Page 64 - The Hunt - Winter 2023/24

Simmons didn’t want
to be a country singer, but she agreed to one session, which netted the song “Whiskey Kisses.” That was all it took.
“I fell in love with country songwriting,” she says.
In 2019, Simmons moved from the West Coast to Nashville. “I met so many people and wrote so many songs there,” she says. “No matter how much time has passed, people in the country world authentically care about each other and invest in friendships. It’s more personal, and I really respect that.”
Simmons was at home in the Brandywine Valley for a visit when COVID-19 hit, compelling her to stick around. She put
out a song called “Man Upstairs,” which made it to Apple’s Discover page and was included on its country playlist. “It got a bunch of streams, and it was so exciting,” Simmons says.
Back home, she reconnected with fellow Tatnall School alum David Sanford. Now engaged, they hope to move into their new Chadds Ford home in early 2024, followed by a wedding next summer. “I wouldn’t
be able to do this if it wasn’t for him,” Simmons says. “He comes to all the shows. He coordinates and sells my merch for me. He’s incredibly supportive.”
At the Vicmead Hunt Club in Wilmington, where her fiancé is a member, she met Kennett Square-based guitarist Gordon Lippincott, who became a major player in assembling her current band. “I was blown away that she had a whole catalog of professionally recorded material,” says Lippincott. “She’s focused and driven, and
(Above and below) Simmons and her band at the Creamery of Kennett Square.
62 THE HUNT MAGAZINE winter 2023-24