Jordan Rudess



Jordan Rudess

Born: November 4, 1956

DT Member: 1999 - present

Performs: Keyboards, Synths

Personal Website

Jordan Rudess' Facebook Jordan Rudess' Twitter Jordan Rudess' Myspace Jordan Rudess on last.fm

Jordan Rudess (born Jordan Rudes) was born on November 4, 1956. After his second grade teacher noticed his talent playing piano, he was enrolled at the Julliard Conservatory of Music for classical training at the age of nine. By his late teens he discovered progressive rock and turned away from classical playing to concentrate on progressive music. By 1994, he was recognized by Keyboard Magazine as Best New Talent, gaining him national prominence.

During this time Dream Theater was looking for a new keyboardist to replace Kevin Moore. Dream Theater invited Jordan to join the band, and he even played one show with them. However, having a young family, he turned down the gig so he could play part time with the Dixie Dregs. Eventually he formed a "power duo" with drummer Rod Morgenstein and they have since released two albums.

In 1997 Mike Portnoy again approached Jordan to play in a "supergroup" with himself, John Petrucci and Tony Levin called Liquid Tension Experiment. During the recording of that group's second album, Dream Theater was again in need of a keyboardist (this time to replace Derek Sherinian) and the job was again offered to Rudess. This time he accepted and has been the band's keyboardist since 1999's Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory.

Jordan has released several solo albums, the most recent being 2007's The Road Home, a tribute album to many of the bands that have influenced Jordan during his career. These influences include Gentle Giant, Genesis, Yes, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. He has also collaborated with David Bowie, Neal Morse, and Kip Winger.


Photo by ori0n, used under Creative Commons