River City is the Premier Choice in Upscale Entertainment!
Jeremy Braley - Vocals
Jeremy Braley has been performing professionally around the world for the last 10+ years . He most recently spent five years as a singer/dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines. He is the biggest Bengals fan and loves being home in Cincy performing with his wife, Paige, and River City.
Paige Braley - Vocals
Paige has been singing for as long as she can remember. Coming from a musical family, it is no surprise she went on to perform nationally with theatres and theme parks, and tour the world as a singer/dancer with Carnival Cruise Lines for 5 years. She is grateful for the vast life experience she's gained from the stage, but is grateful to be back in her hometown of Cincinnati, OH- performing with RCB!
Billy Byrd - Drums, Vocals
This hard-working musician brings energy, enjoyment, and enthusiasm with him to any musical setting he is a part of. Ever since receiving a radio as a child, music has been the passion of his life. His love for the drums came early on, and by the 5th grade he made his way into the school band and choir. As he grew into his teens, he honed his singing and drumming skills in various high school rock bands, not to mention every school music program that was offered. His love of music set him on a path of discovery that remains to this day.
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Some of the accomplishments in his over 40 - year career as a performing artist include:
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The Louis Armstrong Jazz award as a high school senior- 1983
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United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps- 1984
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Musicians Inst. Of Technology- Percussion program graduate 1989
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Studio session work at Full on Sound in Hollywood Ca, Babblefish Recording in Franklin Oh, and Whirlwind Productions in Mason OH.
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Performing engagements aside from River City have included many showcase performances on LA’s famed “Sunset Strip” including The Whisky, The Roxy and The Troubadour. He has also performed with Ohio’s Metropolitan Pops Orchestra, and served as the pit drummer for different musicals in the area. Since 2013, he has been performing as a show drummer for Paramount Kings Island.
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He is also active private instructor, having tutored many different drum students of all ages over the years.
As a founding member of the River City family, Billy still considers his work with this band among the most enjoyable of all.
Flor Byrd - Percussion, Vocals
Flor Byrd was born in Mexico in 1973. In 1981 she was a member of the acclaimed show “Juguemos a Cantar” (Let’s Play and Sing) where she was signed to the label “RCA Mexico” recording two albums. In 1983 Flor took dance lessons and stage performance with the “Ballet Aztlan” of Silvia Lozano. She took lessons with the late private vocal instructors Emilio Perez Casas and Paz Villalobos DeBerruecos. By 1990 in Los Angeles, CA and Mexico City, Flor began to sing background vocals for various recording productions for Latin singers such as Angeles Ochoa, Alicia Villareal and Pedro Fernandez under the direction of the legendary arranger/producer Homero Patron.
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She’s toured Mexico, United States, Central/South America and Europe with different artists, including Mexico’s pop sensation Fey. In 1995 she moved to Cincinnati, OH and for 26 years she has been a part of many local groups as a percussionist and singer. She has played for The Ohio Metropolitan Pops Orchestra alongside Cincinnati’s top musicians. Recent works include recordings at Whirlwind Productions for the 2018 “Rose Bowl Parade” opening number “Into the Streets” with arrangements by Cincinnati’s arranger/producer Jeff Smith.
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For the last 9 years Flor has been the fulltime percussionist/singer for the theme park “Paramount’s Kings Island” in Mason, OH. Flor is also a member of the Top 40’s group “River City” playing all over the United States with recent shows at “The Mirage / Caesar’s Palace” in Las Vegas, NV as well as “The Convention Center” in San Antonio, TX for the company “Corporate Magic”.
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“To seek happiness through music, and to help others find this in themselves, would be my greatest honor. Que viva la buena musica!” -Flor Byrd
Jonathan Daugherty - Saxophone
Jonathan Daugherty has been the River City saxophonist since the summer of 2019. Before then, he was lucky enough to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Saxophone Performance from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2017 and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from Northern Illinois University in 2019. While in school, Jonathan was fortunate enough to study with Todd Williams, Reggie Thomas, and Geof Bradfield. Through his educational years, Jonathan had an opportunity to play all over the Midwest including but not limited to such prestigious clubs as the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis, Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago, and spent a week playing at multiple clubs on famous Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2018, Jonathan performed with the NIU Jazz Orchestra at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival and was awarded as one of the top soloists at the festival.
Upon graduation in 2019, Jonathan made the move to the Cincinnati area and was hired to play for Cedar Fair’s Kings Island’s summer season. While he played there, Jonathan established himself not only as a player, but also an educator. He was hired on by the Cincinnati School of Music(CSM) to teach a wide range of music lessons to students of all ages. In addition to teaching at CSM, Jonathan provided lessons form his own private studio and enjoyed working with and alongside area high schools and middle schools. Although Jonathan has stepped away from teaching full-time, he still holds a small private studio of driven saxophone students that he meets with on a weekly basis.
