Jimmy and Johnny have played guitar together for over 40 years. They both started playing guitar in the late ‘60s. Music had always played a major role in their early family life. Their beloved late mother, Virginia, was an amazing artist and pianist. Their late father, Edward, was an accomplished vocalist. That sparked an interest in music at an early age, which has grown throughout their lives.
Jimmy and Johnny were 14 and 12, respectively, when they got their first guitars. With no formal training on the instrument, they were both soon playing by ear, imitating songs they heard on the radio. By early 1971, Jimmy and Johnny were in their first bands - already trying to outdo each other. “Leave it to post-adolescent sibling rivalry,” Jimmy remembers. At the same time, they began to exchange licks and jam together. They quickly realized that they could arrange and play harmony leads together very naturally. “This was very exciting to both of us, because we were trying to be different - even back then,” says Johnny.
By 1973, the FM airwaves began to feature more progressive music, and that’s when it happened. “That’s when we first heard Wishbone Ash. It was like being struck by lightning. After hearing their stylistic approach and melodic interplay, we were both completely hooked, and felt that we had truly found our musical calling,” reflects Jimmy. Over the following months, Jimmy and Johnny began to really hone their styles and formed a band with some local musicians called Westfall. This was the band where they really began to develop their double lead style, modeled after Wishbone Ash. They played the local club scene relentlessly, and began to develop a “small, devoted and disturbed following” as Jimmy likes to say. During this period, they won every “Battle of the Bands” which they entered, gaining a solid regional reputation as a strong, tight rock outfit, featuring the melodic interplay of their harmony lead guitars.
Gradually, as their reputation grew, things really began to take off. One of the highlights of the early days was their first studio session, where they recorded their first 2 original songs, “Everything I Could Ask For” and “Sunshine Daydream.” “We got some airplay on some local radio stations, which reinforced to us that we had the right stuff,” recalls Jimmy. “Hearing our own songs on the radio was the greatest feeling that we ever had, up to that point,” notes Johnny.
The Ryan Brothers continued to develop their dual lead guitar style in several other bands thru the ‘70s, most notably Axis, Nutcracker and Freeze. They opened up for many top national touring acts, including Kiss, Styx, Survivor, Head East and The Beach Boys.
During the early ‘80s, the music scene was changing due to “Disco Fever” - and so were Jimmy and Johnny. Burnt out and frustrated, they split up and began to work separately, pursuing session work with a number of local recording studios, as well as several other group and solo projects. Jimmy recorded his first solo project “Jimmy Ryan - Finally” during this period. John worked on designing and building “The Garage” - a recording studio in his home - as well as writing, producing and recording many original songs.
As time went on, both Jimmy and Johnny realized that what they had together was truly special. They both realized that whatever they did separately on their own just could not capture the magic of the “glory days” and the natural, melodic interplay between their guitars. It was during this period that The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers were really born.
During the ‘90s, Jimmy and Johnny continued to play out and write songs together, and, after winning the prestigious Budweiser “Battle of the Bands,” played in front of over 30,000 people at Wrigley Field in Chicago to great response. They’ve hosted many open jam nights over the years at local clubs, which they continue to really enjoy - not only to play out themselves, but to also provide a forum for up-and-coming bands and players to get exposure and promote themselves.
In 1996, Jimmy and Johnny released their debut all-original recording project together, “Sibling Revelry.” It was only 25 years in the making, but it was worth the wait! The song “Struttin’” won the prestigious “Chicago’s Finest Fingers” Competition in 1996, putting them on the “short list” of renowned guitar slingers in the Windy City, fueling their reputation both regionally and nationally.
In 1999, their next two full-length projects, “Colorama” and “The Chaos Sampler” were released. Both CDs received very positive reviews in the music press both locally and nationally, building on the solid foundation and buzz created from the strength of their debut release. Jimmy’s first solo release “Finally” was also remastered from the original tapes and re-released on CD.
The times were changing once again, but this time in a most positive way: the Internet came into existence. The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers started up their own website in January of 2000. www.ryanetics.com offers up everything from their complete CD catalog to their pro guitar tips and much more. Now Jimmy and Johnny could reach out to fans of harmony lead guitar all over the world. “The internet saved us,” says Johnny. “Without it, we could have never hoped for more than a regional awareness of our music.” Jimmy adds, “Through our networking, we’ve established contacts and expanded our fan base across the entire planet. One of the greatest things that ever happened to us was aligning ourselves with our mentors - the folks at Wishbone Ash.” Leon Tsilis, who handles the Wishbone Ash website and merchandising endeavors, became a rabid fan and supporter of the band after being sent the CDs by Johnny. “These projects really express the raw talent and diversity of The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers. These guys kick serious butt!” says Leon.
