David Bryan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Bryan
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Bryan at the 2009 premiere of When We Were Beautiful
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| Birth name | David Bryan Rashbaum |
| Born | February 7, 1962 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the keyboard player for the famous rock band Bon Jovi. David also helps write songs and sings backing vocals for the band.
In 2018, David Bryan was honored by being added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi. Besides his rock career, he is also known for writing music for the musical Memphis. He won a special award called the Tony Award for Best Original Score for his work on Memphis.
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David Bryan's Early Life
David Bryan Rashbaum was born on February 7, 1962. His birthplace was Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and he grew up in Edison, New Jersey. His father, Eddie Rashbaum, played the trumpet. David was raised in a Jewish family.
He went to Clara Barton elementary school. There, he learned to play many instruments. These included the violin, viola, trumpet, and clarinet. He also attended Herbert Hoover Middle School and then J. P. Stevens High School.
David started learning piano when he was seven years old. He played keyboards for a band called Transition. He studied music with Emery Hack, a professor at Juilliard, for thirteen years. David briefly went to Rutgers University, but he left to attend Juilliard, a famous music school.
David Bryan's Music Career
Rocking with Bon Jovi
David Bryan was the first person Jon Bon Jovi called when he got a record deal. Jon asked David to join his new band, and David agreed. He decided to use "David Bryan" as his stage name. This was because spelling out his full name, Rashbaum, was too much trouble.
At that time, David was studying pre-med at Rutgers University. He even had a perfect 4.0 GPA! David has played keyboards and sung on all of Bon Jovi's albums. He also played on some solo albums by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.
David has helped write several songs for Bon Jovi. These include "Love Lies" and "Breakout" from their first album, Bon Jovi. He also co-wrote "Only Lonely," "The Hardest Part Is the Night," and "To the Fire" from 7800° Fahrenheit. The popular song "In These Arms" from Keep the Faith was also co-written by him.
Creating Musicals
David Bryan and Joe DiPietro wrote the music for the musical Memphis. They won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for this show. Memphis first appeared off-Broadway in 2002.
In 2008, Memphis was performed in San Diego. It also played in Seattle in 2009 before moving to Broadway. The show ran on Broadway from October 2009 to August 2012. It was nominated for 8 Tony awards in 2010 and won 4, including Best Musical.
Bryan also worked with Joe DiPietro on another musical called The Toxic Avenger. This musical premiered off-Broadway in April 2009.
They also created a musical called Chasing the Song. This show is about American songwriters from the early 1960s. It tells a fictional story based on real events in America.
Their musical Diana is about Princess Diana. It started previews on Broadway in March 2020. However, the opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The musical was later filmed without an audience and released on Netflix in October 2021.
David Bryan's Family Life
David Bryan was married to April McLean from 1990 to 2004. They have three children together. Their twins, Gabby Luna and Colton Moon Bryan, were born in 1994. Their third child, Artie Bryan, was born in 2000. In 2010, David married his second wife, Lexi Quaas, in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
Helping Others Through Music
David Bryan is very involved in charity work. He supports VH-1's Save the Music program. This program helps bring music education back to schools. He also works with Only Make Believe. This non-profit organization brings fun, interactive theater to children who are sick or have disabilities in hospitals.
David wrote the special song for Only Make Believe, "Rockin' All Over the World." He is an honorary board member for this group. He also serves on the board of Damon Marks' Traveling Guitar Foundation.
Bon Jovi, as a band, has also done a lot of charity work. They built several homes for people affected by Hurricane Katrina. The music video for their hit song "Who Says You Can't Go Home" shows how these homes were built. The band also gave one million dollars to Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network. With this money, a street called Bon Jovi Boulevard was created in Louisiana.
David Bryan's Albums and Songs
Solo Music
- Netherworld soundtrack (1992)
- On a Full Moon (1995)
- Lunar Eclipse (2000)
Music with Bon Jovi
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Studio albums
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Compilation albums
Live albums
Box sets
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Other Music Projects
- Stranger in This Town (1991) – songwriter, keyboards, string arrangements
- Netherworld Soundtrack (1992) – original score
- Time Was – Curtis Stigers (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
See also
In Spanish: David Bryan para niños
