“Born in the City with Southern Roots. Indigenous Ancestry. A Creative. Synesthete. Music Producer. Sound Engineer. Sound Griot. State Certified Teaching Artist.”
Gullah Geechee Cultural Sound Ambassador
Mr. Bounce Back is a 3X Stroke Survivor, hence the name given to him while in the hospital bed. Born in Washington, DC (Chocolate City) growing up infused with the sounds of Go-Go, Reggae, Blues and Hip-Hop.
Project: Zora’s Song: Genius Among Mortals for Zora Neale Hurston
ARTIST EDUCATOR STATEMENT
Having a gift to create, specifically music is indeed a blessing but knowing that my gift is attached to my purpose makes it truly more meaningful. I am extremely intentional because it is my purpose and I am called to do the work as a Teaching Artist and because of my traumatic youth and being a 3X stroke survivor I understand the importance of the gift being presented to inspire my community. The value that we as quality Teaching Artists bring is uniquely important because we have a different perspective as those who live constantly in the creative space of life and are pioneers of unorthodox solutions.
My stroke gave me a beautiful gift in the box checked as a disability which in my opinion enhanced my creativity. Although I had this gift my entire life, because my brain had changed due to the strokes the gift called synesthesia now had a name. It also allowed me to be free because I now understood myself better and seeing students struggle because of not quite knowing themselves yet, I am more aware, empathetic and I believe more helpful to them and my entire community.
As a music producer whose professional career started with a major label over 20 years, I’ve evolved into creating music that comes from a spiritual places and includes instrumentation from throughout the African diaspora to share our stories musically.
I’ve been working with other Gullah Geechee artists to create modern Gullah music because my music addresses the power of water, it harnesses the energy of the land, our ancestors and it honors my ancestors journey through “The Middle Passage”.
Mr. Bounce Back has been a member of the recording academy (Grammys) for several years and a GrammyU mentor. A volunteer for District Advocate, the biggest grassroots advocacy program which is a voice for the music makers helping to shape the discussion on policies impacting our music community. This advocacy successfully led to the House passing the CASE Act just weeks after District Advocate in 2019, to successfully urging Congress to provide billions in COVID relief for music makers and businesses in 2020.
MUSIC OF THE CAROLINA COAST & GULLAH GEECHEE CORRIDOR
A sonic journey of timeless soulful folk music composed by Mr. Bounce Back inspired by the Gullah Geechee culture of the southeastern Sea Islands and Corridor. Songs of Da Wada, Black Love, Black Land, Afrofuturism, Ancestral Mathematics, Time Travel, a Self Love Mantra, Carolina Jazz, Blues with a lil but of funk can all be found on her latest release “Textures of a Southern Soul” (a Gullah Geechee Soul).
As a dedicated arts advocate and state certified teaching-artist Mr. Bounce Back is a sought after Artist-in-Residence and Co-Founder of Responsible ARTistry, Inc. A non-profit that centers music as art therapy and education on artist development by hosting workshops, clinics and camps on music production, songwriting, song structure, stage presence, confidence building, and vocal production. Social Media pages are used with discernment by the artist. Past residences have been on the sacred grounds of The Brainerd Institute and Workshops In Open Fields, curated by the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor’s previous executive director, Victoria Smalls’ a premier program created by Poet and Pulitzer Prize Nominee Dr. Vivian Ayers Allen to foster and promote preschool literacy. The program was lauded and fully supported by the National Endowment of the Arts Chairman Nancy Hanks as the premier paradigm for how to approach education. Phylicia Rashad, the actress and director is the daughter of Dr. Vivian Ayers Allen was on site as a Culture Keeper at Brainerd Institute on behalf of Dr. Ayers.
For a preview about The Teaching Artistry of Mr. Bounce Back at Responsible ARTistry, Inc. view the video below.