Joey Boesch - Sugar Land Magazine

Fort Bend people
Joey Boesch considers
his music to not only be
entertainment, but a
ministry, as well
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Music
Man
Local performer Joey Boesch
shares his love of music
with the community
Written by Taryn Burnett
Select Photography by Jason Lehecka
At only 7 years old, Joey Boesch was
labeled a musical genius, giving the
piano a voice so melodic that his
future as a performer was sealed.
Beginning with the simplistic
tune of “Happy Birthday,” he
now has over 500 songs in
his repertoire, all memorized.
Boesch, who is legally blind,
has never seen a single note of
music, relying instead on touch
and sound to lead him in his
artistic endeavors.

One Key at a Time
Born a month and a half premature, Boesch was given too
much oxygen in the first few days of life, which led to his
blindness and caused him to have a mild form of cerebral
palsy. At the time, he was named Joey Choate, but later
changed his name after his mother’s marriage to wrestler
and legendary promoter Paul Boesch.
As a child, Boesch attended the Thomas W. Hughen School
for Crippled Children, now known as The Hughen Center,
in Port Arthur. He discovered the piano at the young age of
4. “Because of my late learning and my late development,
I wasn’t aware of what was happening as I learned to play,”
recalls Boesch, who was soon rewarded with the gift of his
very own upright piano.
After being labeled a musical prodigy by local media,
Boesch began studying piano, music, and voice professionally
at Lamar University. His instructors at Lamar and later
at Houston Baptist University encouraged him to develop
his own sound and musical personality. By the time he was
9 years old, he had developed the ability to hear a song and
repeat the tune immediately by singing or playing it on the
piano.
Adding a Personal Touch
He began altering the harmonies, often time based on the
mood he was feeling the first time he heard a song. While
his collection of songs includes dance tunes from the ‘40s
through the ‘60s, his favorite songs are gospel and inspirational
melodies. Though not his favorite, Boesch has even
learned several pop culture and rock ‘n’ roll tunes just in
case someone asks him to play those genres.
“The piano has a voice, but not everyone understands what
it’s saying,” says Boesch. “It doesn’t play or speak words,
but if people hear something and they can hum along, then
they’re hearing the piano’s voice.” Boesch has performed for
a number of celebrities and high-ranking officials, including
George W. Bush, Bob Hope, and Mary Lou Retton, for
whom he sang his original composition, “The Heart of an
Olympian.”
A Special Kind of Ministry
“Everywhere I play, I consider it to be not just entertainment,
but a ministry,” shares Boesch. He sings each week in
the Second Baptist Church choir and has been part of their
prison ministry program since 2002.
He first became involved in using music for ministry in
1987, visiting and performing at two drug and alcohol
rehabilitation facilities in Sugar Land. When those facilities
closed down, he participated in ministries in Atascocita.
Nowadays, he sings and plays the keyboard predominantly
during services at the prison in Lake Jackson. This year,
Boesch’s performances have included concerts during Sugar
Mill Elementary School’s Music Madness Week and the
Literacy Council of Fort Bend County’s annual wine and
music gala.
Top Note in the Nation
To date, Boesch has produced four albums. He and his
mother Valerie, who serves as Boesch’s manager, took advantage
of 2011 being a slow performance year and focused
on producing his first Christmas album, which was released
just in time for the holidays last year.
Boesch has made it his mission to not only perform in and
around Sugar Land, but also across the entire nation. He
spent over a year performing in Las Vegas and has competed
locally in the Sugar Land Superstar showcase.
Someday, Boesch hopes to help make Houston one of the
top recording locations in the nation. Until then, the talented
performer will continue sharing his gift of song with
others for a harmonious future. SLM
TARYN BURNETT is a freelance writer and photographer,
who shares her home with her husband and their two rescue
dogs.
Joey Boesch with
Barry Manilow at
a concert in Las
Vegas
Key Notes About
Musician Joey Boesch
Born in 1954 in Port Arthur
Moved to Sugar Land in 1982
Singer, composer, and pianist
Enjoys playing gospel music and
inspirational songs
Albums include Hear It and Believe It, Many Moods
of Joey Boesch, Timeless – Old Is New Again, and
Rejoice! Forever Christmas
Frequently performs at many area
fundraisers and benefits
Find him online at joeyboesch.com
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