Boney James Explained

Boney James
Birth Name:James Oppenheim
Birth Date:1 September 1961
Birth Place:Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genre:Jazz, contemporary jazz, R&B
Occupation:Musician
Instrument:Saxophone
Years Active:1970s–present
Label:Concord

Boney James (born James Oppenheim September 1, 1961) is an American saxophonist (tenor, alto and soprano), songwriter, record producer and recording artist.

He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee (Best Pop Instrumental Album, 2001, 2004, 2014 and Best Traditional R&B Performance, 2009) and a Soul Train Award winner (Best Jazz Album 1998). He has also received three NAACP Image Award nominations for Best Jazz Album.[1] James has sold over three million albums,[2] and has accumulated four RIAA Certified Gold Records. In 2009, Billboard magazine named James one of the Top 3 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Decade. In 2024 James became the first artist to notch twenty #1 singles on the Billboard magazine SJ Chart.[3]

Biography

James took up the clarinet at the age of eight, switching to sax when he was ten[4] having spent his early teen years in New Rochelle, New York. He became musically influenced by the R&B Motown genre and saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. When he was fourteen his family moved to Los Angeles, where he joined a fusion band that opened for acts like Flora Purim and the Yellowjackets. Another member of this early band was John Shanks, now a successful pop producer.[5] James eventually received a degree in history from UCLA, but began playing music full-time after graduation. James learned to play keyboards and in 1985 he joined Morris Day's band. His R&B influence was further strengthened by seven years of touring and sessions as a sideman with Day, The Isley Brothers, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford, Teena Marie and others. It was on the road with Crawford in 1986 that he earned his now-famous moniker, when his physique led a bandmate to joke "We'll have to start calling you 'Boney' James!"[6]

In the early 1990s, while on tour with Bobby Caldwell's band, he met engineer and producer Paul Brown, beginning a 10-year period of collaboration. In 1992 he released his debut album as a leader, Trust, on the independent record label Spindletop Records. Following the record's success, he was signed by the Warner Brothers label in 1994, on which he released the RIAA Certified Gold Records Seduction, Sweet Thing and Body Language albums.

In 2000 he collaborated with trumpeter Rick Braun on an album called Shake it Up. Their duets include the now classic updated version of Hugh Masakela's "Grazin' in the Grass". Both have appeared regularly on each other's solo albums and the two have toured internationally a number of times.Other artists to have made guest appearances on Boney's records include Lalah Hathaway, Raheem DeVaughn, Faith Evans, George Benson, George Duke, Dwele, Al Jarreau, Philip Bailey, Anthony Hamilton, Jaheim, Eric Benét, Dave Hollister, Stokley Williams, Avery*Sunshine, Kenny Lattimore and Angie Stone.

James began co-producing his records with Brown in 1997, and assumed the role of sole producer starting with his Grammy-nominated Pure album in 2003. Following a string of chart-topping albums, in 2006 James moved to Concord Records[5] and released Shine which posted his highest Billboard Pop Chart positions to that date (No. 44 on the Top 200). His 2009 album, Send One Your Love earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance. His 2013 album The Beat received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

Returning home from a concert performance on May 15, 2010, his car was rear ended by a drunk driver, causing him a fractured jaw, two shattered teeth and facial lacerations which sidelined his career for two months.[7]

In 2014, he produced two songs on Al Jarreau's George Duke tribute album My Old Friend, "No Rhyme No Reason" (feat. Kelly Price) and "Bring Me Joy" (feat. George Duke).[8]

In 2015, he released futuresoul which spent eleven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and was the best selling Contemporary Jazz Record of 2015.[9] In August 2015, James made his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

2017 saw the release of Honestly, his sixteenth album (which also featured production from Nutty P Beats) which became his eleventh No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart. It also reached No. 22 on the Billboard Current Albums Chart, his highest pop chart debut to date.[10]

June 2020 he released his seventeenth studio album Solid, describing it as "a reaction to how stressful the world feels these days. Music is a respite, it’s always ‘solid’ and never lets me down."[11] The CD broke his previous Pop Chart record, debuting at #10 on the Billboard Top Albums Chart.[12] His eighteenth album Detour was released on September 23, 2022.[13]

James is married to actress and director Lily Mariye and in 2012 he contributed an original score to her directorial feature film debut, Model Minority.[14]

Discography

Number-ones

The following hit number-one on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart.[15]

