Today we’d like to introduce you to Rev. Billy Simmons

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

Let’s see… I was born in Wichita, Ks. My father was an Air Force pilot who was an assistant Comptroller for a military and commercial aircraft manufacturer, and he was also the president of the board of an Osteopathic Hospital. My mother was a homemaker who was as encouraging, and supportive as she could be, she had a quick wit, was extremely intelligent, and kind of a prankster, but otherwise quiet. They did the best they could, and their best was a lot. I appreciate what they did for us now (myself and my two sisters), but like many children, much of that went unnoticed until much later in my life and after much therapy. My siblings and I never had to want anything, which I believe is still an exception to the norm.
However, for all of that privilege, there were expectations. There were always expectations. My father was ex-military and still quietly involved with the military via his aerospace job. He had been a Flying Tiger in WW2, flying a cargo plane. He was resolute, quiet, and expected, I believe, as much from his children as he expected from himself, possibly as much from his children as the military expected from him somehow. I think that drive was quite literally pounded into me from an early age. I was the only male in my family, and I couldn’t achieve anything less than my father had. If I failed to reach his expectations, there were consequences. His temper was short, his hand was firm, and somehow, the drinks he would have to relax him had the opposite effect on his wrath. I always had to do better, I always had to push myself further, because there was a painful price if I didn’t. Now that I look back, that was the beginning of my many neuroses, probably the root of why I try to do better than I think I’ve done, to “get it right,” which ultimately benefits everyone else now. That history is what played into my perfectionism, my OCD, my drive to do better at everything I do, I can still hear his voice taunting, those threats, and the promise of pain if I fail to deliver. That is probably, fortunately, or unfortunately, what keeps me trying to improve at my passions for music, hair, and the businesses that exist and operate within them. I keep refining, and I always will. That’s my way. I probably should take this time to say I do see a therapist. Mental health is a big thing for me and should be prioritized for everyone.
I wanted a guitar so badly during my childhood. I grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s, and that was guitar hero time. My sisters and their now husbands and ex-es would give me the music they didn’t want. I got Can, Yes, Steely Dan, Zeppelin, and SGT. Peppers (the Aerosmith Peter Frampton one), Peter Gabriel, Genesis, and Black Sabbath. I was exposed to so much variety, and it got me good.
My first experience playing music was my Kool Whip drum kit. My mom loved that. The next musical experience was my aunt Martha’s piano. I loved putting my head on the edge of the keyboard and playing random notes in random order to make music I could see and feel. Recently, I talked to her, and she said, “Well, you just used to sit there and play as long as we’d let you. It was so precious.” They loved it. I finally asked my parents for a guitar, and my father and his friend brought me home a clarinet on their way back from drinks. I couldn’t say no to the gift or the lessons, that wasn’t what I wanted, but it was a kindness, and the clarinet introduced me to Music, to reading music. It got me into band class at school. I hated it. Finally, one Christmas, they gave me some clothes in a guitar case, but there was no guitar. The guitar (a Kay Jimmy Reed thin twin) was in the other room with a Peavey Decade. I had made it! I practiced, went to a few lessons, got pretty okay at the guitar, and started playing shows around the Midwest, West, East, and South when I was in high school. Then, I wound up being able to take university classes during my first year of high school because of a national art award that I won. I was studying silversmithing and music performance guitar. Some people along the way thought I was okay at the guitar stuff. They asked me to play with them, so I did. One of those people was on RCA/BMG, and I helped them write songs. Then others heard me from there and asked me to play with them, co-write, etc. It worked for a little bit until it didn’t. I’d developed some attachments. I needed a little rest from the music, so I went back home to Wichita. When I was home, My sister came to visit. She was a hairdresser who was doing really well at some salons on the east coast. She suggested I get into hair. It was creative, a great way to meet people, and I was attached to fashion and music. Soooo. That began another journey into a parallel artistic career in hair that I absolutely hated. Once I finished cosmetology school, started my apprenticeship at my first salon, and got myself into the methadone program (remember the “attachment”), that helped me get some stuff straightened out.
