Pianist Eric Byrd was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and raised in Willingboro, New Jersey, 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Upon graduating Willingboro High School, he attended Western Maryland College, newly renamed McDaniel College, and graduated with academic honors. As a graduating senior, he ended his academic career becoming the first to receive the 1938 Excellence in Music Award and he is the only student in McDaniel College history to compose and perform his or her own graduation theme song. He was added to the music faculty in the fall of 1994, and received the 1998 and 2002 McDaniel College Faculty Creativity Award. He received his Masters in Music in 2001, and recently received the 2002 Distinguished Alumni Award.

          Byrd has been pianist with the Howard Burns Quartet (HBQ) since the winter of 1990 and has filled the same role in the Ron Kearns Quintet since 1998. On two HBQ releases, "Emblem" and 1999's "Lucinda's Serenade," Byrd's piano and compositions have been the primary sources of the recorded material. Byrd contributes 10 compositions to the two projects. Kearns' "Blues in the Alley: Live at Blues Alley!" features Byrd's blues influenced jazz stylings throughout the session, causing the CD to chart well on the national Gavin Charts. He has also recorded two records with gospel vocalist Lea Gilmore, a big band recording with the Thad Wilson Orchestra, and a blues record with vocalist Ruby Hayes.

          Opening and playing with legends such as Wynton Marsalis, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Vanessa Rubin, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Byrd, Mike Stern, Joey DeFrancesco, Buck Hill, Ernie Andrews and Ethel Ennis prepared Byrd to start recording as a leader in 1999. His first CD, "The Fire Within (The Heart)", was released on Foxhaven Records and received critical acclaim from Cadence Magazine, the Washington Post, and The Music Monthly. "The Eric Byrd Trio" CD was released in April of 2002. Featuring standards, six Byrd compositions and Khalsa arrangements, the music is propelled by the explosive drumming of Young. Recent performances have included the Montreux Jazz Festival, Dubai in the UAE, and return engagements at Twins and Blues Alley in DC, Bolivia, and Peru. The Eric Byrd Trio's latest CD is called Triunity, released on Foxhaven Records in 2005. It features Byrd's compositions and his vocals, as well as his inventive, gospel/blues piano jazz improvisations.