James Reese came to Spartanburg County in 1966 to be a music teacher and band director for the Spartanburg District 2 school system. Although the schools names have changed, many of the programs he started are going strong today.

In 1968, Reese’s friend Hamilton Bohannon, a successful music producer, asked him to play trombone on a 10-day gig with the Temptations. The job led to his playing in several bands and orchestras on national and international stages. As a member of the Bohannon Motown Sound, he toured with the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Spinners, Smokey Robinson, and others. Some of the bands and orchestras he played in brought him the chance to perform with entertainers such as the Jackson Five, Teddy Pendergrass, James Brown, Al Green, and others.

“You talk about a learning experience,” Reese says. “It helped me to do what I do now as an arranger.”

He stepped away from touring, but his love of music—and his faith—kept calling. He has spent a lifetime creating music and inspiring others. If you’ve ever been to an MLK Unity Celebration at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, you’ve seen him at work as its music director. He spent over 30 years as the full-time Associate Pastor and Music Director at Evangel Cathedral Church in Spartanburg. His online videos, including “The Bus,” have been seen around the world. As a musician, educator, bandleader, author, pastor, composer, arranger, and producer, he has touched countless lives.