For 62-year-old Brady Rymer, music began with a simple invitation from his older brother: Join the band.
Decades later, that pastime has grown into a career spanning rock and roll, Grammy-nominated children’s music and an upcoming induction into the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (97 Main St., Stony Brook, 631-689-5888).
The Southold resident will be inducted Dec. 6 at 6 p.m., recognizing his contributions through From Good Homes, the Laurie Berkner Band and his own Little Band That Could.
Rymer’s musical beginnings trace back to Sparta, New Jersey, where he started playing guitar in garage bands as a teenager. Those early friendships eventually developed into From Good Homes, which signed with RCA Records in the early 1990s and released three albums with the label. The band toured alongside acts including Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Bob Dylan and Bob Weir’s Ratdog before disbanding in 1999. From Good Homes reunited in 2009 and continue to perform occasional shows and write music together.
Rymer had begun writing songs for his children, born in 1996 and 1998.
“I just started writing songs for them because that’s how I express things,” Rymer says. “I was living in New York City and one thing led to another, and then I just kind of figured out that there was a new kind of world out there of being a children’s family musician. I just started exploring that, saying yes to every job until I figured out how I wanted to do it. A couple years in, I was kind of missing being in a band again. I’ve been in the band my whole life — that simple thing of being with friends and playing music.”
The Little Band That Could began organically in his own neighborhood on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He met the other members through the everyday routines of parenthood, dropping his children off at preschool and connecting with fellow parents who were also musicians. He met some through his children’s preschool friendships and another through neighborhood playground gatherings. They began getting together to play music, jokingly referring to these musical get-togethers as their own “playdates.”
The collaboration soon blossomed into a successful career in children’s music, earning him three Grammy nominations for Best Children’s Music Album: Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could in 2009, Just Say Hi! in 2014 and Press Play in 2017.
His 2011 album Love Me for Who I Am grew out of relationships with children with special needs and educators, including a New Jersey school that invited him to perform. He continues to perform sensory-friendly shows, including for special education communities on Long Island.
Rymer spent more than a decade playing bass with the Laurie Berkner Band. He joined the group after the Little Band That Could opened for Berkner at a Central Park concert. Berkner later invited Rymer to fill in on bass, leading to more than 10 years of performing together.
Rymer and his wife purchased their Southold home in 2000 after a weekend visit to the North Fork. They moved there full-time from New York City in 2002, when their children were young. The area’s natural beauty, proximity to the water, food, wine and community helped make it an appealing place to raise their family.
His connection to LIMEHOF extends beyond the induction. Rymer has served on its Education Board for nearly a decade, supporting scholarships for young musicians and music educators. He also participated in its 2025 documentary festival screening of From Good Homes: Charlie Loves Our Band.
The induction event will feature live performances by Rymer, the Little Band That Could, From Good Homes and members of the Laurie Berkner Band.
“It’s a super huge honor,” Rymer says. “I’m really looking forward to the night. It’s a real kind of unique opportunity, especially when all three of these bands are getting together in one place. I can’t wait for this, and it’s really going to be a special night.”
Tickets are $50 and include a reception with food and drinks at 4:30 p.m. and the induction ceremony at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by Catholic Health, PSE&G, Anthony Nappa Wines, Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. and Grace & Grit.
