Dr. James Polk is a musical legend in his own right. The renowned blues artist is a Texas native, and he grew up in Corpus Christi Texas before going on to study at Huston-Tillotson University, where he began fulfilling his aspirations to educate others about music and received his degree in music education. The shining moment of Polk’s career came when he moved to the West Coast to play, and later write, arrange, and conduct for the Ray Charles Orchestra. Two of the songs that he wrote for Ray Charles went on to be nominated for Grammys. Polk continues to pursue music education, and after moving back to Austin, he received his Professor Emeritus status of Jazz studies in the School of Music at Texas State University in San Marcos. He primarily focuses on jazz/blues/Black music preservation.
Polk’s widespread musical knowledge and worldwide experiences truly make him an incredibly accomplished musician, and we’re lucky enough to have him in our studio on Thursday, July 11, at 3pm, so be sure to tune in!