Shirley Simms is an American singer and songwriter known for her work as a member of indie pop band the Magnetic Fields.
In the late 1980s, before Stephin Merritt started the Magnetic Fields, he and Simms formed the short-lived musical project Buffalo Rome, who self-released a cassette during their existence.[1][2] Simms was also a member of the Boston-based band Lazy Susan, along with Therese Bellino and the Magnetic Fields' Claudia Gonson.[3] As members of Lazy Susan, Simms and Gonson wrote the song "Plant White Roses",[4] which appeared on the Magnetic Fields' 1991 album Distant Plastic Trees.[5] An alternate version performed by Simms was later included on Merritt's 2011 compilation album Obscurities.[5]
Simms sang on several tracks on the Magnetic Fields' 1999 album 69 Love Songs.[6] She and Merritt alternated between singing lead vocals on the band's 2008 album Distortion.[7] In addition to her vocal work with the Magnetic Fields, she also sometimes plays ukulele for them.[8]
In a 1999 interview, Merritt described Simms as "the best living female vocalist other than Doris Day".[9]