Today Jonathan continues to live and play in the Cincinnati area. Over the last year Jonathan has been lucky enough to travel to Phoenix, Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky to play for private corporate events with River City. He has also been lucky enough to be the mainstay studio saxophonist for Whirlwind Productions in recent years and has been a featured soloist for national ads. In addition to playing with River City, Jonathan has been fortunate to share the stage with artists such as The Temptations, The Four Tops, Blue Eighty, Dennis Mackrel, Eric Marienthal, and a multitude of other top jazz musicians in the industry today.
Ryan Ervin - Trumpet
Ryan holds both a Bachelor and Master degree in Music Education from Morehead State University.
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Ryan is currently the Director of Bands at Madeira City Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio and has just begun his 15th year in the classroom. In addition to teaching, he has extensive experience as a professional musician, working as a trumpet player and Musical Director for Royal Caribbean Cruises. While employed by Royal Caribbean, he traveled to over 35 different countries and performed for thousands of audience members. He has also spent a substantial amount of time performing in pit orchestras. Most notably, he performed as the Principal Trumpet Player for the National Broadway Tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The tour traveled to most major cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
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Ryan is an active freelance musician and recording artist in the Tri-State area and has made recent appearances with The Temptations and The Four Tops. He has been a resident performer for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians, performing the National Anthem annually for more than 20 years. His trumpet playing has also been heard in various theme parks across the U.S. and on National Television.
Ryan currently resides in the Cincinnati area with his wife Song and daughter Vera.
Tracey Hamilton - Bass
Tracey Hamilton started playing guitar at the age of 14 and immediately gravitated towards the bass. He’s played in several bands throughout the years covering various styles of music from big band to contemporary Christian, and country to R&B. His musical influences are Jaco Pastorius, Victor Wooten and James Jamerson. He’s also had the blessing of playing for his church’s praise and worship team since 2000. Working as an audio engineer by day, he’s always thrilled to spend time not only playing out live, but also recording and mixing music. He enjoys spending quality time with his family and is an avid vintage Star Wars collector.
Blake Jamison - Guitar
Blake Jamison has been playing guitar since he was 13 years old. His first professional gig was at the age of 14. From there he spent 2 years in Nashville studying and playing music. He then landed in the Cincinnati area playing guitar at Kings Island and in Jeff Ruby’s waterfront house band. He continues to play professionally and has played with his church worship band for over 20 years.
Kyle Knepper - Trumpet
Kyle Knepper is a native of Lafayette, Indiana. He attended Morehead State Univeristy in Morehead, KY for Trumpet Performance, studying with Professor Greg Wing. He played in virtually every ensemble MSU had to offer, along with professional ensembles outside of school. His early professional career included playing trumpet at Kings Island in Cincinnati for 5 full-time Summer, Fall, and Winter seasons. During that time, he also played in numerous ensembles for corporate events, private events, and weddings. Now based back in Lafayette, IN, he remains an active trumpet player not only in Cincinnati, but throughout the Midwest.
Jeff Smith - Keyboards, Vocals
Jeff began performing professionally on the keyboard at the age of six, writing original songs in his teen years, and developing his arranging and orchestration skills while in college at Miami University. He worked as an arranger and music director at Kings Productions in Cincinnati for seven years before starting his own music production company, Whirlwind Productions, in 1993. Since then his music has been performed extensively both locally, nationally, and worldwide at Kings Island (and affiliate parks), Disney World, Sea World, Stone Mountain Georgia, Tokyo Disney, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the Tournament of Roses Parade, and many others.
Jeff has also written and arranged for many corporate clients such as Berkshire Hathaway, Republic Services, Prudential, Sherwin Williams, Rite Aid, and the Boy Scouts of America. He is a sought after arranger by production companies such as Cedar Fair, Corporate Magic, RWS and Associates, The Imagination House, and others.
He has literally been performing in venues for most of his life, but considers it an honor and a privilege to be writing for and performing with River City along with his wife, Julie, and his closest friends.
Julie Smith - Trombone
Julie has been playing trombone professionally since she was in high school, but her performance career really took off while working on her music education degree at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Upon graduation, she was hired to perform as a trombonist at Kings Island which proved to be a great
opportunity to grow as a musician in so many ways. Julie has also performed as a permanent member of the Middletown Symphony, the Ohio Metropolitan Pops Orchestra, and the Southwest Ohio Philharmonic. She has performed in numerous pit orchestras and played on many recording sessions throughout the Cincinnati area in addition to playing in corporate shows in Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Louisville. Julie considers it to be a great joy and privilege to be able to perform as a member of River City alongside her husband, Jeff, and so many of her closest friends.