(Photo by Susan Marquez)
- Sundown at Renaissance will take place Thursday, April 24, on the Renaissance at Colony Park green space.
Making a bucket list item come true is always exciting, and for Raphael Semmes, playing with the Mississippi Symphony tops his list. He’ll be marking that one off this Thursday evening (April 24) when the Mississippi musician joins the MSO for an outdoor concert at The Renaissance at Colony Park.
“I’ve always wanted to play with the symphony,” Raphael says. “I had an opportunity to play at Pepsi Pops in 1987 when I had just started playing with These Days. I said I’d do it if we could play with the Symphony, but they didn’t go for that.”
So, Raphael politely declined their offer.
Raphael was raised in Grenada by parents who nurtured his love for music. They exposed him to rock and roll, country, blues, and jazz. But he credits his mom with opening his eyes to the effect musicians can have on an audience. When he was just four years old, his mom took him to Memphis to see Elvis perform in the Ellis Auditorium. She then took him to see the Beatles when he was eleven.
His parents gave him a Sears Silvertone guitar, and he spent hours listening and playing along with his sister’s Motown records.
“I was drawn to the bass – the thumping lower notes.”
He began playing his guitar like a bass by removing the two treble strings until he could get a real bass guitar.
His first band, The Vagabonds, was made up of friends aged nine to twelve. Their first gig was a campaign event in Grenada for Mississippi Governor William Winter. In college, Raphael played in the Ole Miss Jazz Band, and in a quartet with John McCauley, who served as a mentor to the young musician. After college, he did stints as a working musician in Los Angeles and Memphis.
While in Los Angeles, Raphael was advised not to say he was from Mississippi.
“I was told to tell people I was from Memphis.”
Because he had a wealth of knowledge about Mississippi musicians and records cut in the state, Raphael had fun talking to people about Mississippi.
“It was always met with a very positive response.”
It wasn’t long before his Mississippi roots pulled him home. He returned to his home state to pursue music full-time, while also promoting Mississippi’s culture at home and abroad. Over the years Raphael has played with Mississippi jazz and blues legends, including Mose Allison and John Lee Hooker. He toured internationally with Katie Webster, Vasti Jackson, and Dorothy Moore. He was a member of the first band to play behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s with Joe Frank Corollo and George Sandifer.
Raphael has been a part of the live music scene in the state since the early 1980s, playing with Sassy Jones, These Days with Jewel Bass, and Nice Try. He’s more active than ever, playing each Tuesday night at Hal & Mal’s, coordinating and playing in a monthly jazz concert at Fusion Coffee House in Ridgeland, and putting on the largest free jazz festival in the region at The Township in Ridgeland each spring.
Not only has he been the long-time leader of the Governor’s Arts Awards Combo, but he was also presented with the prestigious award for Cultural Ambassador in 2021 in honor of his 40+ year career as a musician and for promoting Mississippi’s music culture.
“I’m really excited about playing with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra tomorrow Thursday evening,” he says. “They are a real treasure in this state, and it’s such an honor for me to join them.”
Sundown at Renaissance, featuring the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra with jazz musician Raphael Semmes & Friends, will take place Thursday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. on the Renaissance at Colony Park green space.
The concert is free to the public. While no outside food or beverages will be allowed, folks are encouraged to grab a snack and a drink to go from Aplós Mediterranean Grill, Malco Renaissance Cinema Grill & Bar, or other nearby Renaissance restaurants. Chairs and blankets are welcomed.
Susan Marquez
