David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboard player for the rock band

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

, in which he also co-wrote songs and performed backing vocals. In 2018, he was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

as a member of Bon Jovi. He is also known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics with

Joe DiPietro Joe DiPietro (born 1961) is an American playwright, lyricist and author. He is best known for the Tony Award-winning musical '' Memphis'', for which he won the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score as well as for writi ...

for the musical '' Memphis'', for which he won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Original Score.

Early life

David Bryan Rashbaum was born on February 7, 1962, in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

and raised in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a Township (New Jersey), township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central Jersey, Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan River, Raritan Valley r ...

. His father, Eddie Rashbaum, played the trumpet. Bryan was raised Jewish. He attended elementary school at Clara Barton, where he played many instruments including violin, viola, trumpet and clarinet. He also 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 and lead singer Mike Ziegel. He studied with Emery Hack, a professor at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

, for thirteen years. Bryan briefly attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

, but dropped out to attend Juilliard.

Career

With Bon Jovi

Bryan was the first Bon Jovi member to receive a call when

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

learned that he had received a recording contract, and agreed to join the band. He chose his stage name when he grew tired of continually having to spell out his entire name. At the time, Bryan was attending

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 some of the solo albums of Jon Bon Jovi and

Richie Sambora Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013. He and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi formed the main songwriting unit for the ...

. Bryan has co-written the songs "Love Lies" and "Breakout" on Bon Jovi's self-titled first album; " Only Lonely," " The Hardest Part Is the Night," and "To the Fire" on ; the hit " In These Arms" on '' Keep the Faith''; and "Last Cigarette" on '' Have a Nice Day'' (including the international bonus track "Unbreakable") .

Musical theater

Bryan and

wrote the music for the musical '' Memphis'', for which the duo won the

for Best Original Score The musical had its off-Broadway debut in 2002. In 2008, ''Memphis'' was performed at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the ...

in San Diego. The show was also performed in January 2009 in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington, at the 5th Avenue Theatre, prior to moving to Broadway later in 2009. Memphis, which ran on Broadway from October 18, 2009, to August 5, 2012, was nominated for 8 Tony awards for the 2010 season and won 4 including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Bryan also co-wrote the musical '' The Toxic Avenger'', again collaborating with Joe DiPietro. The musical made its off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages on April 6, 2009. He has worked on a musical with DiPietro titled ''Chasing the Song'', which chronicles American songwriters from 1962 to 1964 who worked in the

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and farther uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. The Brill Building hous ...

. Bryan describes it as "a fictional story about factual America." Director Christopher Ashley and choreographer Sergio Trujillo are also involved. According to ''Playbill'', "A fall or early winter workshop of the musical is currently being planned. Broadway is the goal." Their musical '' Diana'', about

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

, began previews on Broadway on March 2, 2020, with an anticipated opening date of March 31, following a tryout production at the

in San Diego, CA the previous year. The Broadway opening was delayed until December 16, 2021, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

closing of all Broadway theaters. The musical was then filmed that summer with no audience at the Longacre Theater, with the

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

being released on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on October 1, 2021.

Personal life

Bryan was married to April McLean from 1990 to 2004. They have three children; twins Gabby Luna and Colton Moon Bryan born in 1994, and Artie Bryan (Tyger Lily) born in 2000. In 2010, he married his second wife Lexi Quaas (b. 1970) in Colts Neck, NJ.

Charity work

Bryan is very active in VH-1's ''Save the Music'' program, as well a
Only Make Believe
He also wrote the

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

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 theater to chronically ill and disabled children in hospitals and care facilities. He is also a board member of Damon Marks' Traveling Guitar Foundation. The band has built several homes for victims of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. 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 Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

's Angel Network one million dollars. With this, she created Bon Jovi Boulevard in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. Bon Jovi was welcomed back, one year later, to see Bon Jovi Boulevard, and to unveil it to its future residents.

Discography

Solo

* '' Netherworld'' soundtrack (1992) * '' On a Full Moon'' (1995) * ''

Lunar Eclipse A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, ...

'' (2000)

With Bon Jovi

Studio albums *''

'' (1984) *' (1985) *'' Slippery When Wet'' (1986) *''

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

'' (1988) *'' Keep the Faith'' (1992) *'' These Days'' (1995) *''

Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

'' (2000) *'' Bounce'' (2002) *'' Have a Nice Day'' (2005) *'' Lost Highway'' (2007) *'' The Circle'' (2009) *'' What About Now'' (2013) *'' Burning Bridges'' (2015) *'' This House Is Not for Sale'' (2016) *''

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

'' (2020) *''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

'' (2024) Compilation albums *'' Hard & Hot'' (1991) *'' Cross Road'' (1994) *'' Tokyo Road: Best of Bon Jovi'' (2001) *''

This Left Feels Right ''This Left Feels Right'' is a compilation album by Bon Jovi, released in 2003. An album featuring new versions of the band's songs from previous albums, it charted at No. 14 on ''Billboard'' 200. It's a "trip down memory lane" as Jon Bon Jovi ...

'' (2003) *''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' (2010) Live albums *'' One Wild Night Live 1985-2001'' (2001) *'' Inside Out'' (2012) *'' This House Is Not for Sale – Live from the London Palladium'' (2016) Box sets *'' 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong'' (2004)

Contributions

*'' Stranger in This Town'' (1991) – songwriter, keyboards, string arrangements *'' Netherworld Soundtrack'' (1992) – original score *''Time Was'' –

Curtis Stigers Curtis Stigers (born October 18, 1965) is an American jazz singer. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably the international hit " I Wonder Why" (1991), which reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Career S ...

(1995) – wrote "This Time" *'' Destination Anywhere'' (1997) – accordion, piano *'' Undiscovered Soul'' (1998) – songwriter *''The Toxic Avenger'' (2009) – musical soundtrack *'' Memphis: A New Musical'' (2009) – musical soundtrack *'' Memphis: The Musical'' (2015) – musical soundtrack * ''My Everything Is You – Brotherhood'' (studio album), Matt O'Ree Band – (2016) – songwriter, performer * ''My Everything Is You – Live at the Stone Pony!'' (live album), Matt O'Ree Band – (2018) – songwriter, performer *'' Diana: The Musical'' (2019) ''–'' musical soundtrack

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, David 1962 births 20th-century American keyboardists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American organists American heavy metal keyboardists American male organists American male pianists American rock keyboardists American rock pianists Bon Jovi members Broadway composers and lyricists J. P. Stevens High School alumni Jersey Shore musicians Jewish American songwriters Jewish heavy metal musicians Juilliard School alumni Living people Musicians from Edison, New Jersey Entertainers from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni Songwriters from New Jersey Tony Award winners

Early life

Career

With Bon Jovi

Musical theater

Personal life

Charity work

Discography

Solo

With Bon Jovi

Contributions

Further reading

References

External links