He is currently the bass player for rock band Simple Minds,[3] and was a founding member of Scottish pop band Danny Wilson whose hits include "Mary's Prayer" (from Meet Danny Wilson and featured prominently in the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the movie There's Something About Mary), and "The Second Summer of Love" (from Bebop Moptop).

[4][5] After the break-up of Danny Wilson, Grimes began to focus on writing, performing, and producing other artists including Eddi Reader, Simply Red, and Natalie Imbruglia.

As the owner of Jack's Hoose Music, Grimes has worked on a number of interactive entertainment media projects in recent years.

[7] Grimes, who is fluent in the Spanish language, relocated from Dundee, Scotland, to Andalucia, Spain, in 2005 and ran Jack's Hoose Music's international, day-to-day business from there.

[10][11] Grimes featured on the band's Celebrate – Live at the Glasgow SSE Hydro DVD (recorded in 2013) and played on the subsequent albums Big Music, Walk between Worlds, and Direction of the Heart.