brady rymer

2009 Children’s GRAMMY nominee Brady Rymer toured and recorded with RCA roots-rock band From Good Homes for thirteen years, sharing the stage with the likes of Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, before parenthood expanded the scope of his music to include young and old alike. Since then, he’s forged a career with Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could – they “might just be the best-sounding band in children’s music,” according to NPR’s All Things Considered – releasing five acclaimed albums and bringing energetic, rockin’ live music to kids and families across the country.

First class, all-American roots-rock with a feel-good R&B foundation is Rymer’s calling card – his music creates a warm, optimistic, rollicking back-porch vibe that gets children and their families up and dancing, and smiling from ear to ear. Kids love the energy and Rymer’s magnetic, good-times-guy charm, and his musicianship is something even the most discerning music-loving parent can appreciate.
Rymer grew up in rural northwestern New Jersey, living among hippies and horses in a quiet lakeside community. The first hint of young Brady’s future is evident in a photo of the 5-year-old at his own birthday party, guitar slung stylishly across the jacket of his neat suit.
A few years later, Brady ventured from the garden part of the Garden State to see his first rock concert. “I was in sixth grade, and my dad took me and my brother to see KISS,” he recalls. “It was eye-popping – to this day I still wish I could work all that fire into my shows!”
Even without a flame-thrower, Rymer’s music today exhibits a deep love for rock ‘n’ roll in all its roots: folk, country, blues, funk, and of course classic pop and rock. “Chuck Berry, Dylan, Springsteen, the Beatles, the Grateful Dead -- but also Bob Marley, James Brown, Motown and the Rolling Stones,” Rymer says. “I grew up listening to it all, and it’s all there in my music.”
By junior high he, his brother and two pals had started their first band, Rare Breed. “My mom made our outfits,” he laughs. “Black T-shirts with a silver Mylar Indian symbol on the front.” The band soon changed both outfits and names to become Old Crow, playing together throughout high school.
After graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rymer returned to his band, which by 1989 had added two members. “We got a house in New Jersey where we lived together, wrote and rehearsed together, booked our own gigs,” remembers Brady. From Good Homes soon was touring regularly with a feel-good sound affectionately nicknamed “Hick-pop” – the title of their 1993 debut indie album. Trading opener/headliner slots with bands such as Dave Matthews, Hootie and the Blowfish and Widespread Panic, FGH built a fan base across the country.
In spring of 1995, RCA Records released “Open Up the Sky” and FGH spent a solid year touring behind its first major-label record. “We opened for Dylan, played with David Byrne, did two tours with Bob Weir’s Ratdog. When you’re on the move, working on the music and connecting with audiences, and you have an artist you really admire, like David Byrne, coming out to listen to your set, it feels like everything is happening.”
But another force was tugging at Rymer. “One thing we’d seen touring with Bob Weir is that he was constantly on the road,” Rymer says. “When my son Gus was born, I realized that a couple, maybe three weeks away from home was my limit. I needed that time with my family.”
By the time FGH disbanded in 1999, Gus was ready for preschool and his dad was ready for a career change. “Good Morning, Gus,” a collection of tunes Rymer had written for his son, marked his entry into the kids’ music field. With a classroom teacher, he started a music program at Gus’ preschool, introducing his new material to an enthusiastic young audience.
He found inspiration in his growing family (daughter Daisy followed Gus in 1998), in memories of his own childhood, and in the children and families that comprised his audience; CDs “Look At My Belly,” “I Found It!” and “Every Day Is A Birthday” followed, garnering praise from critics and picking up multiple national awards including Parents’ Choice Gold and NAPPA Gold honors.
Rymer formed a band, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, and took his infectious, rockin’, rootsy family music on the road. He built a following just as he’d done with FGH, releasing great records, playing live shows and connecting with fans of all ages. He released his latest CD, “Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could,” to the strongest reviews yet, culminating in a 2009 GRAMMY nomination for Best Children’s Musical Album.
Brady remarks on his career in family music, “what’s coolest for me is looking out at an audience of all ages and feeling everyone – moms, dads, little kids and big ones, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles – smiling, dancing and singing all together. Then funny enough, it all see