We recently connected with James C. Birdsong, Jr. and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, James thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

First and foremost, I want to personally thank the CanvasRebel / Voyage Feature family for providing this opportunity to share in this interview with your audience. I appreciate it very much. God has truly blessed me in my career related to the Gospel music industry and entertainment arena. I have shared my testimony on numerous media platforms throughout the country and abroad. My journey in the Gospel music industry did not begin professionally until I was a student at my alma mater, Fairfield High School in Fairfield, California. After my parents, the late Rev. James C. Birdsong, Sr. and Belinda Germany-Birdsong divorce in early 1995, I relocated to Fairfield that summer with my mother. When I was 16-years-old, I had a English teacher named Dina French for my 10th grade year. She asked the class to write a paper on a topic of our interest. I decided to write my paper about Gospel music and she gave me a A for my grade. During that same time, I would go to our library on campus during the one hour lunch break between 3rd and 4th period. I had a friend at the time named Fermin. He and I attended John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, California for our 9th grade year. He and his family also moved to Fairfield the same time during the summer. We reconnected again at Fairfield High School in a World History class. The both of us have a musical background. While our classmates were doing their activities for the lunch break, we would go to the library and log on websites of our favorite Gospel and Christian artists and the major record labels. This became a motivation to us on what measures for success in the industry. I continue to do my research and eventually moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2005. From there, God blessed me to establish connections with noted professionals in the industry from artists to media personalities while improving my artistic and business skills. Now, it has proceed futher on the national and global levels while being a public figure and mentoring today’s youth as the next generation of voices in this field. God is allowing me to build a legacy as my family paved the way.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I was born and raised in Richmond, California, a city located northeast from San Francisco and north of Oakland across San Francisco Bay. The Bay Area produced many of our legends in music, arts, media, politics, business, education, ministry and the community such as the Hawkins family, Carlos Santana, En Vogue, MC Hammer, Sly & The Family Stone, E-40, Tony! Toni! Toné, legendary media personality Belva Davis, former Mayor Willie Brown, the first African American political figure to serve as speaker of the California State Assembly and later, the mayor of San Francisco, Rev. Cecil Williams, the pastor of Glide Memorial Church, Dr. Madalynn Peterson, who was a very close friend of mine and host of the popular Bay Area television broadcast, Gospel Search with Dr. Madalynn Peterson, the late Emmit Powell of Emmitt Powell & the Gospel Elites, baseball legend Willie Mays and the list goes on. My parents, the late Rev. James C. Birdsong, Sr. was a respected minister, gifted singer and disabled rights activist and Belinda Germany-Birdsong, who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia along with me. As with most African American children, I am a product of the inner-city as well. I lived at the corner of Maine Avenue and Harbour Way South. The entire City of Richmond knew us, especially my father and his friendships with the mayor and city council members, pastors, school officials, our local newspaper, businesses, the NAACP Richmond Branch and other organizations. We had so many people visiting our two story, five bedroom and two bath victorian home that was built in 1914. Our house was the gathering place in our neighborhood. From the age of 3 to 18 years old, I attended public schools as a special education student. I was blessed with wonderful teachers who knew of my potiental and encourage me to pursue my dreams. I am a member of the renowned famed Birdsong family that consists of my cousins, the iconic R&B vocalist Cindy Birdsong, a former member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebells and the Supremes, retired NBA All-Star pro basketball player Otis Birdsong and GRAMMY®-Award winner and legendary 1970s era funk keyboardist, the late Edwin Birdsong, who’s music have been sampled by today’s multi-platinum artists such as Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Dalf Punk and others. In recent years, I attended college and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Education at Beulah Heights University in Atlanta, Georgia, a Graduate Certificate in Marketing from the University of Phoenix and now completing my remaining courses to obtain my Master of Science in Leadership at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. I also received a honorary Doctor of Sacred Music and Doctor of Sacred Letters degrees from New Covenant International Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina. For me, I am a person that was taught to put God first and foremost in your life, work very hard and everything else will fail in place. Being a known public figure, I am a people’s person who is an effective listener and goal orienter. My proudest accomplishment is the establishment of Birdsong Association of Broadcasting & Arts, Inc. (BABA), a 501c3 nonprofit organization in Atlanta, Georgia with operations planned for Los Angeles, California, the District of Columbia (DMV) and New York City, New York to help our African American youth from K-12 grade prusue their dreams and careers in the performing arts and media broadcasting. I am a supporter of today’s youth and encouraging them to move forward into their potiental.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I am a person who strongly believes in the importance of mentorship in our creative journey. By being a mentor, you are providing your experience, expertise and platform to those who have a desire as effective learners. They will be able to obtain those foundational principles and navigate through their journey into the world as legacy builders. In other words, they are making their significant contributions by motivating others to succeed. This is what I always share with the public about today’s youth who have dreams as future voices in the performing arts and broadcasting along with other areas. As the engagement in our creative journey transcends, we will be able to identify and find our voice along the way through our faith and trust in God.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

We can support our artists and creatives through prayer, encouragement and motivation. I am sharing this from my own personal experiences throughout the years. If we are not receiving the support in our own community, God will allow us to transition into a territory of a unknown land. For instance, I had to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia and place my dream into action. It eventually develop and resulted into a national and international support agenda. I still have the support of family members and friends who hav been there for me since day one. I will forever be grateful for them. Our artists and creatives must observe our support through actions. This will motivate them to enlarge their territory to a larger platform.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jamescbirdsongjr.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamescbirdsongjr
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/theofficialjamescbirdsongjr
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheRealJBOnline
• Other: James C. Birdsong, Jr. Official Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/jamescbirdsongjr Birdsong Association of Broadcasting & Arts Official Website: www.babaonline.org Birdsong Association of Broadcasting & Arts Official Facebook Capital Page: www.facebook.com/babaexperience Birdsong Association of Broadcasting & Arts Official Twitter Capital Page: www.twitter.com/realbabasocial

Image Credits
James C. Birdsong, Jr. Official Photo Courtsey of Emily Heath Photography James C. Birdsong, Jr. and his Administrative Assistant Gloria Brown 2021 8th Annual Kingdom Image Awards (Columbus, OH) Courtesy of James C. Birdsong, Jr. James C. Birdsong, Jr. Official Honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters Degree Photo Courtsey of Emily Heath Photography 2022 1st Annual Mentors of Performing Arts & Broadcasters Virtual Conference Flyers Courtesy of Birdsong Association of Broadcasting & Arts 2022 27th Annual Newsome Awards (Baltimore, MD) Courtesy of Sunni Rahman 2022 1st Annual S&M Gospel Honors Flyer Courtesy of S&M Gospel Indie Awards James C. Birdsong, Jr. Certificate of Recognition The Honorable Mayor Brandon Scott City of Baltimore (Baltimore, MD) Courtesy of Terence Gray, Sr. James C. Birdsong, Jr. Presidential Congratuatory Greeting The Honorable President Joe Biden 46th President of the United States Courtesy of James C. Birdsong, Jr.