Ron Simmonds...

Born in Canada in 1928 he came to the UK with his parents in 1936 and began playing the trumpet from 1946. After demobilisation from the RAF in 1949 he began to play with the top bands of the day including Tommy Sampson, Leon Roy, Oscar Rabin, Vic Lewis and had a long spell with Jack Parnell, also Ted Heath and John Dankworth. In 1963 he moved to Munich in Germany and besides working with the top European bands guested with US bands such as Lionel Hampton, Stan Kenton and Oliver Nelson. He ran his own small group in Germany from 1974 until 1994 as well being active as a journalist, playwright, composer and lyricist and arranger. He moved to Spain in semi-retirement in 1995 where he remained until his death in 2005. He was never a noted jazz player but was recognised as one of the finest lead trumpet players in the world and was much in demand by the big bands of Europe and the US and had always free-lanced extensively in that capacity. He developed a very popular website that covers US, European as well as British jazz and it is still available on the web. There are a number of links below that will be of interest to visitors to this website.

The great big bands Ron Simmonds Harry Hayes... Profile by Mike Senn Johnny Dankworth... Talking to Les Tomkins in 1969 Peter King... Report 2005 Lennie Bush... Gentleman of jazz Peter Ind... Speaks his mind Johnny Keating... A portrait by Ron Simmonds 1999 Basil Kirchin... A profile of the drummer and composer 2000 Jack Parnell... Talking to Les Tomkins in 1976 Kenny Clare... Talking to Tony Brown in 1969 Phil Seamen... Remembering Phil by Ron Simmonds Ronnie Stephenson... Kenny Mathieson in The Scotsman Tony Crombie by Cecil 'Flash' Winstone Bill McGuffie Talking to Les Tomkins 1973 Dudley Moore Talking to Les Tomkins in 1966 George Shearing Talking to Les Tomkins in 1966 Max Harris A memorial by Ron Simmonds Ralph Sharon Talking to Les Tomkins in 1988 Stan Tracey A British legend Kathy Stobart Alan Plater in The Guardian Ronnie Scott Talking to Les Tomkins in 1972 Ronnie Scott Talking to Les Tomkins about the club in 1979 Tubby Hayes Talking to Les Tomkins in 1966

Don Lusher Talking to Les Tomkins in 1973 George Chisholm Talking to Les Tomkins in 1976 Bobby Pratt The Gabriel from Scotland Ian Hamer Interviewed by Ron Simmonds Jimmy DeucharA tribute by Ron Simmonds Kenny Baker Talking to Les Tomkins in 1987 Bill Le SageInterview in 1990 Victor Feldman Talking to Les Tomkins in 1971 Alan Dean Talking to Ron Simmonds in 2004 Les TomkinsProfile in Jazz Rag in 1993 Tommy Sampson Orchestra 20 Mighty Men The Jack Parnell Orchestra 1950s Geraldo Interviewed by Tony Brown 1969 Ted Heath and his Music The final years Ronnie Verrell Viva Verrell Harry Francis Jazz development in Britain 1924-74 Kenny Graham Hi there pop fans Jazz Jamborees 1941/47 Jazz Jamboree 1958 Jazz Jamboree 1959 Don Rendell Don Rendell Reminisces 1967 Ron in Spain A minstrel in Spain