The sound of friendly conversation flows from the entrance of University Baptist Church on a brisk March morning. Dressed in khakis, a button-down shirt and worn navy blue converse, Jimmy Redd ascends the stairs leading to a grand piano. Once seated, he slowly bobs his head to match the rhythm. His signature shoulder-length curly hair sways with each nod of his head.
   Passion for music runs deep for a musician as unique as Jimmy Redd. By day, he answers to “Professor Redd” and can be found teaching English and creative writing at Mississippi State University. However, after leaving his office he’s likely to be found at his next gig with his so band, ‘Too Proud to Beg.’ While maintaining two careers may seem like a demanding balancing act, Redd doesn’t view either as burdensome. 
   “I chose my career for a reason,” he said. “[Music and teaching] are the two things I’ve always wanted to do in my life.”
     Redd first fell in love with music at the age of five in his father’s church. From there, Redd immersed himself in any musical instrument he could find until he mastered five instruments.    
     Perhaps music was his calling, but Redd wasn’t satisfied in making just one of his hobbies profitable. A firm believer in cultivating all of his interests, Redd began to shape his hobbies of reading and writing as well. It was this specific harmonization of two hobbies that led to Redd’s pursuit of his professional career of teaching.
  In teaching creative writing, Redd naturally correlates poetry with his love of music and can parallel analogies in both mediums. His visible joy when talking about both music and teaching speak to his genuine satisfaction in doing exactly what he loves. 
  “Find a way to love anything you do,” he said with a smile.
Being a flexible “on-call local musician” cultivated Redd’s specific love for crowd interaction. While his band specializes in soul music, the nature of the crowd will sometimes alter the music in which ‘Too Proud to Beg’ plays.
 “We specialize in playing to the audience’s interests,” Redd said. 
      On this particular March morning, Redd can be seen energetically playing the piano at University Baptist Church. While church member John Breazeale cheerfully sings along, the presence Redd embodies while playing piano fills the church with tangible euphoria.   
   “[Redd] impresses me [with] his joy,” Breazeale said.