Although he was born in Providence, Rhode Island, Jeremy Ragsdale grew up surrounded by music in Annapolis, Maryland. He began studying classical piano at age 7, but was trained early by his father (Scott Ragsdale, Berklee alumnus and head arranger for the US Navy Band) in the areas of jazz harmony and arranging. Using both his piano and harmony experience, he began to play the piano professionally by the age of 12.
Jeremy spent much of his childhood performing in musical theater productions and choruses, and always credited his success to the private training he received as a child. In 1999, He performed in New York's Carnegie Hall with the MENC All-Eastern Division Honors Choir. In 2000, he sang in the GRAMMY High School Jazz Choir, which recorded a CD in Sony Music Studios, and did gigs in and around Los Angeles, California).
After briefly studying Classical voice at the New England Conservatory of Music under Mark Pearson, Jeremy decided that his heart belongs with Jazz, at Berklee College of Music. Today, he is in his third year at Berklee, having studied performance with many well-known and highly experienced musicians such as Kevin Mahogany and Walter Beasley.