An Evening with BLKBOK with John The Violinist
Born and raised in Detroit’s inner-city, BLKBOK (born Charles Wilson III), grew up in a music-filled house and by the time he was 8, BLKBOK was an acclaimed piano prodigy, winning statewide accolades and college-level competitions. When it came to music, most of the kids he grew up with pursued hip-hop, adopting rap names. However, it’s no coincidence that Charles chose the name BLKBOK, which echoes that of one of the greatest pianists and composers of all time. The tag is also an apt reflection of the elements that have contributed to the artist’s identity and symbolizes his colorful journey from pop and hip-hop culture to his critically acclaimed, neo-classical debut album Black Book, and various Mixtape projects and collaborations.
BLKBOK's live, high-energy performance is culturally reflective and seeks to entertain with a live piano based performance like none you have ever seen before. BLKBOK's vision is to illuminate awareness for all, encouraging dialogue and counterpoint in the way we perceive ourselves and the world we live in together.
BLKBOK’s critically-acclaimed debut album Black Book, served as a founding cornerstone at the very first Juneteenth Foundation’s Freedom Concert and was re-released as a DLUX Edition in June, with two new tracks, Forgotten Girls and Kendrick + Karine, covering relevant topics in mainstream culture, and in the voice that is uniquely BLKBOK. His first Mixtape release, CVRART, and Mixtape project Angels Watching Over Me, with world-renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee, illustrate the innovative and disruptive musical landscape that is BLKBOK. His original track Stars (Ad Astra) was performed as the first-ever piano duet from Space in April 2022.
Meet John Randolph also known as John Violinist. John is an international violinist and performer who has fused the sound of classical music with the sound of today's popular music. He first started playing the violin at age 5. John has showcased his talent in front of various celebrities (Tom Werner, Anthony Anderson, Queen Latifah, and Valerie Simpson) to name a few. John had a segment on Talk of the table with Gayle king. This year he performed at the National NAACP gala in Boston. John also performed during the Juneteenth flag raising ceremony at the Connecticut state capital as well as the Juneteenth Freedom Foundation Festival in D.C. In December 2021, John performed at Boston's Living Legends Gala. He was also selected by Cooke's estate to pay tribute to the late great Sam Cooke. In 2020, he was selected for Tik Tok's First 100 Black Creatives Program. He is now a partner of Tik Tok and has gained over 50 million views on his social media platforms. John has aired on VH1, BET and MTV. He is currently partnered with Paramount and JBL pro. He was selected to perform at Soul Luncheon-BET Soul Train Music Awards 50th Anniversary. His performances leave the crowd on the edge of their seats and hands in the air. He loves to interact with the crowd and leaves it all on the stage! His highly anticipated album RISE will be released on 11/11/23.
