Plunky & Oneness at National Theater Richmond, VA Made 6, 2026 with Butcher Brown and Nate Smith Virginia's finest for a sellout show www.plunkyone.com

James "Plunky" Branch is an American jazz saxophonist, songwriter, and music and film producer. He founded the band Plunky & Oneness, which began as Juju in 1971 and was renamed twice (Oneness of Juju, Plunky & the Oneness of Juju) before it was given its current name in 1988. Branch is the president and founder of the independent record label N.A.M.E. Brand Records, through which he has released 25 albums.

James "Plunky" Branch is an American jazz saxophonist, songwriter, and music and film producer. He founded the band Plunky & Oneness, which began as Juju in 1971 and was renamed twice (Oneness of Juju, Plunky & the Oneness of Juju) before it was given its current name in 1988. Branch is the president and founder of the independent record label N.A.M.E. Brand Records, through which he has released 25 albums. Writer: J. Plunky Branch Publisher: Shekere Music BMI

James "Plunky" Branch is an American jazz saxophonist, songwriter, and music and film producer. He founded the band Plunky & Oneness, which began as Juju in 1971 and was renamed twice (Oneness of Juju, Plunky & the Oneness of Juju) before it was given its current name in 1988. Branch is the president and founder of the independent record label N.A.M.E. Brand Records, through which he has released 25 albums.

Subscribe to The Kennedy Center! http://bit.ly/2gNFrtb Live Tonight on Millennium Stage: Music critics have hailed legendary saxophonist James “Plunky” Branch as an essential part of the “vanguard of Afro-centric jazz, funk, house music, and go-go.” His group Plunky & Oneness has performed alongside some of the biggest names in Black music, including Patti LaBelle, Ray Charles, Frankie Beverly, Maze, Chuck Brown, and more.

The Richmond Folk Festival proudly presents All Together Now, a two-part television program celebrating Virginia artists. This television program, created specifically for the 2020 festival, features new performances from some of Virginia’s most talented artists, along with several of our favorite past performances from the Festival’s Virginia Folklife Stage. Filmed at Richmond’s Spacebomb Studios in partnership with VPM, viewers will enjoy brand new, 30-minute sets from Butcher Brown feat. J. Plunky Branch, Cora Harvey Armstrong, Jared Pool & Friends, and Kadencia. BUTCHER BROWN FEAT. J. PLUNKY BRANCH SOUL FUSION RICHMOND, VIRGINIA Meet Butcher Brown: five groove merchants delivering a heady home-brew of jams and jazz, rhymes and beats—a funky, musical mix that makes one question why great music needs to be labeled as this category or that. The hybrid moniker “jazz/hip-hop” only begins to cover it. Their balance of raw energy and smooth sophistication, edgy improvisation with a generous dose of Southern roots (South coast hip-hop to Southern rock) reveals how equal opportunity they are in employing a wide range of musical styles, and how authentically they’ve absorbed it all. For over 50 years, Richmond saxophonist and bandleader J. Plunky Branch has been at the vanguard of Afro-centric jazz, funk, house music, and go-go, weaving these interrelated musical forms into a forward-looking message of empowerment, positivity, and cultural awareness. Plunky was born and raised in Richmond, where he was mentored as a teenager by local R&B musicians and music educators, including jazz violinist Joe Kennedy Jr. Acceptance to Columbia University found him leading a popular New York City soul band. “I took my Richmond R&B roots to New York, and I’ve since then brought back to Richmond what I’ve learned in New York, San Francisco, Europe, and West Africa,” he says.

Plunky & Oneness perform a medley of two songs: the earlier released "The Meaning of Life Is Love" and "Crazy Lately" live in a studio setting.

The African jazz-funk group, Oneness of Juju, was created in 1975 in Richmond, VA by J. Plunky Branch and in the ensuing years, Plunky and his group have performed in prestigious venues and festivals in the US, toured in Europe and Africa, and released 25 albums. The group recently rendered three outstanding performances at the 2019 Richmond Folk Festival attended by 225,000. Currently, Plunky’s iconic ensemble is available for 2026 bookings. Contact: Plunky at plunky@plunkyone.com Manager: John Jones, Jr John@thepointguards.com 804-641-1111