Jerry Story

Jerry Story Band Bio

Known for his role as house pianist at Vancouver’s renowned Yale Blues Pub, Story cut his teeth under the tutelage of the late Big Joe Duskin, a pianist who would become his musical mentor and close friend. Thanks to the influence of Duskin – one of the last great boogie-woogie masters – Story’s formative musical years were spent developing a strong, self-assured personal style on the piano, with an emphasis on a powerful left-hand technique, blues-drenched right-hand vocabulary, and a deep knowledge of both classic and modern piano music.

A long-time member of the Vancouver music scene, Story has performed with The Powder Blues, Amos Garrett, Guitar Shorty, Big Joe Duskin, Kenny Neal, Jim Byrnes, and countless others in the roots and blues world. He was a member of the house band The Wailin’ Demons with Jack Lavin, co-founder and original bassist for The Powder Blues, along with guitarists Tim Hearsey and Al Walker. This group of musicians were the host band for the legendary Yale Pub Sunday Blues Jams. Among all of the above experiences, Story also feels extremely privileged to have met and performed duo-piano concerts with German boogie-woogie greats Vince Weber and Axel Zwingenberger in both Hamburg and Paris.

Having played with other musical projects for years, Story takes center stage with his brand new venture, The Jerry Story Band, whose debut album was recorded live at a performance at Little City Merchant in Enderby during a summer tour in 2018. The JSB, as it’s affectionately known, features the talents of Story on piano and keyboard, the drumming prowess of James McCrae, and two JUNO nominees: the guitarist Colin Story, Jerry’s son, who is active in the jazz, blues, and indie scene in Toronto, and the legendary Miles Black, one of Canada’s top pianists and multi-instrumentalists, who plays both saxophone and keyboards with the band.

Rooted in the blues, The Jerry Story Band’s live show is steeped in funk, gospel, and New Orleans flavours, with an emphasis on rhythm, groove, and fun. Paying homage to his boogie-woogie roots, the JSB’s live show is designed to feel more like down-home house party than a formal concert. “The point of playing live,” as Story puts it, “is to have fun, play something funky, and make the people feel good. If the audience leaves with smiles on their faces, we’ve done our job.