Arthur Jenkins

Who was Arthur Jenkins?

Arthur Eugene Jenkins, Jr. was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger and percussionist who worked with many popular music icons such as John Lennon, Harry Belafonte, Bob Marley and Chaka Khan.

Jenkins was born in The Bronx, New York and began playing piano at the age of 5. After studying music at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, Jenkins returned to New York and began his professional career. He played for two years at a club called Blue Moracco. The first year was with a singer named Irene Reid and the second was with a new singer from Ohio named Nancy Wilson.

Next began a 9-year collaboration as musical director and accompanist to singer Johnny Nash, which included Nash's 1972 smash "I Can See Clearly Now". While with Nash, Jenkins traveled to Jamaica where he also worked on recording projects with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

Jenkins had now become a much sought-after studio musician, and soon was the arranger for Harry Belafonte, with whom he also recorded and toured. He worked in the same capacity for Patti Austin and Lena Horne, who were co-performers on Belafonte's tours.

Jenkins then joined Antisia Publishing, and forged a lifelong friendship and musical partnership with MacDonald, which led to more hit recordings like "The Hustle" with Van McCoy, "Where Is the Love" with Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway and "Just The Two of Us" with Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers.