Joy Ryder – A Short Biography

Joy Ryder embodies the best of all possible styles as she delivers a melange of classic rock, r&b and neosoul. Though Ryder has been called a blues singer, she is a jack of all trades: jazz stylist, punk diva, and rock 'n' roll rabble rouser.

Brooklyn-born Ryder (nee Denise Whelan) is the daughter of jazz singer and bassist Phil Whelan, who had a hit with the song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" with his band The Five Encores. Her childhood was filled with her father's rehearsals and her own piano lessons from the age of four.

With no plans to follow in her father's footsteps, Denise enrolled at the University of Hawaii with a pre-law major. To help pay tuition, she sang with bands who mostly performed at military bases. By graduation, Denise decided that music was her her future.

Changing to the stage name of Joy Ryder, she headed back to New York and looked for singing work , while studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute. At an audition, she met guitar player, Avis Davis. They started a band, The Davis/Ryder Band, and toured the underground rock circuit, opening for acts like the Ramones, John Cale and Iggy Pop. After recording their rock anthem "No More Nukes" they performed for a quarter of a million people at Battery Park City in 1979 with Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and others. They also toured the USA for Rock Against Racism, from NY to Texas.

Perhaps due to the pressures of the music business, Joy and Avis separated. Joy went to live in Berlin, appearing in films, plays and recording for RCA, Polydor, CBS and Mercury Records. Ryder lived a bi-continental life until she fell in love with record producer, Disco Den Franklin, and had a son with him. They moved back to NY.

Joy took a break from the secular world to raise her son and to sing gospel at All Angels Church. Although singing in a gospel choir was exhilarating, Joy eventually decided to go back to singing in clubs and began performing with her latest collection of musicians, The Joy Ryder Band. This year she has performed live in Europe, South America and the US.

The Joy Ryder Band features drummer Dave Dawson, bass player Tucky Parkis, saxophist Chuck Hancock, and guitarist Roger Bartlett. Individually, they have played with world class acts from across the musical spectrum, from the Main Ingredient, Jimmy Buffett to the Tuff Darts.