J. Plunky Branch is an internationally acclaimed jazz and rhythm and blues musician who is an experienced performer, songwriter and producer. Plunky’s career accomplishments are as varied as his music and his diverse interests, which include: African art and culture, history, digital technology, politics and the media.

For more than 20 years Plunky has enthralled audiences in the U.S. and abroad. He was a studio musician for television's top-rated "The Cosby Show". Last fall he toured in Europe, where he performed with his own group in London and also with the Soulciety all-star revue which visited Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Plunky has twice toured Ghana, West Africa, once for the Ghana National Commission on Children, and again as a cultural specialist for the U.S. Information Agency. With his group, Plunky & Oneness, he has opened shows for numerous stars, including Patti Labelle, Ray Charles, Najee, Yellow Jackets, and Frankie Beverly & Maze. Plunky’s group performed at the New Orleans World’s Fair, at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta and at the Hampton Jazz Festival in his native Virginia. For more than 10 years Plunky has toured continuously with support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA).

In addition to being a veteran saxophonist and a composer, J. Plunky Branch is also an administrator, lecturer and teacher. He has been a frequent arts panelist for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Plunky is a two time recipient of the NEA Jazz fellowships and he served on the Governor's Task Force for the Promotion of the Arts in Virginia. He has been Director of the Jazz Ensemble at Virginia Union University as well as instructor of Afro-American Music History at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.

For the past three years Plunky has been named a Virginia Hero by Virginia Heroes, Inc. for his outstanding work with children. He is a sought after artist-in-residence and performer for public schools systems and this past February he once again performed and lectured at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Over career Plunky has entertained and taught thousands, and in the process, he has developed a broad-based following. During his 1987 West African tour, critics proclaimed Plunky "one of the greatest living saxophonist!" And in a context where rhythm, ritual, power and emotion reign supreme, he might be!

For further information contact: J. Plunky Branch, 2218 Rosewood Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220, 804-355-3586, Fax 804-355-7240, Email: plunkyb@aol.com