Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, John Paul McGee, at the age of four without
formal training, began playing familiar hymns and church songs by ear. Aware of
his special gift, Dr. McGee's mother made the sacrifices necessary to ensure that
John received formal musical training and development. Dr. McGee studied
piano and pipe organ at New Shiloh School of Music where the renowned
headmaster was the late great Dr. Nathan Carter, and graduated in 2002 from
internationally acclaimed arts preparatory high school Baltimore School for the
Arts with a certificate in piano and opera studies.
John’s musical career has taken him around the globe as a keyboardist, vocal
arranger, producer, and songwriter, collaborating with and appearing alongside
popular gospel and secular artists from Patti Labelle to Najee, Stevie Wonder,
the NFL players choir, and gospel legends Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin,
Kim Burrell, Cory Henry, Vashawn Mitchell, Earnest Pugh, and many others. His
instrumental piano album, A Christmas with John Paul, released in 2014 with
EPM records yielded him the #9 spot in the top 10 Billboard recording artists for.
Along with the release of his first published book, John released an solo piano
album in 2019 instrumental entitled “Elevate.”
Dr. John Paul McGee is the current assistant chair of piano at Berklee College of
Music in Boston, Massachusetts and Artist-In-Residence at Yale University in
New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. JP earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music with
a concentration in Piano Performance from Bethune Cookman University, a
Master of Arts in Religion Degree from Liberty University a Master of Sacred
Music Degree with a concentration in Pipe Organ Performance from Emory
University, and most recently a Doctorate of Ministry degree with a concentration
in Pastoral Care and Counseling from The Interdenominational Theological
Center in Atlanta, Ga. The groundbreaking research performed in his
dissertation, A Sound for Distressed Souls: Gospejazzical as an NTU Approach
for Coping with the Vocational Stressors of the Black Pastor, investigates the
healing and curative powers of his new pianistic genre, Gospejazzical.
Gospejazzical is a signature sound that unites three powerful genres (Gospel,
Jazz and Classical) into a unique fusion that entertains, uplifts, and inspires all
who hear. In 2022, John recorded and released the musical album
“Gospejazzical” featuring the John Paul McGee trio, vocalists Wendi Henderson-
Wyatt, Amber Bullock and Zebulon Ellis. In December 2022, the album was
heard by the iconic musical legend Stevie Wonder who immediately invited John
and the Trio to perform for his Annual House Of Toys Benefit Concert in Los
Angeles, California before a sold out crowd of thousands.
Through radio and streaming, John’s first mainstream album, Gospejazzical
Volume 1, has reached hundreds of thousands of listeners across the world and
maintained its position in the top 100 Jazz Weekly charts for several weeks.On
November 16th,2023 he released his second holiday album, “A Gospejazzical
Christmas,” and within two weeks of its release the album was #3 most added on
Jazz Weekly, and #34 on the Smooth Jazz Holiday Charts!
In May 2023, Berklee’s Assistant Chair of Piano Dr. John Paul McGee received
an endorsement by Yamaha Artist services and joined the Yamaha Artist family.
This is an invitation-only designation bestowed by Yamaha to musical artists
considered to be critically acclaimed in their instruments or genres. It is stated by
online publication, The Urban Music Scene, that one experience with John’s
masterful musicianship and the way one hears gospel, jazz, and classical will
never be the same.
