Born in 1939 and raised in North Carolina, Charles Simmons' education ended in the ninth grade. He worked as a farmer, and at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company before retiring. He has a strong conservative religious faith, and hails from a proud African-American and Native American heritage. Reverend Simmons is intelligent and while retired, he still has a wide range of interests. A self-taught carver, he began carving wooden dolls in 1977 as a hobby for his family and friends, early images deriving from what he "saw" in the wood. More recently, he developed an interest in sculpting figures and relief carvings in field stone and soap stone.
The Reverend Simmons' work is simplistic, yet sophisticated in style. His subject matter is original and creative, covering a broad spectrum from animals and religious imagery to the subject matter of dreams and childhood memories.
Reverend Simmons was injured in an auto accident, and doesn't work any more, so his work is valued by folk art collectors, as well as sculpture enthusiasts.
