Today we’d like to introduce you to James D. McGee, Sr..
Hi James D., thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I come from a musical family and I have been writing and creating music since I was about seven years old. My earliest experiences with music were with my grandfather, Thomas, Tutti Gadson, and his brother James Gadson, who were integral in the development of our families, musical legacy.
They were always involved in bands and my Uncle James Gadson is one of the most recorded sessions and drummers in the business, responsible for a lot of contemporary soul. Funk R&B hip-hop sounds. So I was surrounded by that or that influence most of my life. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, I definitely was exposed early to different forms of world music, and other music from other cultures. Latin jazz, Afro Caribbean music, Asian Pacific Islander music just a wealth of cultures so that also influenced my early involvement in music and the arts.
But if you want to know the specific origin, I wrote my first song when I was seven years old. And then I started producing my own music when I was about 10 or 11 years old.
After graduating college, I had a choice of moving to another city like Los Angeles or New York and continuing my musical career from a professional standpoint or to return back to Kansas City, I decided to return to Kansas City to see what I could build here, and I was encouraged by my other relatives in the music industry to make a foundation here and establish roots with the Musician community because it was needed. I eventually moved my business operations to 18th and Vine, which led me to meeting people at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. I used to take my grandfather there all of the time when he would come visit us from Los Angeles. He had this place. He would ask one of us to take him to at about 12 or 1 o’clock in the morning and then we would go back and pick him up at 7 AM in the morning or something like that. Always thought it was strange but I knew it was something sacred about it so I never bothered asking him if I could participate so it wasn’t until later in lfe that I found out what the building was and what purpose it served. So when I had an opportunity to work with them, I leaned into it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My career in the arts has definitely not been a smooth road. But I can’t say that it hasn’t been eventful. An abundance of life to say the least.
From working with different musical acts and groups, to being a solo Artist and Producer, to touring the underground, hip-hop circuit, to performing and working with major national and international artist; to say anything with that expansive experience is a “smooth road” would be a stretch. However, I would say that the corporate and the arts and cultural institutional side of it has caused the greatest amount of struggle and obstacles. In a position like mine, where I’m coming from a creative background, but implementing corporate and institutional systems, it can be a bit of an awkward and intense situation. There’s always this push and pull between artistic purpose, relevance, and capitalist goals. And a need to feed that machine. There are some interesting dilemmas that come up when those two worlds clash. But it’s like anything else and most of it boils down to ego.
Working within the Kansas City, community especially in a historically, African-American represented organization and historically African-American district has definitely presented some challenges. The same things that are faced on a wider systemic basis are also experienced in these institutions and neighborhoods. Lack of funding, lack of resources, times where disenfranchisement is extremely prevalent. But we continue to move forward and build off of our history and culture, which has always been the real prize. It always surprises me how willing people are to clash over control or influence of these institutions and cultural assets.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m part of a wave of creatives, musicians, artist, entrepreneurs that began to develop this multi layered multi discipline entrepreneurial ecosystem around the first half of the 2010’s.
The word I would use to describe my involvement in this ecosystem would be musicpreneur. My original and primary medium is music creation and performance, but it has led into various other areas such as producing music for other artist, running studios, producing live events and concerts, producing experiences and activating spaces, and even managing places like the Mutual Musicians Foundation and being on the senior team at the American Jazz Museum. What I would say I specialize in is being able to move between those environments seamlessly. When I was younger, I was known for being an Emcee plain and simple. As I started to be more involved in the art scene in a broader sense, I became a connector or a person that could provide opportunities and platforms for creatives or people in the creative industry.
What I’m most proud of is the opportunities that my work has provided for my family. Its created a space where we are able to think outside of the box and contribute to society based on our strengths, and natural talents, and not necessarily what we may be boxed into doing based on a formal education or climbing, a particular corporate ladder. What sets me apart is that I can turn on any aspect of myself at the snap of a finger or a moments notice. It’s all a part of who I am.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
What I’ve learned is that if you love what you do, and you’re able to subdue the distractions, provision will be made for you. No matter what the circumstance. The ability to do the work without expectation of a particular compensation is a superpower. It allows you to function the way that people with financial constraints whether they have money or not are unable to tap into. The key is to know when to adjust the tap and get the bag!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themutualmusiciansfoundation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mutualmusiciansfoundation/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MutualMusiciansFoundation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mutualmusiciansfoundation
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mutual-musicians-muic-group
