David Bryan (born
David Bryan Rashbaum; February 7, 1962) is the
keyboard player of the band
Bon Jovi. Bryan also sings backing vocals and often at live shows sings part of or the whole of the song "In These Arms", one of a handful of Bon Jovi songs credited to him as songwriter. He is considered one of the best keyboard players in rock history, and is also the writer of the successful
Broadway musical
Memphis.
Bryan was born in
Perth Amboy, New Jersey and raised in
Edison,
New Jersey. His father, Eddie Rashbaum, played the
trumpet. Bryan was raised
Jewish.
[1][2] He attended Herbert Hoover Middle School, then
J. P. Stevens High School, from which he graduated. Bryan began to learn
piano at age seven, and played keyboards for a band called
Transition with bass player Steve Sileo. He studied with Emery Hack, a professor at
Juilliard, for thirteen years. Bryan was accepted into
Rutgers University, but dropped out to attend
Juilliard, a school devoted to the performing arts in
New York City.
With Bon Jovi
In October 1984, Bon Jovi supported the group
Kiss at the Queens Hall in Leeds.
With the help of their new manager
Doc McGhee, the band's debut album,
Bon Jovi, was released on January 21, 1984. The album went
gold in the US (sales of over 500,000). In 1985, Bon Jovi's second album
7800°Fahrenheit was released, but the response was poor. The turning point came when they brought in songwriter
Desmond Child for their third album,
Slippery When Wet. With Child co-writing many of their hits on this and future albums the band shot to super-stardom around the world with songs such as "
You Give Love a Bad Name", "
Livin' On A Prayer", and "
Wanted Dead or Alive". The album has sold in excess of 28 million copies worldwide since its release in late 1986.
[3]During their 1986-1987 tour, Jon's attempt to give it his all during live shows (plus the tour's exhausting schedule) greatly strained his vocal cords. In the band's Behind The Music special, he notes that his vocal cords were given steroids to help him sing. With the help of a vocal coach, he was able to continue doing the tour. Contrary to popular belief, Bon Jovi did not have voice damage during the
New Jersey Syndicate Tour.
The next album from Bon Jovi was
New Jersey released in 1988. The album was recorded very shortly after the tour for
Slippery, because the band wanted to prove that they were not just a one hit wonder. The resulting album is a fan favorite and a mammoth commercial success, with hit songs such as "
Bad Medicine", "
Lay Your Hands on Me" and "
I'll Be There for You", which are still nightly stalwarts in their live repertoire.
Despite the band achieving massive success,
New Jersey almost led to the end of the band as they went straight back out on the road so soon after the heavy touring for their previous album. This constant living on the road almost destroyed the strong bond between the band members. Sambora is noted on the albums as co-writer for many songs, yet he resented the lack of attention that was heaped on Jon alone. As mentioned in
VH1's Behind the Music, the band members note that at the end of the tour, each band member went their separate way, even departing in separate jets after the tour ended in Guadalajara, Mexico in early 1990.
Between 1990 and 1992, members of Bon Jovi went their separate ways after the very rigorous two year
New Jersey Tour, which exceeded 200 shows on 5 continents. This time off also helped them determine where Bon Jovi would fit within the rapidly changing music scene upon their return.
In 1992, the band returned with the album Keep the Faith. The album was released in November 1992. Produced by
Bob Rock, the album signified an ending to their early metal roots in previous albums and introduced a more "rock n roll"-driven groove to the album. Much more complex, lyrically and musically, the album proved that Bon Jovi could still be a viable band in 90's, despite the industry's and audience's growing affinity for
Grunge.
In 1994, Bon Jovi released a "greatest hits" album titled
Cross Road, which also contained two new tracks: the hit singles "
Always" and "
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night". Always spent six months on the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Bon Jovi's all-time biggest hits. The song peaked at #4 on the U.S. charts and at #1 in countries across Europe, Asia and in
Australia. The single sold very well, going platinum in the U.S. That same year, bassist Alec John Such left the band, the first and only lineup change since Bon Jovi began. Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on "Runaway", unofficially replaced Such as bassist.
Their sixth studio album
These Days was released in June 1995 to the most critical acclaim that the band had ever received. With the album
These Days, Bon Jovi took the mature rock sound they had developed on
Keep the Faith further. The record as a whole was darker and more downbeat than the usual Bon Jovi flare. By 1996, Bon Jovi had established themselves as a "force" in the music industry, proving much more durable than most of their 80's glam peers.
After another lengthy hiatus of nearly three years, during which several band members worked on independent projects, Bon Jovi regrouped in 1999 to begin work on their next studio album. Their 2000 release,
Crush, enjoyed overwhelming success all around the world, thanks in part to the smash-hit single "
It's My Life", co-written by famous Swedish producer
Max Martin.
Crush, which also produced such hits as "Say it isn't so", and helped introduce Bon Jovi to a new, younger fan base.
