David Bryan

Bon Jovi's founding keyboardist and Tony Award-winning composer.

David Bryan Rashbaum is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboardist and one of the founding members of the rock band Bon Jovi, in which he also co-wrote songs and performs backing vocals. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi. He is also known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics with Joe DiPietro for the musical Memphis, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Original Score.

Quick Facts

Birth name

David Bryan Rashbaum

Born

7 February 1962

Birthplace

Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S.

Instrument

Keyboards; vocals

Genre

Hard rock
arena rock
pop rock
glam metal

Occupation

Musician
songwriter
singer

Years active

1978–present

Current member of

Bon Jovi

Lore & Background

Beyond the stage lights, Bryan was the first Bon Jovi member to receive a call when Jon Bon Jovi learned he had a recording contract, and he 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 Rutgers University and was studying Pre-Med with a 4.0 GPA. He 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. 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 7800° Fahrenheit; the hit 'In These Arms' on Keep the Faith; and 'Last Cigarette' on Have a Nice Day (including the international bonus track 'Unbreakable').

Reader's Guide

David Bryan joined Bon Jovi as a founding member in the early 1980s, playing keyboards and piano throughout their entire career. His tenure spans from the band's formation to the present day, making him one of the longest-serving members. He is credited with co-writing many of the group's signature hits, contributing melodic structures that define their sound. His solo projects include a successful musical on Broadway and various jazz-influenced albums that highlight his classical roots. Bryan's specific contribution lies in his ability to blend rock power with sophisticated piano arrangements. He often serves as a producer and arranger for the band, ensuring their music maintains emotional resonance across different eras of rock history.

Rock and Roll Foundations

Born on February 7, 1962, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and raised in Edison, New Jersey. 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, for thirteen years. Bryan briefly attended Rutgers University, but dropped out to attend Juilliard.

Broadway Breakthroughs

Bryan and Joe DiPietro wrote the music for the musical Memphis, for which the duo won the Tony Award for Best Original Score. The musical had its off-Broadway debut in 2002. In 2008, Memphis was performed at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. The show was also performed in January 2009 in Seattle, 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. Their musical Diana, about Princess Diana, began previews on Broadway on March 2, 2020, with an anticipated opening date of March 31, following a tryout production at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, CA the previous year. The Broadway opening was delayed until December 16, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing of all Broadway theaters. The musical was then filmed that summer with no audience at the Longacre Theater, with the film being released on Netflix on October 1, 2021.

Humanitarian Commitments

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 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. 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.

Solo Ventures and Legacy

Bryan's solo discography includes 'Netherworld soundtrack' (1992), 'On a Full Moon' (1995), and 'Lunar Eclipse' (2000). His contributions include songwriting, keyboards, and string arrangements for Richie Sambora's 'Stranger in This Town' (1991) and the 'Netherworld Soundtrack' (1992). He wrote 'This Time' for Curtis Stigers' 'Time Was' (1995), played accordion and piano on Jon Bon Jovi's 'Destination Anywhere' (1997), and contributed as a songwriter to 'Undiscovered Soul' (1998). He provided soundtracks for 'The Toxic Avenger' (2009), 'Memphis: A New Musical' (2009), 'Memphis: The Musical' (2015), and 'Diana: The Musical' (2019). In 2016 and 2018, he was a songwriter and performer on Matt O'Ree Band albums 'My Everything Is You' and its live counterpart.