Born in Shreveport, Louisiana to Dorothy and Brady Blade, Sr. Brian Blade has one brother, Brady, Jr. five years older. Brian's father was the pastor of Zion Baptist Church and his mother taught kindergarten at Stoner Hill Elementary for twenty-five years. He has great memories of growing up, taking family trips and fishing on Cross Lake, Lake Bistineau and Toledo Bend. Brian attended North Highlands Elementary school where he was introduced to music appreciation and orchestra. Both he and Brady were taught drums by Donald Horton using Remo practice pads and both studied under Dorsey Summerfield at Caddo Magnet High School where Summerfield was the band and music teacher. Brian became the drummer in Summerfield's band at Caddo Magnet and played gigs around town with the band. He started buying records at Sooto Records on Kings Highway after Summerfield told him he needed to listen to John Coltraine, Ray Charles, Mile Davis and others. After graduating from Magnet High School in 1988 he attended Loyola University in New Orleans, majoring in music, then transferred to the University of New Orleans after Ellis Marsalis began a program there. He left UNO for a semester to go on tour to England and Scotland with Ellis Marsalis, the first time he had left the country. They were there only about a week but played four concerts in Glasgow and Hackney Empire in London. He and his best friends from New Orleans, John Coward and Chris Thomas, formed The Fellowship Band in 1998. South Louisiana was so culturally different from what he had experienced, the sounds that come from Acadiana, the melting pot of cultures became a whole different sound. Between 1986 and `88 Shreveport had the greatest music he had ever heard. Bands like Picket Line Coyotes and people like Raymond Blakes, Dorothy Prime and Marvin Seal were playing and people could go to Enoch's cafe, The Oyster House, Humphries or the Silver Bullet, making the rounds and hearing great music. Brian prefers playing in an intimate environment because it intensifies the experience allowing jazz to really thrive in small spaces. Brian met his wife Lurah at Caddo Magnet High School and they married in 2010. They have three children.