Faces Of New Bedford #67 – Cedric Josey

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Meet Cedric Josey, 36-year-old Musician and teacher.

Cedric grew up in Brockton and moved to New Bedford when he began to attend the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he studied English, Drama/Film alongside a minor in African Studies. Having being involved in music since his early years of singing in the choir at his family’s church, it was no surprise that he joined several bands during his time in college.

It was not long after his short stint in a few bands that he found himself living alone in an apartment in New Bedford, face to face with his first guitar. He loved song writing and was determined to learn guitar, so that in the chance things didn’t work with a band, he could still make and play the music he loved. Remembering the trouble he had with neighbors learning saxophone as a child, he took up finger picking in order to keep from making loud music.

Cedric had graduated from college and started working with the youth in the area through substitute teaching positions and with the Trustees of Reservations. He felt it was important to be an African American male mentor in these youth’s lives because it showed them another path was available to them than what society or their peers might lead them to believe.

He has also had the opportunity to work with local agencies like Destination New Bedford, where in collaboration with Ben Gilbarg, he wrote and produced a song “Being in New Bedford.” This song was used to as a promotion piece for the different things that our city has to offer. Between local gigs and his interactions with the kids at the schools he teaches at Cedric sees so much potential for our city to grow into the great place it once was.

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Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

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One comment

  1. Cedric, This is Bettie, your father’s friend .Please call me it’s concern your father.

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