Initial peak dateTitleWeeks
01.November 11, 2006"The Total Experience" 4[16]
02.June 9, 2007"Hypnotic"3[17]
03.January 19, 2008"Let It Go"3[18]
04.March 7, 2009"Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)"8[19]
05.May 7, 2011"Contact"5[20]
06.October 8, 2011"Spin"4[21]
07.October 27, 2012"Magical" 3[22]
08.April 13, 2013"Batucada (The Beat)" 8[23]
09.October 12, 2013"Powerhouse"2[24]
10.May 23, 2015"Drumline"6[25]
11.November 7, 2015"Vinyl"2[26]
12.April 30, 2016"A Little Attitude"1[27]
13.October 14, 2017"Tick Tock"4[28]
14.April 7, 2018"On the Prowl"3[29]
15.September 1, 2018"Up All Night"4[30]
16.May 23, 2020"Solid"1[31]
17.October 17, 2020"Full Effect"2[32]
18.December 25, 2021"Sundance"1[33]
19.October 1, 2022"Bring It Back" 1[34]
20.April 20, 2024"Cigar Lounge" 3[35]

Notes and References

  1. News: Complete list of nominees for the 45th NAACP Image Awards . Los Angeles Times . January 9, 2014.
  2. Web site: SAN MANUEL: Boney James takes 'The Beat' to the stage. 7 February 2014. Pe.com. 4 January 2018.
  3. Web site: Boney James Becomes First Artist to Notch 20 No. 1s on Smooth Jazz Airplay Chart . Gary . Trust . April 15, 2024 . .
  4. Web site: Boney James 2007. Smoothjazznotes.com. 4 January 2018.
  5. Boney James. Billboard. 4 January 2018.
  6. News: No Plain James : Boney, a nickname he got during lean years as a Touring Musician, stuck; Now he wants to make his name as a saxman With 'Backbone' . Los Angeles Times . Bill . Kohlhaase . December 23, 1994.
  7. Web site: Sax man Boney James hurt in car crash. Larry. Rodgers. May 18, 2010. The Arizona Republic.
  8. Al Jarreau Salutes George Duke on New Star-Packed Album. Billboard. 4 January 2018.
  9. Contemporary Jazz Albums : Jan 04, 2018 - Billboard Chart Archive. Billboard. 4 January 2018.
  10. Web site: Boney James' New Album HONESTLY Debuts at #1. Broadwayworld.com. 4 January 2018.
  11. Web site: Q&A with Boney James: A Smooth Jazz Icon's 'Solid' Sound Stands the Test of Time. Jazziz.com. 13 March 2020. December 11, 2023.
  12. Web site: Chloe x Halle, Gone West, Boney James Debut On Billboard Artist 100 Chart. Brian. Cantor. 23 June 2020. Headlineplanet.com. December 11, 2023.
  13. Web site: Jazz/R&B Sax Icon Boney James to Release 18th New Album "Detour" on Sept. 23rd, 2022 – on Vinyl Jan. 13th, 2023. The Urban Music Scene. August 26, 2022. October 27, 2012.
  14. Web site: Model Minority: The Movie. Modelminoritymovie.com. 4 January 2018.
  15. Gary. Trust. Boney James Becomes First Artist to Notch 20 No. 1s on Smooth Jazz Airplay Chart. Billboard. April 18, 2024. April 15, 2024.
  16. "The Total Experience" – Nov 11 / Dec 2 / Dec 9 / Dec 30:
  17. "Hypnotic" – Jun 9 / Jun 16 / Jun 23:
  18. "Let It Go" – Jan 19 / Feb 2 / Feb 16:
  19. "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" – Mar 7 / Mar 14 / Mar 21 / Mar 28 / Apr 4 / Apr 11 / Apr 18 / Apr 25:
  20. "Contact" – May 7 / May 14 / May 21 / May 28 / Jun 4:
  21. "Spin" – Oct 8 / Oct 15 / Oct 22 / Oct 29:
  22. "Magical" – Oct 27 / Nov 3 / Nov 10:
  23. "Batucada (The Beat)" – Apr 13 / Apr 20 / Apr 27 / May 4 / May 11 / May 18 / May 25 / Jun 1:
  24. "Powerhouse" – Oct 12 / Oct 19:
  25. "Drumline" – May 23 / May 30 / Jun 6 / Jun 13 / Jun 20 / Jun 27:
  26. "Vinyl" – Nov 7 / Nov 14:
  27. "A Little Attitude" – Apr 30:
  28. "Tick Tock" – Oct 14 / Oct 21 / Oct 28 / Nov 4:
  29. "On the Prowl" – Apr 7 / Apr 14 / Apr 21:
  30. "Up All Night" – Sep 1 / Sep 8 / Sep 15 / Sep 22:
  31. "Solid" – May 23:
  32. "Full Effect" – Oct 17 / Oct 24:
  33. "Sundance" – Dec 25:
  34. "Bring It Back" – Oct 1:
  35. "Cigar Lounge" – Apr 20 / May 4 / May 11:

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