For Dr. James L. Patterson, music has never been just a career — it’s a calling. The Orangeburg native, internationally known Gospel recording artist, and Kingstree High School band director has spent his life weaving his talents into a single thread of faith, education, and purpose.
“I actually always knew I was good at music,” Patterson said. “At an early age, I was singing, but I didn’t know the instrumental side was kind of a thing until middle school when I joined band. And once I realized that, I was like, ‘I think music is my thing.’”
Patterson graduated from Edisto High School in 2003 and went on to study music education at Charleston Southern University and South Carolina State University. His passion for teaching has been a constant. Now in his fourth year leading the band at Kingstree High, he has built a program focused not just on technical skill but on unity and community pride.
“We do an annual Merge Battle of the Bands to show the community that they can work together,” Patterson explained. “We even have Manning High School participating this year. It’s about more than just music. It’s about bringing people together.”
While his dedication to education runs deep, Patterson’s musical ministry has grown just as steadily. His journey in the Gospel music industry officially began in 2014 with his debut single Better Is On The Way — a path he hadn’t initially envisioned for himself.
“I didn’t have confidence in my voice, to be honest. I felt like I sounded different,” he said. “But there were people telling me, because you sound different, that’s why you should do it. It would give people something unique.”
Inspired by a former student’s unwavering belief in becoming a Gospel artist, Patterson took a leap of faith — and hasn’t looked back. Since then, he has topped charts with singles like Move and Serve God ‘Til I Die, performed across Europe for international Gospel tours, and even sang at Pope Francis’s Christmas event in 2019.
Now, Patterson has released his newest single, I Believe God, on March 14. Written during the emotional aftermath of losing his father in December 2020, the song is both a personal anthem and a universal message of trust and perseverance.
“I really wrote the song as a reference to myself,” Patterson shared. “It talks about trusting and believing that God will get you through whatever you’re going through. I wrote it to encourage myself and now I want it to encourage others.”
The song’s upbeat energy was intentional. “I wanted them to be able to, wherever they are — in church, in a convertible, walking on the beach — just be encouraged and excited about what’s to come,” he said. “This is a song celebrating what’s to come.”
Faith remains the foundation of Patterson’s creative and personal life. “Faith is everything. I leaned to myself a lot of times and it really doesn’t work. I had to run back to my faith,” he said. “Between my faith and my music — those were the consistent things in my life. That’s why I’m so passionate about teaching and music ministry.”
Balancing his roles as a band director, recording artist, and student again as he pursues a second master’s degree in Educational Leadership with principal certification, requires more than just organization. It demands alignment with a greater purpose.
“Everything I do is aligned with my purpose,” he said. “My music is to help others. My teaching is to help others. Going back to school is to help others. Even my TikTok is to make people laugh and be encouraged.”
Patterson’s dedication to education has not gone unnoticed: he has twice been recognized as a quarterfinalist for The Recording Academy’s Music Educator Award. “It’s huge to even be thought of,” he said. “My music teachers saved my life. When I didn’t have a consistent home life, music was consistent for me. That’s what taught me — and that’s what I want to give back.”
His students play an active role in shaping his music today. “I let them hear my music first,” he laughed. “They are brutally honest, but it keeps me young, keeps me sharp. I know they love me, and I love them.”
Looking ahead, Patterson is preparing for a busy year: a U.S. tour following the summer, a major four-week European Gospel tour with Slang Music in Italy, Spain, and Croatia, and a full album release on the horizon.
Through it all, Patterson remains grounded, a humility he credits to knowing where he started.
“I never thought I was good enough to even be doing this,” he said. “Just being grateful that there’s a desire for what God gave me. That’s enough to keep me where I am.”
For those discovering his music for the first time, Patterson offers this message:
“Never stop dreaming. Never think that you’re not good enough to be what God called you to be. Because if He called you to do it, it’s aligned there. It’s there for you to be. It’s there to be done. You just gotta move out of the way and allow Him to do what He’s already said He’s going to do for you.”
