MEET
VINCENT CRENSHAW

Vincent Crenshaw is a multi instrumentalist jazz musician and songwriter based in the Charlotte North Carolina suburb of Fort Mill. He currently leads his latest idea, Grooveology and also serves as keyboardist and songwriter/producer for the Winston Salem based group EnVision. Born to a pianist mother and guitarist father in the small town of Brodnax, Virginia, Vincent had little choice as to his calling. His mother went into labor with him while playing the organ on the Sunday morning of November 15th. Rushing to the hospital, he was born on the date 11/15 at the time of 11:15.

 

Vincent started his musical journey in church of course, but curiosity took him into other iterations and his first “outside” gig was for , believe it or not, a sword swallower. He branched out and started a band called TwennyOne in high school, a group whose surviving members keep in touch to this day. Seeking to expand his musical horizons, Vincent entered Winston Salem State University as a music major.

 

During his summers, he stayed with relatives in Richmond Va where he happened to catch the eye of singer Al Wilson (Show and Tell). He had a short summer stint with “Mr. Wilson” as he called him and learned lessons that carry him to this day.

 

The teachers and fellow students at his alma mater left an indelible imprint on Vincent to the point where, while playing in Cleveland Ohio, an audience member approached him and said “I hear Fred Tanner”, who happened to be a professor at the school.  After graduating Winston Salem with two degrees in three and a half years, Vincent lived a varied life, including teaching, touring with various artists, raising a family, and serving as a music minister at his new home church for 24 years.

 

He now chases a new dream of establishing his own record label where he can produce music that brings light to a world turned dark