The Powerful and Mellow Sounds of Saxophonist Boney James at the Intimate Charleston Music Hall

One could sense the feel-good vibes as they approached the pleasantly lighted facade of the impressive Gothic Revival Style John Street landmark. Happy patrons were beginning to file through its welcoming doors and taking their seats, filled with anticipation of what was to come when the hour struck 8 pm. The venue's intimate auditorium would soon overflow with the powerful yet mellow sounds of Boney James' sexy sax.

The Charleston Music Hall is one of the oldest buildings on the block and was designed by Charleston architect Edward C. Jones to resemble a Medieval castle. Known historically as The Tower Depot, it was built in 1849-50 as a passenger station of the South Carolina Railroad. The building's most impressive feature was its three-story tower.

The Tower Depot was one of several buildings and part of a larger complex called the Camden Depot. It closed in 1853. Following the Civil War, the Charleston Bagging Manufacturing Company began building complex mills around the vicinity and bought the building on February 6, 1878, to include in their factory.

The Charleston earthquake of August 31, 1886 destroyed the three-story tower. Most of the building was torn down, with the remaining being used for storage. The Bagging Company closed during the Great Depression in the 1930s. The building then passed into the hand of the Chicco family.

The building sat vacant and derelict for sixty years until finally, in 1995, the Bennett-Hofford Company facilitated its amazing transformation into an arts venue called the Charleston Music Hall. They created a first-class performance space that retained the original historical Charleston-style aesthetic. Its goal is to create extraordinary musical, artistic, and theatrical experiences and promote the finest local, regional, and national acts while encouraging local and communal participation. It has hosted a myriad of acts since its opening. November 2022, the stage was set for saxophonist extraordinaire Boney James and Company.

James Oppenheim spent his early teen years in New Rochelle, NY. He took up the clarinet at age eight, switched to sax when he was ten, and also learned to play keyboards. At 19, while earning a history degree at UCLA, he started playing in the fusion band Line One. He worked in a pizza joint to pay the bills, auditioned for Prince associate Morris Day's band as a keyboardist in 1985, and got the gig.

Boney James was familiar with the difficult life of a touring musician. During a low-paying 1987 European tour with vocalist Randy Crawford, his now-famous name surfaced. "We were in Norway doing an extended gig, and it was only paying $30 a day, which didn't cut it," said James. "They said I'd end up being 'Boney' James. Sekou Bunch, the tour's bass player, kept introducing me as 'Boney.' The next thing I knew, I had a nickname. A lot of my musician friends thought of me as Boney. The record company said that Oppenheim was not very catchy and that we needed to do something with the name. I said I had a nickname, and when I told them what it was, they loved it." It became his performing name when he cut his first album. The rest is history.

Boney James is a four-time Grammy Award nominee, a Soul Train Award winner, and received two NAACP Image Award nominations for Best Jazz Album. He has sold over three million albums and accumulated four RIAA Certified Gold Records. In 2009, Billboard magazine named James one of the Top 3 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Decade.

Boney James was outfitted in his signature apparel--a black Fedora hat, dark jeans, spiffy sneakers, and a crew neck shirt with a suit jacket. He was accompanied by Big Mike Hart on guitar, keyboardist Jonathan Richmond, drummer Omari Williams, and bass guitarist Smitty Smith. You could see and feel the chemistry between the group. In the audience, heads swayed side-to-side while bodies gyrated to the explosive rhythms. The drummer blew the roof off the building with a booming and powerful solo. Big Mike soon followed with an electrifying lick on his guitar. Boney James was phenomenal as he gracefully moved across the stage connecting with his enthralled audience.

Photos and video by Anne-Merle Bryant

37 John Street, Charleston, SC, 843-853-2252

Box Office Hours: Thursday and Friday 10 am-3 pm

Charleston Music Hall Schedule

Summerville's Joseph Tedesco Plays From the Heart-A Story Of Tragedy And Triumph

Two days, two parties. Friday and Saturday nights are always entertaining at Coastal Coffee Roasters of Summerville with its acoustic lineup, but this past weekend was exceptional with two top headliners back to back on the schedule. Add to the mix a birthday party and it became a celebration of candles and music.

The two guitars were propped up on their stands. The head stock of one of the guitars had a fedora hanging on it. Later, we would learn the fedora was a subject of contention between its owner and his wife, a matter dealing with appearance. Joseph Tedesco is its owner, and he was making final preparations for his performance while Brad and staff catered to the party guests. Joseph has become a CCR favorite.

Joseph Tedesco's story is a one of tragedy and triumph. It is a human story. Speaking of more recent times, he recalled, "I stumbled on to Coastal Coffee Roasters and found a very comfortable venue and a very welcoming audience to what I want to do." Though he was born in New Jersey and later moved to Atlanta when he was seven, Joseph has been no stranger to the Lowcountry. In the 80's, he traveled from Atlanta on weekends many times to perform at the Shem Creek Bar and Grill.

Joseph started out on the drums when he was ten and turned to the guitar a couple of years later. His first band was The Rising Sun, established while he was only in elementary school. He began writing songs in his early teens and the first song he wrote was called "Prayer for Pocahontas". After high school, he began working with the Georgia Game and Fish Division and his music took a backseat for a time.

Eventually, Joseph moved to Colorado with the intent of continuing to work in wildlife or fisheries management, but once he settled in things changed. "Colorado can be very inspiring to creative people. Within weeks of moving west, I formed another band," he recounted. The band's name was the Cholla Canyon Band. They opened for numerous national headliners all over the state and did some pretty big shows all on our own name recognition. The band performed together for 12 years.

Then, a tragedy struck that would alter Joseph's course. "My older brother, a big musical influence on me, passed away suddenly and I hit the skids." He developed a panic disorder and eventually terrible stage fright, ending his music career, momentarily.

Joseph moved back to the east, this time to Charleston, and slowly started regaining the ability to perform again, which brings the story to Summerville and Coastal Coffee Roasters. Now, he sings his own songs and songs he feels close to or has some attachment to. He views this as a second chance to do what he loves.

Joseph summed it up this way, "I have played in front of ten thousand people and 25 folks at Coastal Coffee. The number of people makes zero difference to me anymore. I just do what I do, with all the truth and courage I have and hope to connect with at least some of them every night. If my 15 minutes of fame has already come and gone, I'm okay with that. If tomorrow I write that big radio song, I'm okay with that too."

Maureen O'Brien and Kathlene Lainhart

Friday, Joseph played his guitar, piano, and harmonica with non-stop energy and fun. Maureen O'Brien celebrated her 29th(?) birthday while he entertained the crowd with a mix of his own songs and requests of favorites from the happy crowd. Jacki Mallett sang a couple of songs to close out the evening. It was another fantastic night at Coastal Coffee Roasters.

Next time you are in Summerville, stop in and join the fun. Check their Facebook page for the week's schedule of entertainment.