BIOGRAPHY
Ryan States was born in Chicago. He has since lived in Dallas, Montana and New York City. Ryan has toured over five years with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. He is on the road 48 weeks per year.
Ryan has now performed over 2000 shows with the Ringling band, for millions of fans in sold out arenas from LA’s Staples Center, to Chicago's United Center and Houston's Reliant Stadium. Recordings of his playing have been heard on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, national parade broadcasts, DVDs, commercials, etc.
Ryan was the youngest of eleven children. Several of Ryan’s brothers, all at least ten years his senior, were mobile Deejays in the '70's and '80's. At age 13 he began working as a Roadie and later as a mobile and radio DJ. After moving to Dallas Texas as a teenager, Ryan deejayed corporate events, school dances, private parties, and modeling pageants.
He has worked many years as a Piano Accompanist, Bandleader, Arranger and Songwriter. He is a self-taught electric Bassist. He also collaborates with other musicians both in person and long-distance Internet recording.
He was three years into a music degree at the University of North Texas when he originally ran off and joined the circus. He was studying Piano with Dr. Jack Roberts, Head of the piano department. When he is not playing for elephants, donkeys and celebrities he is at the train working in his home studio.
Ryan has gigged in everything from cover bands (Eclectic, Frontline, Grok) to river boat bands such as Vince Vance & the Valiants where Ryan worked as a sub.
In February 2001, he Designed the Sound for Our Endeavors Theater Company’s production of, “I, Patty Diphusa, International Sex Symbol.” He composed ten songs ranging from menacing techno, to adult film-styled music, to comical MGM-like orchestral moments.
In 1997 he played keyboards on a jazz tour in Ireland with the Brookhaven College Vocal Jazz Group. The group performed Compositions and Vocal Arrangements that he created on-the-fly at the request of the bandleader. In 1993 Ryan composed original music for the WINDJET commercial on TV for Hydrodynamics, Inc.
He has performed in over twenty local musical productions including “The Wiz,” “Fame,” and “Godspell.” He was the music conductor for Marcus High School’s performance of “Man of La Mancha.” In 2001 Ryan was the Music Director, Piano Accompanist and Vocal Coach for the Dallas Jewish Community Center’s childrens’ production of “Into the Woods.”
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