Omer Victor Simeon, also known as Omer Simeon, was born on July 21, 1902, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began playing clarinet professionally in 1920 after learning under Lorenzo Tio Jr. He gained recognition by joining Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers in 1926 and contributed to several recordings. He collaborated with King Oliver's Dixie Syncopators and Luis Russell before moving back to Chicago to work with Erskine Tate. In 1931, he worked extensively with Earl Hines and later with Coleman Hawkins and Jimmie Lunceford in the 1940s. He spent much of the 1950s performing with Wilbur de Paris, including a tour to Africa in 1957. Notably, he recorded "Skokiaan" as part of a duo with Louis Armstrong in 1954. Simeon passed away on September 17, 1959, at the age of 57 due to throat cancer. His contributions were recognized through compilations, like 1926/1929, released posthumously in 1992.
