ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES, June 21, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Do not let people who are jealous of you keep you back,” concerns our guest. “Get away from them! You have to recognize that!” Our guest has always managed to surround himself with the right people. That, along with his self-motivation, and seizing the right opportunities at the right time, has become a success in many areas of his life and especially his career. This is the story of Tony Spencer.

Tony Spencer is an artist that paints and sings. “Those are the two things that I did in high school, and they always stayed with me,” summarizes Tony. He draws much of his inspiration from his experiences growing up, his accomplishments throughout his life, and most notably, his ancestor – his great-great-grandfather James Spencer.

The type of painting that Tony does is acrylic on canvas in an abstract style. Much of his art is African inspired. “The inspiration comes as I see it, at that time,” clarifies Tony. “I never put myself in a box. The inspiration goes through you, as you move on.” Tony used to sell his original work, but now he sells giclee replicas, which look just like his originals.

Some of Tony’s more notable works include Midnight Tiger, The Library, Eve’s Warrior, and Fyrtyle Ground. Fyrtle Ground and Eve’s Warrior are his first two pieces to exhibit internationally at the 1st Seoul-Han River Biennale Art Exhibition in South Korea in 2022.

“Some of the paintings are about me, and it comes through on canvas,” explains Tony. Besides the fine arts, Tony has also made his mark in the performing arts. Tony performs both as a solo artist (Person to Person, 2006) and as part of the Sunset Band. The genres of music that he performs are old school R&B and jazz.

Tony’s interest in music came at a young age from his mother’s side of the family. “As I was growing up, and coming from the church, Gospel music was a very important and influential part to my life,” confirms Tony.

“I would later mimic Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Shirelles, the Platters, the Drifters, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Diana Washington, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight,” recalls Tony. Also, during his youth, he sang and experienced his first recording project, Run to Me, with a Glen Burnie-based band, Trey-and-the-Diamonds. Two years later he sang with D. C. and the Capitols, meeting Smokey Robinson.

He earned regional and national recognition as the winner of the Larnelle Harris National Talent Search back in 1987, which afforded him the opportunity to record his first full solo recording project, Person to Person. Many years later Tony performed around globe with Dr. J. Ernest Greene doing his creative musical artistry of Mozart, Motown and More We performed in Maryland, (1998) Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2000), the Saluzzo Spring Festival in Alba, Italy (2003), performing with the Florida Orchestra (2003), and later with Jazz musician Stef Scaggiari in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana (2006). “These are opportunities that most people don’t get,” observes Tony. “Singing is very important to me.”

“I was self-motivated as a child and as a teenager, playing five instruments between the fourth and sixth grades,” recalls Tony. “I also played tenor and baritone saxophones during middle school.” In addition to his painting and music career, Tony has enjoyed success and earned many accomplishments in other areas of his personal life and career.

“I was the first in my family to obtain an undergrad degree, as well as a master’s degree,” notes Tony. He also was in the United States Marine Corps, where he served as Presidential Honor Guard during the Nixon Administration in Washington, D.C, later serving as a sentry at the Annapolis Naval Station Marine Barracks with details as a docent at the United States Naval Academy in the John Paul Jones Crypt. After that he was in the Annapolis fire department for twenty-three years, where he was the first Black paramedic. He also was an arson investigator and the first National Fire Inspector.

He also became a pillar of his community by serving as a member and as vice president for Anne Arundel County Public School Board. He also served as a member on the Maryland State Arts Council, as well as Commissioners for: the Maryland State Fire Prevention Commission (2009-17), the city of Annapolis’ Arts in Public Places Commission (2017-18, Anne Arundel County Arts Council Commission (2018-23), and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (2018-23).

“I am most proud of the fact that in 1996, I was chosen to run the Olympic Torch in Annapolis and light the cauldron,” explains Tony.

Besides the musicians that he has long admired, Tony also had many people along the way that had a positive influence on him – such as his cousins Charles. David, and Phil Smith from Baltimore, former employers, former teachers, and his parents – his mother working as a domestic, while his father was a longshoreman. Most notable of Tony’s influences was his great-great-grandfather, James Spencer.

James Spencer was born in Maryland as a free Black man – NOT as a slave. Despite Maryland being a slave state, it had an equal population of slaves to free Black men. James’ father, whose name remains unknown, was a slave in Virginia and bought his freedom. After, James’ father moved to Maryland, and ultimately fathered him in 1817. However, for Spencer to remain free, he had to obtain a Certificate of Freedom in Annapolis (November 17, 1839). Most notable about James was his founding of a community called Freetown, a neighborhood in Glen Burnie, Maryland, which comprised of Free Black citizens. Freetown came as the result of a $1,500 purchase that James had made on December 26, 1845, for a fifty-six-acre tract of land.

As for the future, he plans on continuing his singing career as well as finding the right inspiration to further his painting career. In addition, Tony is in the process of writing an autobiography titled New Eyes, New Vision. The title, inspired by Tony’s wife Vivian, has its first chapter focusing on his great-great-grandfather James Spencer.

“Whatever your passion is, be sure that no one takes that away from you,” concludes Tony. “Shoot for the moon!”

Close Up Radio will feature Tony Spencer in a two-part interview with Jim Masters on Tuesday June 25th at 12pm Eastern and Tuesday July 2nd at 12pm Eastern

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389

For more information, please visit https://tjspencerarts.com/

You may also visit his pages on Facebook and LinkedIn

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
+1 631-850-3314
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