In late 2002,
Bounce, the band's follow-up to
Crush, hit stores. Though
Bounce did not enjoy the level of success of its predecessor, the album did produce hit singles such as "
Everyday" and the title track.
Bon Jovi's ninth studio album,
Have a Nice Day, was released in September 2005. "
Have A Nice Day" was the first single off the new album and the second single from the album "
Who Says You Can't Go Home", was released in the U.S. in the spring of 2006. In the U.S. a duet version of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with country singer
Jennifer Nettles of the band
Sugarland was released, and in May 2006, Bon Jovi made history by becoming the first Rock & Roll Band to have a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot Country Chart. On February 11, 2007, Bon Jovi also won a
Grammy Award, for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".
In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their studio album,
Lost Highway. The album debuted at number #1 on the Billboard charts, the first time that Bon Jovi have had a number one album on the US charts since the release of
New Jersey in 1988. Thanks to the band's new country music fanbase, the album sold 292,000 copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., and became Bon Jovi's third US number one album.
Bryan on a concert with Bon Jovi.
On April 6, 2009, it was announced that the Tribeca Film Festival will screen a Bon Jovi documentary called
When We Were Beautiful. The film follows the band on the Lost Highway Tour during 2008. The film is directed by Phil Griffin and will be the centerpiece of the festival and is considered a work-in-progress.In November 2009, Bon Jovi released their latest studio album
The Circle.
Bryan was the first to receive a call when
Jon Bon Jovi learned that he had received a
recording contract, and agreed to join the
band. He shortened his full name to his first and middle names. At the time Bryan was attending
Rutgers University and was studying Pre-Med with a 4.0 GPA. Bryan has played keyboards and sung on all of Bon Jovi's albums, as well as the solo projects of Jon Bon Jovi and
Richie Sambora. Bryan co-wrote the songs "Breakout" and "Love Lies" on Bon Jovi's
self-titled first album.
[4]Musical theater
He co-wrote the musical
Memphis with
Joe DiPietro, which had its off-Broadway debut in 2002. In 2008,
Memphis was performed at the La Jolla Playhouse in
San Diego, California. The show is scheduled to be performed in January, 2009 in
Seattle, Washington, at the 5th Avenue Theatre, prior to moving to Broadway later in 2009. Memphis, which is now on broadway since October 18, 2009, was nominated for 8 Tony awards for the 2010 season and won 4 including Best Musical and Best original musical score. Memphis is now the most nominated show on Broadway, winning multiple Drama Desk awards and Outer Critics Circle awards, including Best Musical, Best Composer, and Best Orchestrations. Memphis The Musical went on to win four Tony awards at the 2010 Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Composer, Best Book, and Best orchestrations.
Bryan also co-wrote the musical
The Toxic Avenger again with Joe DiPietro, which made its off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages on April 6, 2009.
Personal life
Bryan married his High School sweetheart April McLean on August 25, 1990, but they divorced in 2004. They have three children: twins Gabrielle Luna and Colton Moon (born March 10, 1994), and Tyger Lily (born April 28, 2000). Gabrielle (Gabby) and Colton recently had Bat and Bar Mitzvahs, respectively.
[citation needed] Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Strahan were there to help celebrate the B'nai Mitzvah.
[citation needed] David recently married Lexi Quaas on August 7, 2010 in Colts Neck New Jersey.
In the late 1990s, prior to Bon Jovi coming together to record
Crush, Bryan nearly severed his finger in a home accident involving a
circular saw. After a year of
rehabilitation and therapy, Bryan regained motion in his finger and went back to playing the keyboard. In 1991 before he helped Bon Jovi guitarist and friend Richie Sambora in his solo album "Stranger In This Town" and record a soundtrack in the horror movie 'The Netherworld", Bryan was suffering a South American parasite from tours with the band. Bryan was hospitalized. He desicribed the pain as " It ate out my stomach lining, my intestines, and attacked my nerve endings. It was in my bloodstream; I was poisoned. I was 145 pounds, and I was really ill in the hospital for two weeks, then bedridden at home for a month....". He recovered and in 1992, he and the band did "Keep The Faith" showing that the band is still together since "New Jersey".
Charity work
Bryan is very active in
VH-1’s
Save the Music program, as well as
Only Make Believe. He also wrote the
anthem for
Only Make Believe, "Rockin’ All Over the World", with Dena Hammerstein. He is an honorary Board member for
Only Make Believe, a non-profit organization that brings interactive theatre to chronically ill and disabled children in hospitals and care facilities. He is also a board member of
Damon Marks'
Traveling Guitar Foundation.
[5]The band has built several homes for victims of
Hurricane Katrina. The video for the
hit song, "Who Says You Can't Go Home" is a
documentary of the making of these homes. The band also gave
Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network one million dollars. With this, she created Bon Jovi Boulevard in
Louisiana. Bon Jovi was welcomed back, one year later, to see Bon Jovi Boulevard, and to unveil it to its future residents.
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rudy doank
Posted in: Biography
