Edwin "Pino" Rivera, his father (a trio singer), made the demo tape of Rivera when his son was just fourteen years old. Jerry and his father sing together in the trio songs "Entrega" and "Hiereme sin compasion" in the most recent production "De otra manera." Rivera is also accompanied by his father's trio in his CD "Jerry Rivera para siempre."

Rivera's first CD, Abriendo Puertas came out a year after his demo tape, in 1990. It was followed in 1992 by Cuenta Conmigo, which became one of the best selling records in salsa and produced two major hits, the title track, Cuenta Conmigo and "Casi Un Hechizo." A year later, Rivera released his third album: Empezando A Vivir.

In his career, Rivera has compiled a resumé that has not been limited to the musical arena. He played a small role in "I Like It Like That," a movie with an all-star cast with the likes of Jon Seda, Lauren Velez, Rita Moreno, and the Barrio Boyzz, among others. He doesn't say much in the movie, but he looks great in the photo shoot. He will appear as himself in the new Lucero novela "Mi destino eres tu" which will air in the U.S. in November on Univision.

Rivera also appeared in the 1996 Banco Popular special, "Al Compás de un Sentimiento," a musical tribute to the legendary composer, Pedro Flores. Here Jerry had the opportunity to sing with Gilberto Santa Rosa and Ruben Blades. Rivera also participated in the Banco Popular's latest special "Con la musica por dentro" where he sings a duet with Puerto Rican singer Millie.

Rivera's latest music efforts include the No Me Olvidaras album; a compilation of twenty hit songs, released in 2001.