Saxophonist J. Plunky Branch is an accomplished performer, songwriter, producer and musicologist. Plunky co-founded Black Fire Records and heads N.A.M.E. Brand Records — through which he has released 30 albums and composed over 450 songs. His autobiography, Plunky: Juju Jazz Funk & Oneness – A Musical Memoir, was published in 2015. He has produced three documentary films, including Under the Radar: A Survey of Afro-Cuban Music, shot in Cuba in 2001. In 2018, J. Plunky Branch received the prestigious "50 For 50 Award" from the Virginia Commission for the Arts as one of the 50 outstanding arts persons in Virginia of the last 50 years. In 2015 he was selected as one of the "Strong Men & Women in Virginia History" by the Library of Virginia. Juju Jazz Poetics is the first volume of poetry from Plunky, with a second volume and two books of song lyrics forthcoming. Throughout his career, Plunky has entertained and taught thousands, and in the process has developed a broad and loyal following. Well into his seventh decade, he continues to produce new music and films while performing internationally.