In 2021, saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin was in a frightening car accident that nearly ended her life. Instead, she found strength in her recovery and went on to produce her Grammy-nominated 2023 album Phoenix.
On the heels of the album's release, Benjamin brought her band, pianist Zaccai Curtis, bassist Elias Bailey and drummer EJ Strickland, to the KNKX Studios in 2024.
"About four hours into the drive, the sun rises up. I mean, it was over this beautiful mountain. I was like, 'This is so amazing.' And next thing I know, I'm like, inside of the mountain covered in blood," Benjamin said.
Before the accident, Benjamin's career had been cookin'. She'd finished a successful concert at a jazz festival in Cleveland when she took her ill-fated roadtrip home. Luckily, she was pulled from the accident by a good Samaritan.
"He had like, a heavy southern accent, like, you gonna be OK? And I said, 'Oh, no, what is happening?' And then I slowly remember ambulance workers, people trying to keep pushing me and getting me to stay conscious," she said.
The accident left her with serious injuries, especially scary injuries for a saxophone player.
"Turned out I had fractured my jaw. I had broke through my ribs. I broke my scapula. I had some severe neurological damage just from being shifted around, and they weren't sure if there was a brain bleed or swelling," she said.
Benjamin's recovery experience sparked a determination to get back to her music as soon as possible. She did make a remarkable comeback, but it wasn't easy, physically or mentally.
"That kind of experience of not knowing, was I going to be alive and make it because they weren't sure, to then...not knowing would I able to play the saxophone again," she said.
One of the songs on Phoenix, "Amerikkan Skin," is a call for strength in the community, specifically the Black community in America. But also it's Benjamin's hope for everyone fighting for a better future.
"We all have our own things that we're battling. The importance to be resilient, the importance to be hard, working, dedicated, and to really fight for the life that you want," she said.
Fighting to recover from the accident made Benjamin realize that she had to fight in her career too. She took control of her the new album as producer, and it paid off.
"I used my own money to fund it, and I just put everything together. Now we're three-time Grammy-nominated, going to the Grammys next week," she said.
In fact, following her KNKX Studio Session, Benjamin went straight to the Grammys, and she was nominated in 2025 for her album, Noble Rise, as well.
Songs heard in this episode:
- "New Mornings"
- "Amerikkan Skin"
- "Trane"
