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Ray Bryant was an American jazz pianist and composer, born on December 24, 1931, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He passed away on June 2, 2011, in New York City, New York. His career spanned a wide range of genres, including bop, blues, boogie woogie, gospel, and R&B. Bryant's musical journey began in the late 1940s while playing with various artists. In 1951, he became the house pianist at the Blue Note in Philadelphia, where he backed visiting musicians until 1953. He started recording as a leader in 1955 and continued to do so for different labels, including a significant period with a parent label in 1960 when he was signed by another entity. In the late 1950s, he settled in New York and ventured into the R&B genre, notably backing a singer on her debut for Columbia and co-writing the R&B hit "The Madison Time," which later appeared in the Hairspray movies. As a composer, Bryant is recognized for creating the jazz standard "Cubano Chant." In the 1960s, he released several albums of soul-jazz and is particularly noted for his solo piano albums, which feature interpretations of blues, gospel, and standards, including "Alone With The Blues" from 1956 and "Alone At Montreux" from 1972.

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