The exotic, melodious, not to mention, infectious sounds of the metal drums gripped the tranquil evening air, as if luring it into a rhythmic dance across Arundell Hill into the one bedroom Marchand house he called home. This mesmerizing dance of chords happened at least once every week and Aimran Simmons looked forward with heightened anticipation to his weekly serenade. It was a welcome past time as there was little on his activity schedule, which brought as much stimulation or thrill.
Simmons grew up in a single parent household and vividly recalls his first memories of the near hypnotic sounds of the steel pan; the only instrument to be invented in the 20th century and possibly the only instrument made out of industrial waste. Young Aimran remembers praying for the days when the Diamond Steel Orchestra would conduct rehearsals so that he could listen in from a distance, all the while longing to one day play like those music makers.
The youngster’s fascination with the distinctive sound drove him to follow the band as their music accompanied revellers through the streets of Castries during the annual Carnival Parade. Simmons, awestruck with the steel pan, hitched a ride on the truck along its route, staying as close to the drums as he was allowed. This he did for two years until that tradition was no more.
At fourteen (14), he got his first opportunity to play a tenor pan after he had accompanied a childhood friend to North Stars’ Barnard Hill pan yard. He would later awe Gregory “Shining” Emmanuel after the timid youngster mustered the courage to walk into one of Diamond Steel’s rehearsal sessions. He soon garnered the attention of all who heard him play owing to his innate ability of recollection. Aimran earned his place with the Diamond Steel Orchestra performing at several hotels, with sometimes three (3) or four (4) weddings per day.
The enthusiastic music lover eventually decided to forego his formal schooling at the Vide Bouteille Secondary School to pursue what was a lucrative music career. By then, Simmons was earning enough money to move into a two-bedroom place with his mother. He never gave up on his desire to learn though so he purchased his first music book from OGPADU Music Supplies, owned by musician Augustine “Jab” Duplessis. He used the book as a study guide and in 1995, enrolled at the Saint Lucia School of Music, where he studied Steelpan Practical, earning distinctions in his courses.
In 1998, music instructor at the Saint Lucia School of Music, Sean Lewis, invited Aimran to Laventille, Trinidad; a community just outside of Port of Spain said by many to be the birthplace of the steelpan. There, he was to participate in “Success Laventille with Success Stars”, a hugely popular annual School Music Festival. On his first visit, his team placed 3rd but returned the following year and captured the first place title. That same year, he attended Panorama in Trinidad for the first time and was eager to be part of the pan action.
In 2000, when Renegades, a participating team in the premier Steel pan showcase, Trinidad Panorama, was a man short, Simmons happily substituted. By then, he had begun arranging Warm-Up pieces for Diamond Steel. After being introduced to Aimran in 2000 Mallet “Hammer” Edwards offered a most fitting commendation, composing a song “Panman Aimran”. “I was blown over by his exquisite mastery of the pan at such a youthful age then. And the ease with which we collaborated inspired me to make him the nucleus of the composition”, says Edwards of Imran – the awe evident in his lyrics,
CHORUS
PANMAN AIMRAN
BEATING A SWEET, SWEET VIBRATION
WITH A PULSATING RHYTHM
DE MAN IS A TRUE, TRUE PAN VIKING
HE BEATING AND POUNDING
ARRANGING, ENTERTAINING
VERSE
A MAN OF CHARACTER
GOOD NATURE AND HUMOUR
INDEED A REAL MASTER
PLAYING SINGLE TENOR
SUCH ARTISTRY
DE MAN IS A MYSTERY
SO MUCH HAND MOVEMENT
ENDLESS PAN TALENT
…OMNIPOTENT…
VERSE
AH LOVE TO HEAR HIM PLAY
WHETHER IT’S NIGHT OR DAY
A TRUE INSPIRATION
A BLESSED MUSICIAN
WID DE CLASSICS
AND SPIRITUAL MUSIC
REGGAE AND CALYPSO
DE MAN IS A MAESTRO
…LOOK DE HERO…
Simmons continued arranging Warm Up pieces, which were designed to get the performers ready for competition on the night. His creativity was being tapped into more and more for the Test Tunes, which each participating band would be judged on as Diamond Steel prepared for Saint Lucia Carnival. Aimran eventually was the ‘go-to’ Warm Up arranger and not long afterwards became the solo arranger for the band’s Test Tunes, arranging for both the Senior and Junior bands.
Twelve (12) years after he first struck a Diamond Steel pan, Aimran was beginning to see the fulfilment of his dream – to become Director of the Diamond Steel Orchestra. He was making major decisions regarding the band’s performances at various functions. He enjoyed pushing himself and he found that arranging popular music did that. It was a novelty in Saint Lucia and the audiences were loving it. The band’s repertoire was growing exponentially and the gigs were placing the band in the company of a wider ranging audience. Aimran Simmons was changing the face of pan music in Saint Lucia.
In 2007, Aimran along with Stephen Mathurin did a short stint on the cruise ship, sailing with the Coral Princess and Legend of the Seas, much to the delight of vacationers and crew. They were an awesome pair! 
Upon his return, he resumed his involvement in arranging for the Diamond Steel Orchestra. In the years which followed Aimran continued arranging pan music for the band but described the process as “stifling” – the band was not progressing as smoothly as he would have liked.
It was then that he began performing solo, which he still does today. “I miss playing steelpan in a band…I still see myself one day (doing it) again.” He hopes very soon to establish a self-sustaining group which will harness the creative talent of young people, much like what was offered to him as a young man.
Check him out on Facebook…https://www.facebook.com/panmanaimran?fref=ts