Greenville-born R&B singer loves performing, living in Japan

Feb. 11—Twelve years ago, professional R&B singer and Greenville native Curtis Traylor took his show on the road in about the most extreme way possible. He decided to move to Japan.

Since then, he has been keeping a busy schedule of gigs, recording sessions, live streams, rehearsals and songwriting.

Traylor was born into a musical family to gospel singer Cranford Traylor and his wife, Malissa Jane (Key) Traylor. His sister is Carolyn Traylor, an award-winning gospel recording artist. Still, Curtis didn't start seriously pursuing music until after he retired from the U.S. Navy in the 1990s.

"While I was in the Navy, I'd get out on stage and sing every now and then, but it wasn't until after I left the military after 7 1/2 years that I really started working with bands," Curtis Traylor said. "And since my last duty station was in Oxnard, California, where the music scene was really rocking in those days, I stayed there for awhile."

In Oxnard and Los Angeles, Traylor continued honing his skills by performing R&B hits by the likes of Otis Redding, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and Al Green. It wasn't long before Traylor joined a band that was in the midst of preparing for a short-term residency in Germany.

"We played in Frankfurt for two months, and that sealed the deal for me," Traylor said. "At the time, I was with a great band that really helped me further hone my skills, so it was then that I asked myself if I was either going to do music or stick with a 9 to 5 (job), and I committed to music."

After his first tour in Germany, Traylor performed across the United States and abroad in Italy, Brazil, Australia, and eventually Japan.

"In L.A., a friend who would travel to Japan to tour each year told me that he thought that I'd do well there," Traylor explained. "Later, he introduced me to his contact from Japan, and within three months I was there for my first one-month stint. It was in 2004."

When he first traveled to Japan, Traylor was encouraged by how much the audiences and other musicians appreciated R&B and soul music.

"One of the first times I was there, I was at a show where there was this lady who was singing soulfully and expertly, and in perfect English, but when I tried to speak with her afterwards, she couldn't speak a lick of English," Traylor said with a chuckle. "It was so amazing."

After multiple flights back and forth across the Pacific, Traylor fell in love with Japan, and in 2011, he decided to start living there full-time. He currently resides in Osaka.

"There's so much that I love about Japan," Traylor said. "First and foremost is the safety of it. Kids can be out at 3 a.m. and not worry about being assaulted, or if you leave your wallet on the subway and go to lost and found, you'll get it back with everything still inside of it.

"Also, the food is also totally delicious, I love to sightsee, and I love the culture and history," he added.

For his last 12 years in Japan, Traylor has kept up with a hectic schedule of booking and quickly preparing for gigs with an endless string of house bands at a variety of venues, all the while squeezing in time to write songs and record.

Despite his full schedule, Traylor still stays connected with his home community. In 2015, when Traylor was back in Greenville spending time with friends and family, a discussion between him and his sister, Carolyn, led to the eventual organizing of the first Legacy Awards.

Since 2017, the award ceremony has been held three times, and has been treated as a time to celebrate the successes and contributions of Greenville's Black community.

"When I came back in 2015, after about a week, I thought of all the great people I knew who were dying away and they weren't being remembered, and I just felt an emptiness," Traylor said. "When I spoke with my sister about it, she said we should go to Emily Thompson, who owns Love & Integrity (Funeral — Cremation Services), both because of her connections to families and because she's the kind of person who gets serious about things when it's something she believes in."

On Saturday, Feb. 4, a host of Greenville community members young and old, as well as living and deceased, were recognized at the third Legacy Awards for the positive impact they have made to the community.

"I'm so proud of my hometown of Greenville, Texas," Traylor said in a Facebook post after the event. "Your show of support for the 2023 Legacy Awards is more than any words that me or our committee can ever express. Keep God first, and let's continue to move forward to grow with bigger and better ideas for the future of our Community."

Those who would like to follow Traylor and his music can do so by visiting his Facebook page or BlackanTV, at blackan.com (or through its YouTube channel BlackanTV Japan), from which he has streamed several performances for a global audience.