ABOUT OUR BANDS

Benjy Springs is an outstanding educator and professional trumpet player. He graduated from UNC-Greensboro in 1981 and became the Director of Bands at Eastern Randolph High School in Ramseur, NC. During his tenure at Eastern Randolph, he developed an award-winning band program that produced “Superior” ratings for twenty straight years, not only at concert band festivals, but marching and jazz festivals as well. His teaching inspired students to later become outstanding music educators and professional musicians. Springs was elected into the prestigious American School Band Directors Association in 1998, and became the Vice-President of the North Carolina Chapter of The International Association of Jazz Educators in 2000.

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As a conductor, Springs led his high school Wind Ensemble, and concert bands of all levels at the UNC-Greensboro Summer Music Camp for twelve years, numerous all-county bands as guest conductor, and is currently the Director of Bands at Greensboro College where he directs the Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, and Wind Ensemble. Under his direction the Greensboro College Jazz Ensemble performed in New Orleans and twice at the North Carolina Music Educator’s Association Conference (NCMEA). Benjy continues to be active in our schools as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. Benjy directed North Carolina’s first All-State Jazz Ensemble. Benjy has served as guest clinician for the North Carolina Western and Central regions Jazz Ensemble Clinics. In 2011 Springs wrote “Developing a Successful High School Jazz Ensemble” and it published in the NCMEA Journal. He has served over 43 years as a successful music educator in North Carolina.

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Benjy is also a regularly active professional musician. He was the lead trumpeter of the former U.S. Airways Jazz Orchestra, which traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe. He has performed with the John Brown Big Band on statewide educational tours, sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council to bring more awareness of jazz music to North Carolina students and communities. Additionally, for 25 years, he has been a regular member of the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra (NCJRO). Benjy’s trumpet playing can be heard on NCJRO’s three compact disk recordings, as well as the PBS television production of “This is Jazz,” featuring the NCJRO.

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He has played with the Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras, as well as numerous projects of other recording artists. Additionally, he has performed for commercials on television and radio as a studio musician. He has worked with the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, and many other artists and entertainers, such as: Tony Bennet, Frankie Valli, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, Joe Williams, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, Eddie Daniels, Randy Brecker, The Spinners, The O-Jays, The Imperials, Lou Rawls, Linda Carter, Barbara Eden, Manhattan Transfer, Clark Terry, Marvin Stamm, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick, John Faddis, Terence Blanchard, the New York Voices, Arturo Sandoval, Branford Marsalis, and many more. Mr. Springs is the founder and music director of the Southeast’s Premier ‘Tower of Power” Tribute Band “Bump City East”.  He is currently the lead trumpet player for the Camel City Jazz Orchestra based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Benjy is a regular lead trumpet player with the “Carolina Horns”, the horn section that backs up the Temptations and the Four Tops in sellout concerts all over the Eastern United States. He also played on Nnenna Freelon’s recently released Grammy-nominated Christmas CD with the John Brown Big Band.

Benjy has been playing trumpet professionally for 43 years. He is married to Barbara Parris Springs and is the proud father of three sons: Jacob, Jonah, and Noah.