Boney James

Boney James is a saxophonist, composer and producer whose music is rooted in R&B; he has called it closer to instrumental R&B than to contemporary jazz. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, he spent his childhood in New Rochelle, New York, and moved to Los Angeles in his teens. He then toured for years as a sideman on sax and keyboards for Teena Marie, the Isley Brothers, Randy Crawford and others, before releasing his debut, Trust, independently in 1992.

Warner Bros. released Backbone in 1994, and the title track of Seduction (1995), made with producer Paul Brown, held number one on the R&R NAC chart for 17 straight weeks. Later albums include Contact (2011), his first for Verve, and Solid (2020) on Concord. By 2024 his tally of number ones on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz chart had reached 20, a first for any artist. He has earned four Grammy nominations, a Soul Train Award and four RIAA gold certifications, and George Benson, Al Jarreau and Lalah Hathaway have guested on his records.