband, Robert; step-children Max and Miller Simon; mother Cindy Adams Somerville; brother Taylor Somerville (Caroline); sisters Cindy Gallion (Thomas) and Amy Landers (William Hansen); mother-in-law Marcia Unger; sister-in-law Carrie Pizitz (Richard) and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She is predeceased by her father Thomas Taylor Somerville Jr.

A service will take place on Monday (March 31) at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook, Alabama at 2:30 p.m. with visitation in Graham Hall immediately thereafter.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society or Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge in honor of Lesly Simon.

LB Cantrell
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