Jim Pierce , born in 1948 near Lexington, Oklahoma, is the oldest of five children and was reared in a Christian home. Church attendance and church music, especially, have been a part of his life since he was very young. His parents bought him a piano when he was five years old, and although he didn't take piano lessons after getting the piano, he learned to play by ear and was the church pianist at his home church by the time he was ten years old.

Jim has been married to Jackie since 1973. She is a hair stylist and owner of a small style shop. They have two grown children, Nicole and Marty. Daughter Nicole is a civil service employee in Oklahoma City, and son Marty, who is married to Marie, is a youth pastor/praise & worship leader at a church in Rockford, Illinois.

In 1997, Jim took early-retirement from a 31-year civil service career; since that time he has taken on a second career in the janitorial/housecleaning business. Besides being pianist for The Gentry and staying busy with his cleaning business, Jim is also active in his home church, where he plays keyboard and serves as a deacon.

Jim likes different kinds of music but is partial to easy listening instrumental music and has quite a collection of recorded albums that he has acquired over the years. His hobbies include gardening and landscaping projects around his home, but he and Jackie also love to travel.

Jim became the pianist for The Gentry when they first formed in 1971. The Gentry was formed three months after he got out of the Navy, and to say that The Gentry was and still is a blessing to his life would be a gross understatement. He loves working for the Lord as The Gentry's pianist, and he feels privileged to minister in that capacity.