Dick Zimmerman

Zimmerman has appeared in concert and at music festivals throughout the United States and Canada. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, PBS, BBC-TV, BBC World Service Radio, as well as the Canadian Broadcasting Co. and Australia Broadcasting. He has performed in concert at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in Canada and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He has also served as long-time musical director of the "Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri". He was the recipient of the Scott Joplin Foundation Achievement Award in 1991.

In 1967 Zimmerman, along with Dave Bourne, Albert Huerta, Chuck McClure, and Bill Mitchell, founded the ‘’Maple Leaf Club’’, for which he edited its newsletter, "The Rag Times". In 1998 the ‘’Maple Leaf Club’’ merged with the ‘’Rose Leaf Club’’.

In 1956 he enrolled at Stanford University where he received degrees in civil and mechanical engineering. Zimmerman later went on to design games for Mattel, Inc. As a freshman, a classmate introduced him to the rags of Scott Joplin. But it wasn’t until 1973, when the movie The Sting began the revival of ragtime with a musical score by Marvin Hamlisch, which adapted the original rags of Scott Joplin, that Zimmerman turned his attention to performing and recording. In 1974, he released the five-LP collection ‘’Scott Joplin: His Complete Works’’ on the Murray Hill Records label.

Richard “Dick” Zimmerman (born August 11, 1937) is a ragtime performer, historian, author and producer. He is regarded as being one of the key figures responsible for the worldwide revival of ragtime. Zimmerman is the first pianist to have recorded the complete works of Scott Joplin and in 1987 was awarded the first place prize “Champion Ragtime Performer of the World”. Zimmerman was technical advisor for the film Scott Joplin. He is a founder of the "Maple Leaf Club", and is the editor of its publication, "The Rag Times". Zimmerman is also a professional magician. He has contributed many signature illusions to the field of magic and has acted as consultant for such magicians as David Copperfield.