The “Program” I was in was not doing me any favors. I was nodding out at my apprenticeship, literally nodding out. I was on about 145 mg of Methadone, they would let you request more than you started on. It wasn’t helpful or encouraging for me to get clean when it was so easy to stay medicated. I needed to leave Wichita, so I told my counselor I was moving to Chicago. I’d been talking to my friend Chris, who was living in Wicker Park, and we’d both had similar things happen. It was painful. I took my last 5mg dose, got on a plane to Chicago, and went through some detoxing in Wicker Park. After a couple of weeks, I came out of it, and thanks to Chris and Darren, I was in an amazing spot for artists and musicians in Chicago at the time. There was so much going on during the late 80s and early 90s in Chicago. It was a fantasyland of sonic and visual art for me. I met some people who owned a place called “Art Attack” on North or Milwaukee streets, I can’t remember. They let me set up my amps in the basement of their gallery and workspace. I was creating sonic art again, and meeting other musicians like Mike Zelenko and Specky Speck (Specula). They asked me to play guitar with Specula for some reason, and Sigh Moan had stepped aside. My friend John introduced me to Lisa, who introduced me to Jo Jo Baby and Patty from Big Hair in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago. I started a side gig there. So many musicians would come there to get their hair cut, and haircuts at Big Hair were $8. So I was meeting lots of people from the music industry in Chicago at the time, which was huge, it was blowing up. Friends bands were all getting signed, Local H, The Jesus Lizard, Material Issue, Urge Overkill, Wesley Willis, Veruca Salt, Filter, Dope, Wicker Man, Ministry, Wilco, Liz Phair. So much sonic art was happening, and I was In the middle of all of it cutting hair and making music.
I finally hung out long enough at the Cabaret Metro, and Smart Bar watching shows that David James asked me what type of detergent I used, and then I started working security, then Bartending there. I’m making this short because that’s an entirely different story, that whole scene. I’d moved to a salon called Milio’s which was doing hair for the Jerry Springer show. Jo Jo was bringing in people from the club scene in Chicago, more musicians, artists, it was so amazing. The person that I had helped out with RCA/BMG was touring, there was a mishap with a guitarist, they asked me to finish out the tour with them, which then changed to recording a new record in New York. Then to California to work on another record for them. Again that was good until it wasn’t. Back to Chicago. Working at Milio’s, Metro, Schubas, Lincoln Hall, Spy Bar, then Milios burned once, that’s when I met Amanda. Amanda was working as a piercing apprentice at the Alley. Her boyfriend Brandon had come in with her to get their hair done, I thought Amanda was so cool. Her and Brandon broke up, our friends Eddie Haley and his wife now Lauren were playing matchmaker. I was being shy. It didn’t last. Amanda and I started to hang out, I got her fired the first night we did.
Amanda inspired me. We supported each other. We encouraged each other to do better to do more and absolutely not to give up, not to quit. and that’s stuck with us. in 2010 we decided to start Hair Crap. It was pomade, it did really well, but we were having trouble making enough product with all of the other things we were doing, we were both working at venues, Amanda was bartending at Smart Bar, Metro, Lincoln Hall, Shubas, I was doing security and bar backing at Lincoln Hall, Schubas, Barn and Co. We were both burning the candle at both ends. Milios burned again in 2012, I collapsed In April of 2012 I had 5 subarachnoid hemorrages, it fucked us both up. Our wedding was happening on May 1st 2012 it was amazing, we somehow made it. Then my mother got sick, she fell, she passed away in 2013. The morning after our plane landed back in Wichita I got a call that Patty from Big Hair had passed too. Once we had gotten everything with my mothers death sorted out as much as we could, mutual friends Patty and I asked if we might be willing to help keep Big Hair going for Pattys kids. We would be co-owners with Patty’s ex husband Bruce. We agreed. It was an absolute nightmare. After about a year we finally had to throw in the towel with Big Hair. Bruce was a toxic ex-marine with a drinking problem and a history of bad judgement. His bad judgement was starting to threaten all of us. Amanda and I had the opportunity to open our own place Rev. Billy’s Chop Shop. so we did that. It’s been happy and sad, good and bad, up and down, busy and slow, but we’re not quitters.
We were outgrowing our first location, we had had a small staff exodus, then this CoronaVirus thing happened, and we had to close for a few months. During that time Amanda and I became better businesspeople, and I released my second record. We supported our existing staff, hired new staff, and opened a new location all during the pandemic. We’re now fully staffed with some amazing artists. I’m working on a third album, and Amanda and I haven’t Killed each other yet.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

