LeNard Jones: From Courts to Chords
Photos provided by LeNard Jones
By Emma Schwichtenberg
LeNard Jones of Goody Bagg was a basketball player before he became a musician. While his primary focus during his youth was basketball, the rich musical environment surrounding him left an enduring impression that would draw him back into the world of music years later.
Jones’ journey into music began early, rooted in his experiences at a music camp through his church, influenced by his mother, a professional gospel singer who toured internationally. Growing up with her as a musical role model sparked his own interest, initially in gospel music. By high school, his musical path expanded into jazz when he attended King's Christian School in North Seattle, where he joined the jazz band. Later, he transferred to Garfield High School, known for its renowned jazz program led by Clarence Acox.
After high school, Jones attended college, majoring in marketing with a minor in music. Despite music’s presence in his life, he didn't yet see it as his main path. Basketball remained his priority, leading him to a seven-year professional career overseas in Europe. It was during his time in Sweden that a retired trumpet player from New York introduced him to an unreleased archive of classic jazz, sparking a deep appreciation for the genre. Isolated in a foreign country, Jones found solace and inspiration in jazz, which soon became a meaningful escape and connection to home.
Jones’ basketball career ended unexpectedly due to an injury, leading him back to Seattle. Searching for a new direction, he attended a jam session with friends from Garfield. Unbeknownst to him, his friends added his name to the sign-up sheet, and he was soon called to the stage. Despite feeling unprepared, he performed Superstition, bringing the crowd to their feet and electrifying the atmosphere. The overwhelming response gave Jones a newfound purpose—an experience that rekindled the excitement and fulfillment he once found on the basketball court.
Within weeks, he bought a drum set and founded his first band, YGP (Young Gifted Brothers), with fellow Garfield alumni. The band quickly gained traction in Seattle, performing regularly around town. From that pivotal moment, Jones dedicated himself fully to music, building a career that’s continued to flourish ever since.
Jones spoke with Converge Music about his journey from the basketball court to the recording studio.
So, I know we just talked about Young Gifted Brothers, but I want to discuss Goody Bagg a little bit—specifically, how you joined and started it, and what motivated you to create this platform for artists and entrepreneurs.
Goody Bagg started because I was trying to expand YGB. We got the talented Tiffany Wilson to sing with us before she became big time, you know? So, with Tiffany Wilson on board, we couldn’t continue as Young Gifted Brothers anymore since we had a female in the band. Our trumpet player at the time suggested we try to use the same synonyms. We couldn’t come up with anything for the “Y,” so he came up with the idea of “Goody Bagg” or something like that. I was like, "What?" But I thought, "Goody Bagg is dope!"
We always wanted to play a little bit of everything. Our MC at the time would always say, “Yeah, we’re playing a little bit of everything,” because we didn’t want to be pigeonholed as just a jazz band or just a blues band. The name Goody Bagg was perfect because it represents having all your necessities in one place—basically all your favorite kinds of music. We tried to capitalize on that. We did pop, funk, jazz, R&B—basically all the popular music on the radio—and tried to jazz it up, do something different.
You've talked about this a little bit, but you have a background as a studied performer and composer. I was just wondering how that has influenced your career—not only as a musician but also as an entrepreneur, since you majored in marketing and music, which is an interesting combination. It's obviously working for you.
Well, that’s all I do. I just use that to create a platform for myself and go from there. When I first started, I used to go around to the restaurants, saying, “Hey, what’s your schtick? What’s your schtick?” I thought I could do something for them; I could promote stuff, whatever. It just gave me the confidence to do it. I went around making flyers, and back then, there weren’t all these free marketing tools. There wasn’t YouTube, Facebook, and all that. So I was out commuting handbills and creating newspaper articles for myself, just doing a whole marketing thing to make Goody Bagg popular. One time, we had five or six gigs a week for two years in a row. It was awesome.
Geez, five to six gigs a week is a lot, especially for two years. But, I mean, it’s about doing what you love, right?
We had a knack for getting gigs at different spots every week. We played at The Paragon in Queen Anne for six years, running every Thursday night, and before that, we played at Thompson’s Point of View for about a year on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I asked for the nights that weren’t busy, and those Tuesdays and Thursdays ended up being better than the Fridays and Saturdays. We grew out of those spots quickly, then took it to The Scarlet Tree. It was all because of the marketing aspect; we had a lot of fans back then because I was focused on marketing. I didn’t know where the music was going to land; I just wanted to do something I was passionate about. I got better through the years, and I feel like the band grew because of that. We started playing bigger venues and doing a lot of corporate gigs. We grew out of the club scene and moved into a bigger market for corporate gigs, casinos, and private sector events.
When we do clubs, it’s not really for the money. You don’t get paid much to play in clubs, especially when you’re charging at the door. You’re doing it just to maintain your fan base and provide something for people to enjoy. If not, everyone would just focus on private gigs and wait for the big money to come in. I don’t really like to do that. Like I said, I like to stay in people’s minds, so I do a club gig every couple of months just to remain relevant.
What are you like exactly when playing at the clubs? Do you try to choose specific types of clubs to align with what you want to achieve?
Actually, it just depends on who comes, because I consider myself a DJ in a way. Sometimes, unless it’s a corporate gig, I’m not going to have a set list. You never know the mood and temperament of the crowd. They might be in the mood for jazz at the beginning because they’re still eating dinner or something, and then all of a sudden, dinner’s done. After half an hour or 45 minutes of conversation, they’re ready to party—especially if they have a couple of drinks in them. So you have to change your style of music. You have to play R&B, old school, and some hip-hop just to get them out of their seats because you want to entertain. I don’t want to just sit there and look at people in their seats all night doing nothing. That’s why the name Goody Bagg is so fitting for us; we try to be ready for a little bit of everything. We don’t label ourselves, so we can switch it up. If younger people come into the room, we can satisfy both the younger and older crowd all in one space.
