Jerry Bryant's music reflects his uniqueness. His wide and varied background form the basis of his musical personality.  Born on April Fool's day 1923 in Kansas City, his roots are in the blues tradition. Strong early influences also come from his famous uncle, the great blues singer Joe Turner who had him around great musicians like Oscar Peterson and Bill Haley from an early age.

1939 took him to Grand Rapids Michigan before serving in the army as an MP in Carlsbad, New Mexico.  His off duty hours were spent gigging.

Following his discharge, Jerry received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Denver's Lamont School of Music. He married in 1952, this was followed by eight years of Public school teaching in Denver. His hunger for new challenges led him through graduation of a second degree from the University of Alberta. The following years were involved in public school teaching and he continued performing in Edmonton with the Tommy Banks Group.

1967 brought him to Victoria. He enjoyed taking his students to the inner harbour in Victoria so that they could give impromptu concerts on the waterfront. He left Esquimalt High in 1979 and retired in 1983. After retirement he played for several years at the Deep Cove Chalet and had the opportunity to meet celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Kevin Costner. He still stays in touch with David Foster to this day.

A world class pianist, and frequent performer for the many years in Victoria, he had an octet with Howard and Donna Denike, Andrew and Dorothy Sneider, and Rob Sample. He has played with, Ernestine Anderson (that's when he met David Foster), David Broadfoot, Eleanor Collins, and Tommy Banks . For those lucky enough to have attended Esquimalt High School during his tenure, a world class teacher and musical mentor. Stories abound about students who would "run" to get to Gerry's class, anxious to learn and play abound. If you've got a kid who plays music in school, make sure you tell their teacher how much you appreciate what they do.

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