The story
Early jazz and dance band pianist. Born in Newport News, Virginia, December 25, 1891.
Briers likely received his first piano lessons as a kid, and later studied at some conservatory.
Briers married his sweetheart Evelyn Russell Groeble on September 6 of 1913 before the 2 newlyweds moved to New York, where Larry Briers obtained employment at the Rector Cafe from the 4th Street, place where he decided to use the artistic name of Larry Briers. It was there when he met clarinet player, violinist & future alto saxophonist Joseph Samuels, who hired him for his orchestra that also played in the Rector Café. Briers did his very first recordings with Samuels's Orchestra for the US branch of Pathé (which later became Pathé Actuelle) on January of 1919, and also recorded with Samuels for Okeh, Emerson, Lyric, the Plaza group (renamed ARC), Gennett, the NYRL group (including Paramount, Puritan, etc.), Arto, Bell, Grey Gull, Edison & Federal among other labels.
From Discogs, written by its community.