Brady Rymer has spent a quarter century writing rock songs for children, and he has done it from the North Fork. On December 6, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame will induct the Southold musician, a three-time Grammy nominee, at a ceremony in Stony Brook Village that ends with Rymer onstage alongside three of the bands that shaped his career.

The Hall of Fame announced the induction on October 22. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at its museum at 97 Main Street in Stony Brook Village, and it is open to the public. Tickets include a reception with food and drinks and are sold through the Hall of Fame's website.

Three bands, one night

After the induction, Rymer will perform with The Little Band That Could, the group he has led in family music since 2000; with From Good Homes, the jam band he helped found and still plays bass in; and with members of The Laurie Berkner Band, where he played bass for more than ten years. Rymer has said the induction pleases him most because it recognizes all three of those chapters at once.

Through From Good Homes, Rymer has toured with acts that included Dave Matthews Band, Hootie and the Blowfish, Bob Weir's Ratdog and Bob Dylan. The Little Band That Could is Rymer's own: Liz Queler on mandolin and vocals, Claudia Mussen on accordion and vocals, Larry Eagle on drums, Seth Farber on keyboards, accordion and vocals, and Jeremy Chatzky on bass, with Rymer on guitar and lead vocals.

Twenty-five years of family rock

Rymer moved into family music when he started his own family in 2000. Since then he and the band have released a dozen or more studio albums, and three of them were nominated for the Grammy 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 records have also collected Parents' Choice Gold and National Parenting Publications Gold awards.

The band marked its 25th year with a new album for younger listeners called Baby Rhino. The title comes from a mix-up: young fans who misheard the name Brady Rymer started calling him Baby Rhino, and he adopted it. The album's songs cover dinosaurs, rhinos, elevators and helicopters, along with lessons about feelings, and one of its tracks, The Friendliest Dinosaur, got its own puppet music video.

A special edition of his song Jump Up appeared in 2013 on Songs for a Healthier America, a compilation produced by Hip Hop Public Health for the Let's Move campaign, and his recordings are part of two HBO family releases, A Family Is A Family Is A Family: A Rosie O'Donnell Celebration and Don't Divorce Me! Kids' Rules for Parents on Divorce.

Sensory-friendly shows

Rymer regularly performs sensory-friendly concerts for audiences with autism and other special needs. His 2011 album Love Me For Who I Am centers on neurodiversity acceptance, and its songs are part of those shows. His website also offers lesson plans built around the album.

An inductee who was already inside

The induction has an unusual twist: Rymer has served on the Hall of Fame's education board for close to ten years, supporting its work with young musicians and music educators across Long Island. In 2025 he was a panelist and performer at the organization's Music Documentary Film Festival, when it screened From Good Homes: Charlie Loves Our Band. He has said he never expected to become an inductee himself.

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a nonprofit founded in 2004 to preserve and celebrate the region's musical history. Its museum on Main Street in Stony Brook Village is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The December 6 event is sponsored by Catholic Health, PSE&G, Anthony Nappa Wines, Greenport Harbor and Grace & Grit.

Going

The induction and concert are Sunday, December 6 at 6 p.m. at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook. Tickets, which include the reception, are on the Hall of Fame's tickets page. The museum can be reached at 631-689-5888 or [email protected].

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