Ryan Perry is a blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has been working professionally since he was 13 years old, leading his Homemade Jamz Blues Band that also featured his younger siblings Kyle and Taya (who was nine). Three years later they were the youngest band ever to compete in the 23rd International Blues Challenge, taking home second place and earning a record deal with Toronto's NorthernBlues Music label. In addition to their music, the trio was recognized for using homemade instruments. Ryan's guitar and Kyle's bass were crafted from Ford automobile parts and prominently displayed the manufacturer's logo. After issuing four albums between 2008 and 2013, touring the U.S. several times, and having their music used in the TV series Justified, Ryan went solo in 2017 and issued his debut solo long-player in 2020.

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Ryan was the oldest of three children born to Renaud and Tricia Perry (his mother remains his manager and publicist). Obsessed with electric blues from an early age, he wanted to learn to play guitar in order to perform the music of the artists he loved including B.B. King, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His dad signed him up for guitar lessons, but they didn’t take initially. After going through a few more formal instructors, Renaud put his son, then 12, into an apprenticeship with a local bluesman who went by the name of Jabbo. While the older man was initially reluctant to take him on, Renaud, a police officer, proved persuasive. By the end of their first lesson -- which, appropriately enough, took place on the front porch of Jabbo's house -- the older musician wanted to teach his charge everything he knew.

Renaud put his other children, Kyle and Taya, into music lessons as well, and Ryan and his brother built their own instruments. Ryan explained the process to NPR in 2008: "Basically, what we did was bolted on a neck, took the electronics from a regular guitar, and just shoved them in the body of this muffler. On the back of it is a license plate, covering the giant hole that we cut in it. And then we have exhaust tips that we put at the end of the guitars."

The trio (Taya was only nine when they formed) began playing locally, then regionally. After woodshedding and writing for nearly four years, they took their act to the stage of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2007, and took home second prize; they were the youngest group to perform on that stage in competition history. Their prize included a record deal with Toronto's NorthernBlues Music label. Their debut, Pay Me No Mind, won accolades across the globe. Perry was just 14, while his brother was 12 and Taya 9. They followed with I Got Blues for You in 2009. Despite being a more accomplished outing than its predecessor, the hype had worn off and the album didn’t sell as well. NorthernBlues Music dropped them after a tour. There were numerous ups and downs for the young band. They self-released two more albums -- The Game in 2020 and Mississippi Hill Country in 2013 -- and logged tens of thousands of touring miles during summer vacations and school holidays. They eventually split in 2017.

Ryan Perry was a gun for hire. Already an accomplished singer and songwriter, he sat in with regional players and formed his own band. In 2019, he was signed to Berlin's Ruf Records and consequently contributed a cover of Chuck Berry's "I Want to Be Your Driver" to the label's homage compilation Rock 'n' Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry. Perry was in fine company; other participants included Joe Bonamassa, Albert Castiglia, Joanna Connor, Walter Trout, Robben Ford, and Sonny Landreth, to name a few. Late that year, Perry entered Berlin's Studio Erde with producer Roger Inniss (who also played bass) and drummer Lucy Piper. Finished within a few days and titled High Risk, Low Reward, the album was issued in March of 2020. Though originally picked to be part of the label's Blues Caravan tour with other newer signees Whitney Shay and Jeremiah Johnson, the tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Perry's album placed on several European streaming charts. ~ Thom Jurek