Born in 1955 and raised in the Pacific Northwest with a musical family background, Dick spent his early years studying classical trumpet. Having performed a good bit of the standard classical solo literature by his teens, Dick toured Europe at age 17 with an orchestra made up of the best young talents in America.

Becoming aware of Jazz music at the age of 8, Dick's early influences in the jazz trumpet world were Louis Armstrong, Clifford Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Booker Little, Miles Davis, and Clark Terry (to name a few).

Over the years Dick has had the opportunity to play with many notable musicians both in the jazz and classical genres. He has experience playing symphonic music, chamber ensembles, classical solo work, rock & roll, funk, blues, Casino showroom acts (such as Natalie Cole and Tony Bennett), Broadway Musicals, and Jazz ensembles of various sizes.

Dick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in trumpet performance from the University of Nevada, Reno. He currently resides in Portland, OR where he is the jazz trumpet instructor at Portland State University in addition to being a fixture in the local music scene.

His 1997 release "Amber Eyes" and his 2005 recording "Yellow Dance" have both garnered good reviews in JazzTimes magazine along with other publications. He has four titles out under his own name and is sideman on many others recordings.