Dalton Ridenhour, a native of St. James, Missouri, began musical training at the age of eight. He quickly developed an interest in Ragtime and first performed at the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival at the age of nine. For the next eight years, he was a featured performer at many Ragtime festivals around the country and was also selected as a member of the 2000 Grammy All-American High School Jazz Ensemble.

Dalton furthered his education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he studied privately with Joanne Brackeen and Danilo Perez. At Berklee, Dalton was exposed to an abundance of new music, and he was given the opportunity to play on numerous recording sessions, concerts, and gigs that involved styles of music ranging from country and pop, to jazz. In 2003, he graduated from Berklee with a B.M. in Piano Performance.

Following studies at Berklee, Dalton completed a Master's Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied privately with Harold Danko. He was the recipient of a graduate assistantship award that gave him the responsibility of teaching undergraduate courses at the Eastman School and the University of Rochester. While at Eastman, Dalton was awarded a Downbeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Soloist in the college division and Eastman's Shirmer Prize award for jazz performance. He was also selected as a member of Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center.

Currently, Dalton resides in New York City where he performs regularly with numerous trad jazz, indie rock, country and funk bands. He recently released his first solo album, "Eccentricity," on the Rivermont Records label.