There are always struggles, Like the ones that I described earlier. addictions I think were a big one. It’s in my genetics unfortunately. we’ve made it through a couple of rough patches economically, personally, spiritually, and financialy, but like I said earlier, I don’t give up.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I specialize in two things Music and Hair, or Hair and Music I guess whichever order makes the people I work for feel that artistic pursuit is more valid in their mind. Strangely, that matters to people. It does. It’s never really mattered to me, but according to the “experts” in whichever field I’m operating in, you have to pay your dues. You have to pay them in such a way that it aligns with the way they’ve paid their own dues, in a way similar to the way their peers and contemporaries had. If I’m too serious about music and that part of my life, then I’m neglecting something in my hair career, or Because I’m successful at hair, then I don’t take my music seriously enough, and I’m considered a hobbyist and not approaching that seriously enough. It’s been an interesting volley back and forth for quite some time.
In music, I’m a guitarist who’s contributed to some different and relatively successful projects, most recently I’ve released a mainly instrumental album with a personal project called Evidence of a Struggle (EOAS). Some friends in other bands suggested a producer named Sanford Parker, who’s worked on a bunch of other stuff with some amazing musicians like Pelican, YOB, Eyehategod, Black Cross Hotel, Hide, and Thurston Moore. I played everything on that album, guitar, drums, violin, keys, kazoo, everything. After I released that one I did a bunch of interviewing, people kept asking why I didn’t put vocals on the record, or if I was going to. I thought it was kind of insulting, like that record wasn’t good enough, like I had prematurely released something that was unfinished, that’s not how I roll, remember I’m neurotic, I’m a perfectionist, I wouldn’t let something out unless it was finished. Apparently it needed vocals to really be valid, I absolutely do not subscribe to that belief. But then I thought, maybe I do have something verbal sonically to add to this, but I knew I didn’t want to play everything again. I reached out to a friend Matt Walker who’s played drums with a bunch of bands, currently he’s with Morrissey, he’s played with Filter, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage. He’s helping to add some production aspects to the new record as well as synth. We (Evidence of a Struggle) have a new record coming out in 2025 that features me opening my big mouth, which I’m currently proud of. I think my bluntness and honesty set me apart from others. This carries over into the hair art business where I have the opportunity to work with some amazing creative humans, helping them to realize their stylistic potential, and them helping me to expand mine, to spread some creative happiness around by helping them to feel better about their hair and themselves when they leave Rev. Billy’s Chop Shop than they did when they came In. We are trying to create an inclusive environment at the salon where we encourage our artists to improve their personal artistic skill set which helps them to grow. We’ve also tried to provide our employees with a supportive atmosphere, with many benefits that encourage them to take care of themselves, because if you’re healthy that creative artistic energy can move through you easier, helping you to better create amazing art, and travel through everyone around them. I think that’s what sets our Hair business apart from many others.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

I don’t know how I feel about that, I dont consider myself as being a “risk taker” but I suppose that my behavior thus far would indicate otherwise, that I’’m a fly by the seat of my pants, devil may care person. I feel like my reality is contrary to being a “risk taker” I’ve always felt like I was relatively calculated about how I approached everything that I do, I feel like I’m very much into ritual, method, systems, and proven processes to reach a desired result, however I do go off planner, a lot in my personal life, I enjoy doing things without an itinerary or a plan. Again I feel like using your entire savings to open a personal care and services business, or putting yourself in front of a bunch of people on a stage isn’t really playing it safe. I guess I really don’t think about the risks, I just do the things I feel moved to do, as I feel moved to do them, and don’t ever think about a negative outcome. Long on guts short on sense I suppose some might say.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://revbillyschopshop.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evidenceofastruggle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Evidence0fAStruggle
• Twitter: https://x.com/revbilly?s=21&t=lQVo4zHJsuoFgF_Zj9PBrw
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@evidenceofastruggle?si=71fGa1il-AUdHS6F
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rev-billys-chop-shop-chicago-4?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/Zu9AFoG3ZmvuCoaDA
• Other: https://revbillyschopshop.com/

Image Credits

Jeremy Glickstein
Amanda Simmons