Paul Broadnax, the child of two well-known and influential Boston-area classical musicians, was drafted into the Army toward the end of WWII. Already an accomplished pianist and vocalist, the Army assigned him to support Army Air Corps units at both Shepard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas and to Lockbourne Airbase in Columbus Ohio where Tuskegee graduates were assigned. He played with the Tuskegee Airmen military band and dance band.

Later in life, Broadnax has entertained many Rhode Island audiences during a career that has seen him twice nominated as the Boston Music Awards Jazz Singer of the Year. In 2003 he was named Musician of the Year by the Boston Musicians’ Association. He plays regularly with the Reggie Centracchio quintet, the musical group led by the former Rhode Island Adjutant General.