East Tennessee might seem an unlikely place to give birth to a jazz musician, but those are the roots of acclaimed jazz trombonist Rick Simerly. Through his performances and recordings with a variety of bands and internationally renowned jazz musicians, Simerly has made a mark on the music scene as a recognized jazz performer. As an educator and clinician, he travels throughout the United States conducting clinics, workshops and performing concerts. He has been referred to as "...a rare combination of a world-class performer and teacher. He's an amazing player who can explain what he does and how he does it."

The distinctive trombone voice of Rick Simerly is a culmination of listening to many different musicians and many different styles of music. His very first influence was the great trombonist, Urbie Green. "In high school I had several of Urbie's albums and I listened to them constantly," states Simerly. As his musical maturity grew, he was heavily influenced by trombonists J.J. Johnson, Frank Rosolino, Carl Fontana, and Slide Hampton. "I never limited my listening to just trombonists. Although my college years broadened my knowledge, the crux of my musical education was listening to everything I could get my hands on and absorbing as much as I could. Some of my favorites were Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Woody Shaw, Lee Morgan, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. I listened to traditional and modern, ballads and burners, big bands and small groups. I attended as many concerts and workshops as I could and I read everything I could get my hands on. I practiced constantly and played as many gigs and concerts as possible. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by outstanding musicians in my region who encouraged me and gave me the opportunity to play in their bands. That was my education."

As a result of these experiences, Rick produced his own sound and style. His performances gained him an outstanding reputation and during the thirty plus years that he has played the trombone, his career has landed him gigs with some of the world's greatest musicians. Rick has performed with jazz greats Billy Taylor, James Moody, Slide Hampton, Rufus Reid, Jon Faddis, Bobby Shew, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Milt Hinton, Alvin Batiste, Dave McKenna, Butch Miles, Plas Johnson, Adam Nussbaum, Jake Hanna, Ed Soph, Joe Wilder, Bob Haggart, Keter Betts, Pat LaBarbera, John Fedchock, Eric Alexander, David Hazeltine, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski, Ralph Sutton, Derek Smith, Tommy Newsom, Dave Frishberg, Gerri Wiggins and many others. He has toured with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra under the direction of David Baker and performed in the bands of Tommy Dorsey (under the direction of Murray McEachern and Buddy Morrow), Woody Herman, Nelson Riddle, Bob Crosby, Les Elgart, Jimmy Dorsey, and the last band of trumpeter Charlie Spivak. In addition, he has toured and performed with Frank Sinatra, Jr., Lou Rawls, Vic Damone, Bob Hope, Danny Thomas, and Red Skelton. Summer tours with various Motown groups included The O'Jays, Gladys Knight, The Temptations, The Spinners, The Commodores, and The Four Tops. All in all, Rick Simerly's musical experiences have landed him performances in 49 of 50 states, Europe, Canada and the Carribean. His numerous recording credits include two solo CDs, Simple Complexity and Obscurity.

Rick's actual performing career began in high school with local bands. By the time he attended college he was playing and touring with several "pick-up" bands throughout the South. In addition, he was a trombonist at Walt Disney World for a summer. However, he credits the launch of his performing career to trombonist Buddy Morrow. Rick and Buddy struck up a life-long friendship when Rick played on one of Buddy's bands. Buddy invited Rick to New York to take trombone lessons and survey the music scene. During his visit he studied with Urbie Green, Tony Studd, Phil Giardina, and Morrow. He also attended numerous recording sessions with these players. "Tagging along on some of these sessions was a real inspiration and education. I went to everything from a movie soundtrack to a jingle. I met some of the great studio musicians in New York such as Bob McCoy, Bernie Glow, Eddie Daniels, Paul Falise, and Wayne Andre. They were all very nice to me and encouraging." While in New York, Rick was offered a seat in the Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Buddy DeFranco. "Buddy Morrow suggested that I finish school, which in hindsight was good advice. No regrets here."

Approximately a year following Rick's New York visit came another peformance opportunity. The summer after Simerly's college graduation, trombonist Murray McEachern, the leader of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, called Buddy Morrow for a recommendation. He not only needed a lead trombone player for this full-time touring band, but someone who could play Tommy Dorsey's solo parts. Because of illness, McEachern would be on and off the band and needed someone to fill his shoes when he was gone. Without hesitation Buddy recommended Rick for the job. Rick joined the band and toured for two years with the orchestra under the leadership of McEachern and later Buddy Morrow. "That Tommy Dorsey experience taught me an enormous amount. It wasn't necessarily a jazz experience, but my ballad playing got smoother. More importantly it taught me the value of performing consistently. It was certainly a challenge to play Dorsey's solos night after night in a consistent manner. I learned a lot just by listening to Murray and Buddy."

After his Tommy Dorsey tenure, Simerly decided to return to Tennessee and accept a teaching position in public schools. "I felt that my playing was getting stagnant and I had an inner desire to teach. This job would give me a teaching opportunity with the time to practice and improve on my horn." A lot of road work and summer tours followed, but he remained in Tennessee, holding down two jobs, teaching and performing. As one critic put it ". Simerly labors in a sea of obscurity." Based in his home state, Rick performs at jazz festivals, and tours with numerous jazz artists, big bands and small groups. With great support from his wife Sandy and daughter Cecile, he continues to travel, perform, record, teach and practice. "I'm still trying to learn how to play this horn. The trombone is a very unforgiving instrument that requires a lot of self-sacrifice. I'm a very disciplined person and practicing is part of my everyday life. Trying to improve my playing is a life-long, rewarding experience that will never end."

Rick Simerly holds a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in secondary education from East Tennessee State University. For twenty-two years he taught in the Tennessee public school system. Currently he is Associate Professor of Music at Milligan College in Tennessee where he teaches a variety of music courses and directs the jazz ensemble. As a clinician for Conn-Selmer, Inc. and King trombones, he travels throughout the United States conducting clinics, workshops and performing concerts. He is a faculty member of the famed Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops, and has served on the faculty of the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, CA. Rick recorded a series of jazz etudes by Lennie Niehaus released as the Maiden Voyage Jazz Solos For Trombone (book and CD set) by Jamey Aebersold Jazz. He has published numerous articles for music education journals and his recordings have been featured on over 200 radio stations in the United States and over 147 combined radio stations in Columbia and Australia. He was a recipient of East Tennessee State University's "Distinguished Alumnus of the Arts" award.

Perhaps Rick's musical philosophy can be summed up with the following:
“I am a lucky person and have had some wonderful musical experiences. In this business, I have met many interesting people and made many close friends. Playing the trombone and teaching are journeys that I have always enjoyed and hope to continue for a long, long time.”