Jimmy and Johnny had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jam with the great Andy Powell and Wishbone Ash at 2001s “Ashcon At Sea.” Jimmy says, “Jamming with Andy and the band was one of the greatest highlights of our musical careers! Both Johnny and I can honestly say we would not be doing what we’re doing today if it wasn’t for Wishbone Ash, and for that we’ll always be grateful.” Johnny adds, “The band is still going strong after 40 years, and that’s incredible.”
In 2002, Jimmy and Johnny released “Legacy.” The album garnered four GRAMMY nominations! “It’s very rare for any independent release to ‘make the cut’ for the GRAMMY Awards, particularly in the composing and arranging fields,” notes Jimmy. “Even though we didn’t make it to the final ballot, we feel “Legacy” is still a winner.”
In 2003, Jimmy released his second solo project “Truth Squad – Superkiller” featuring The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers’ amazing rhythm section of Johnny Mrozek on drums and William Kopecky on bass. Not only did the CD receive four GRAMMY nominations as well, Jimmy appeared in his first full-length interview in the February 2004 issue of 20th Century Guitar magazine.
In 2004, a national CD release CD compilation Guitars At An Exhibition Volume II featured not one, but TWO of their tracks from their most recent releases (“Stevie Dan” [Legacy] and “Trick Bag” [Superkiller]).
2005 was a banner year – “Blue Marble” was released to critical praise, making several “Best Of” and “Top Ten” lists both regionally and nationally, and – in keeping with the high standards established by their prior releases – earned four GRAMMY nominations once again! They were also profiled in the April 2006 edition of 20th Century Guitar magazine. Included on “Blue Marble” was their version of the Wishbone Ash classic “Blowin’ Free 2005” which appeared on the international Wishbone Ash tribute CD, “Wishbone Ish.” Johnny says, “What a joy it was to honor our heroes with our version of one of their most famous tracks.” Jimmy adds, “We really made it our own, throwing in a few twists and turns that you might not expect from a ‘remake.’”
Carrying that momentum into 2006, the “Blue Marble” track “Baghdad” was one of the winners of the Independent Music World Series 2006 (over 15,000 entries were submitted from over 80 countries). That track appeared on a nationally released compilation CD, and The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers were voted as one of “The Top 15 Acts From The Midwest” by Billboard magazine.
In 2007, The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers were nominated for – and WON – a bronze TELLY award for a soundtrack they had done which was commissioned by David Weekley at the University of Arkansas. Since then, they have worked on other soundtrack projects for promotional and industrial video releases as well as several short films from independent film makers.
“Totality” was released in 2008, once again nabbing a total of nine GRAMMY nominations. It was their most musically diverse project to date, topping both critic and listener polls not only nationally but internationally as well, landing again on several “Best Of” and “Top Ten” lists as well as being profiled once again in the August 2008 issue of 20th Century Guitar magazine.
In 2009, the “Blue Marble” track “Gaza” appeared on “Guitar Masters Volume 2” - a nationally released compilation CD - which was compiled by BHP Music’s Brian Tarquin. Featuring a “Who’s Who” of world renowned guitar players (Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Morse and B.B. King, among others), The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers held the unique distinction of being the ONLY independent artist appearing on this release [Brian talks specifically about “Gaza” at 1:22 on the promo trailer seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVG19rlvH_Y ].
Fueled by the success of the Guitar Masters CD series, BHP Music slated a double CD release for 2010 (Guitar Masters Volumes 3 & 4), the theme being a dedication to the late, great Les Paul. Once again featuring some of the top guitarists on the planet (Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth, Leslie West, Frank Gambale, Will Ray and Gary Hoey, among others), Brian Tarquin contacted Jimmy and Johnny and commissioned them to write an extended double lead solo with trade offs for his composition, “Chopper Mania.” That track appears on Volume 3, which was released in June of 2010.
The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers continue to write, play and record and are currently working on their newest CD project, tentatively titled “Under The Influence,” slated for release in 2011. Johnny says, “It’s always been about the music, and this is without a doubt our most powerful and diverse project to date.” Jimmy adds, “Every song is a universe unto itself. Just give it a listen and enjoy the ride!”
May the lost art of harmony lead guitars never die. The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers are going to make sure that never happens.