My Story
Chris Hercules Bio
Toronto – Based spoken word artist/songwriter Chris Hercules is known as a jazz poet who has worked with some of the best jazz musicians in the city. He finds strength in music and primarily incorporates jazz as a backdrop to perform his poetry. Funky, soulful, jazz influenced dance and house music along with the great words of poet and singer Gil-Scott Heron is what inspired him to start writing and performing his own poetry.
His artistry draws influence from all genres of music and his favorite artists are John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Gangstarr, Stevie Wonder, Common, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Masters At Work and Charlie Parker.
He has had the opportunity of performing at Hermans Jazz Club - Victoria B.C., Upstairs Jazz Club - Montreal QC,House of Jazz - Montreal QC, Cornelia Street Café – New York City, The Jazz Bar Attic – Tokyo, Japan, and in numerous venues in the Toronto area.
In 2013 he released the song “The Creed of House” on mixed signals music. In 2015 he was featured as a guest artist on MJ Beeghley’s “The Sea and Her Waves” album. Collaborating with Michael on the song “Under The Cherry Tree”. In 2020 He worked with house dj and music producer Jackman Jones on the release of the song called “Bounce to This”. In October of 2023 he collaborated with Japanese producer Junya on the tune “I Got This” which was only released to Soundcloud and Bandcamp.
On January 19th, 2024 he released “The Messenger”. The Messenger is a tribute and reflection on the enduring nature of jazz music. It emphasizes the role of delivering a message about the history, struggles, and vitality of jazz.
His first EP “Message Poetic” will be released in 2024.
Keep up with Chris on Instagram at @chrisherculesmc, Facebook: facebook.com/chrisherculesmusic, X (formerly known as Twitter) @chris_hercules and Youtube: @ChrisHercules
“Chris blends his love of jazz, personal storytelling and a poet’s delight in words to create captivating experiences for his audience… from comedic to tragic and touching, his poems cover the range of being human and speak to both heart and soul.”
Susan Brown
“Chris is a dynamic poet and in his dynamism he emanates a positivity that is hard to miss. Chris's play with words is creative and unique, weaving his understanding about contemporary social issues and experiences with personal reflections and struggles.” ~Daniela Kramer