James E. Green

Composer

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James E. Green has composed music for bands and dancing ensembles in addition to vocal ensembles. He serves as an advisor to the Board of Directors for the Durham Children’s Choir and is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. From kindergarten to college students, James guest conducts and gives talks on composition, wind instruments, and the music industry.

James E. Green was raised in Creedmoor, North Carolina, and went to Chowan and East Carolina Universities. In May 1993, he graduated with a Bachelor of Music from East Carolina University in theory/composition. Since that time, James has held positions as a production manager and music copy editor in the choral music sector.

Honoring His Cherokee Heritage Through Music

James is very proud of his heritage and relationship with the Cherokee Nation. He has benefited greatly from the support of MaryKay Henderson, director of the Cherokee National Youth Chorus, and Kathy Sierra, assistant director and language coordinator for the Cherokee Nation and Cherokee National Youth Choir. They were instrumental in assisting James with the creation and arranging of music utilizing the Cherokee language.

Beatrice Banks Brodie, James’ late grandmother, was a Cherokee. On the Dawes Roll (also known as the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes or the Dawes Commission of Final Rolls), James has had difficulties locating his ancestors. Beatrice wed at a young age—17 years younger than James’s late grandfather Lemuel, a black man. Beatrice’s race is reported as “black” on the census, although it is unclear whether this is because she was a young bride and assumed her husband’s race or because her father’s race was listed and it was assumed to be the same.

Granville Banks, the father of Beatrice, was recorded as “black” in the 1880 census at the age of 12 (according to the census, he was born “about” 1868). Granville was the youngest member of a large family and was described as a “laborer” on the census. In addition, Granville has a unique last name compared to the other members of the family. Granville appeared to be residing with a sharecropper/ex-slave family. Living in such structures was against the law for Cherokee, and James questions whether Granville Banks is not really his great-grandfather’s name.

It is noteworthy that James’ family origins are said to be from a county stated on the census is “Granville” County. The name Granville Banks may have been adopted to conceal the fact that the landowner had been breaking the law by allowing a Cherokee to live and work in such a structure by serving more as a description of James’s great grandfather’s home than as a real name.

When James was a young child, he had his first exposure to the Cherokee language as his grandmother would frequently sing “Amazing Grace” in her native Cherokee tongue. James unfortunately cannot be a Cherokee Nation citizen due to the way his ancestors were recorded on the 1880 census. One must demonstrate that at least one ancestor had Cherokee blood. However, in James’s heart and mind he is proud of his Cherokee heritage and is doing whatever he can to help the Nation to keep the language alive through song.

Ni go hi lv i Tsa la gi 
(always Cherokee)