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 trained as a child in classical music, but quickly abandoned his studies to pursue his love for ragtime when his magic teacher played a honky-tonk record [2] by "one of the great American composers, 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 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".
Dick and his wife Diane Zimmerman performed together as a husband-and-wife team in several magic acts, including one televised segment on the Merv Griffin Show.