As a trumpeter and arranger, Ryerson performed and recorded with several big bands, beginning in 1927, including Mal Hallett and His Orchestra (also as an arranger; 1936), Glen Gray and His Casa Loma Orchestra (1939-1942), Jack Teagarden (1939), Jimmy Dorsey, and Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra (1944).
Ryerson was a musician who collaborated with several prominent bands in the late 1920s to 1940s, including Mal Hallett's orchestra, Glen Gray's Casa Loma band, and others. He also worked as an arranger for some of these groups.