Yeah, I feel like you would have a good recommendation for a nice jazz club in Seattle.
Definitely, we’ve played at several venues around town.
Let’s talk about the food truck. When did that start, and how did that come about?
Well, I’ve cooked for a long time. I did private catering and stuff like that on my own. As I’m getting older, construction hurts my body, you know? I was asked about a year ago if I would take the opportunity to just cook, and I said yes because it makes sense. I don’t want to sound rude, but when I’m gigging, I have to share all my money with three to six other people. I mean, I have to split everything every time. But with this food venture, it’s good for me because I can combine it with music to create a whole experience. I can offer my food services alongside my music. So, with the food truck, it all comes together. It was mainly for me; I didn’t want to continue to hurt my body as I got older. I wanted to find something I could do with my hands that allowed me to be creative and work at my own pace.
I lived with my aunt and uncle for several years while she was in culinary school. She didn’t make any soul food dishes during the week—she just experimented. So, being interested, I experimented right alongside her. We cooked different foods from various countries every night, using pots and pans and just trying to learn. As she learned, I learned, and I developed a passion for good food. I started cooking and showing people what I could do, and it became a thing. My daughter is vegan, which is tough, too. That’s what really got me seeking out different recipes; I didn’t want her to lack in her diet just because she wanted to be vegan. I know what she likes, so I wanted to create those meals for her. Cooking with purpose became important to me because of her. I always love cooking clean and making sure she can keep eating well. So, I do a lot of vegan foods now, even though I never thought I’d be into it.
How do you incorporate that into the food truck experience?
Well, I'm going to tell you this: my thing is that they use the band as a tool to draw people in. I mean, that’s what bands are used for—period—to attract people to restaurants and venues. So, I’m just going to put it to use for myself, wherever I try to get my food truck located. If I find a solid place that has parking, I would definitely be on-site on Fridays during the day or whatever it takes to start something new around town. I envision having the band play jazz by the water or wherever I am. Goody Bagg will definitely play a part in it because it all goes together. It’s a draw. I can promote it on social media that Goody Bagg will be at the water or wherever. People will show up because that’s what they do at the club. So basically, I can switch it and use that same strategy for myself to attract people to my food truck when Goody Bagg is playing.
What’s left before the food truck is up and running?
I have to pass my inspection, and they’re two months out. It’s coming out in 2025, so I’m looking forward to next year.
Have you named it yet?
Yes! It’s called Hibachi Soul. It’s going to be the only hibachi truck in town. I mean, I looked at Vegas and LA, and those are the top food truck cities, but we don’t have a hibachi truck here. Seattle is a teriyaki and hibachi spot; that’s what everybody eats, you know? And there is good soul food—don’t get me wrong—but there aren’t many soul food places in Seattle. So, I’m going to offer soul food sides that are vegan-friendly, including macaroni and cheese. I’ll have yams, greens, beans, and macaroni and cheese every day, along with steak, chicken, shrimp, and fish. You can always have your steak, chicken, fish, and shrimp fry because I have a fryer too. That’s what a soulful experience is all about!
So, what’s next for you?
No, I mean, I’m just looking forward to everything I’ve set up for myself by the time I hit 50. I’m really excited about my first year of having things come together, you know? On my construction journey, for instance, I just finished adding onto my house so that I can rent part of it out while staying in another part. It’s all part of setting myself up for the future.
Plus, I’ll have my food truck up and running soon. Speaking of that, I’ve teamed up with a program called The Game of Life Mentor Program. Now I’ll be working at King County Juvenile Court, opening their cafeteria three times a week and getting kids from The Game of Life involved. I’ll train them, teaching them how to run the cafe and even giving them hands-on experience with a career path. At larger food truck events, they’ll be able to help out on the truck, which means I can offer jobs to these kids and contribute to the community.
It’s all really new; in fact, it just came up yesterday. I had my first meeting with King County about it. We talked about getting this program up and running with the mentor program in Federal Way, giving kids in the facility something positive to focus on. I’ll be bringing music into the program too, so I can help them explore the arts. I want to do more for the community and just give back however I can.
We’re also looking to add music lessons and maybe even get some community space. I’ve been talking to Jimaine—who’s one of my best friends—and we’re planning to team up. He’s already doing something similar, hiring DJs and artists for his events, and we think we can pool our efforts and apply for grants to make this work for kids in the community.
Jones is gearing up for an exciting milestone—a performance featuring all original music, a first for him and his band. On November 19, they’ll be taking the stage at Rumba Notes in Seattle, where they’ll perform as part of a city initiative that showcases local musicians. This opportunity came when the venue’s owner reached out, offering them a spot in the lineup. For Jones, this performance is more than just a gig; it’s a chance to finally celebrate Goody Bagg’s album release.
Originally launched the week before COVID hit, the album never had a proper release or marketing push. Jones sees this night as the perfect occasion to reintroduce the album to the public, treating it as a long-overdue “record release” celebration. With a great venue, a night dedicated to his music, and the city’s support, he’s eager to give the album the spotlight it deserves and connect with Seattle’s music community in a meaningful way.
Find him on Instagram @lenard.jones.16.
