Kingsport Reporter

The Cultural Activities Committee and the Multicultural Cultural Center will welcome jazz instrumentalist and composer Will Boyd for a performance in February, celebrating Black History Month.

Boyd takes the stage on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m., in the Entertainment Technology performance lab of the Technical Education Complex on the Blountville campus. Admission is free. The performance is open to all. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

A multi-reed instrumentalist, composer, and educator, Boyd hails from soul sax tradition of artists Eddie Harris, Hank Crawford, David “Fat Head” Newman, King Curtis and Yusef Lateef. Originally from Orangeburg S.C. by way of Queens, New York, Boyd’s formidable resume began in his teenage years when he was playing with professional local R&B groups. He continued to polish his skills at South Carolina State University where he received bachelor’s degree in Music Business. He also met future wife, Kelle Jolly, herself a highly esteemed musician and vocalist.

He played in the jazz ensemble that boasted distinguished alumni such as tenor man Houston Person, trombonist Ron Westray, and trumpeter Charlton Singleton. Boyd was inducted into South Carolina State University’s jazz hall of fame in 1997. Boyd’s work includes three solo albums Live at the Red Piano Lounge; Freedom, Soul, Jazz and Soulful Noise.

He went on to become a staple in the music scene in Columbia, S.C., where he would play with mostly fusion, funk, and soul bands. There he got opportunities to play with legends in this field including local guitarist Robert Newton, drummer John Blackwell, trombonist Fred Wesley and soul singer William Bell. He later earned his master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina Asheville and Warren Wilson College. He and his wife have played numerous musical festivals in the United States and abroad.

For more information, contact lwcalvert@northeaststate.edu or cdmaines@northeaststate.edu.

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