Born on October 6, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, Norman Simmons was a jazz pianist known for accompanying performers such as Carmen McRae, Betty Carter, Anita O'Day and Joe Williams. Norman Simmons studied music at his hometown conservatory from 1945 to 1949 and made his debut in 1946 with Clifford Jordan. After a stint in saxophonist Paul Bascomb’s group and a session for Dinah Washington, he led his own trio at the Bee Hive club (1953-1956) and accompanied the artists like Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Dakota Stanton and Ernestine Anderson at the C&C Lounge (1957-1959). He was briefly a member of the Red Rodney Quintet (1955) before releasing The Norman Simmons Trio (1956), his first album as a leader. Norman Simmons relocated to New York where he worked as an arranger for the Riverside label, notably on albums by Johnny Griffin's quintet. Over the next decade, he became the pianist and musical director for singers Carmen McRae, Betty Carter and Anita O’Day. In 1966, he arranged the classic “Wade in the Water" for the Ramsey Lewis Trio. He released his second album as a leader, Ramira the Dancer, in 1976, which was followed by Midnight Creeper (1979) and I’m… the Blues (1981). Norman Simmons started a teaching career at William Patterson College and then taught at the New School in New York. He remained active as a band leader, and released more albums including 13th Moon (1986), The Heat and the Sweet (1997), The Art of Norman Simmons (2000) and Synthesis (2002). A member of The Duke Ellington Legacy (2002-2008), he recorded his last album as a leader, In Private, in 2004. Norman Simmons died on May 13, 2021 at the age of 91.
