Anthony J. “Tony” Spencer, MPA, is a professional vocalist, recording artist, and composer with 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry. He serves as the founder of both Enrapture Records and A.J. Spencer Consultants LLC, as well as distinguishing himself as a visual artist.
Recognizing Opportunities Builds Career Success
Spencer’s career trajectory may seem unusual to some, but it results from recognizing and seizing opportunities. Throughout his life, he has actively supported the local artistic community. Considering his art and music “divine gifts,” he has also maintained his entertainment career alongside his other roles.
In 1973, he was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps after serving as a Presidential Honor Guard, a sentry at the Annapolis Marine Barracks, and as a docent at the United States Naval Academy. Never losing his interest in his “gifts,” however, he obtained a career as a firefighter and received his paramedic certification in Maryland, becoming the first Black paramedic in Anne Arundel County.
Artistic Ventures
Over the next 14 years, Spencer’s talents and opportunities grew while he was still in the fire service. His first solo album was “Person to Person,” a gospel album released in 1987. He has also had much success with “IT’S TIME,” his R&B and Jazz CD, which reached five continents.
In 1997, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Sojourner-Douglass College in Baltimore and a Master of Public Administration degree from the same institution in 2011.
Spencer has held 31 exhibitions as an artist locally and abroad and expects his designs will one day “be on fabric, clothing, drapes, carpets and more.” He continues his artistic endeavors as a visual artist, professional vocalist, and composer while also serving as a consultant at A.J. Spencer Consultants LLC.
He embraces his artistic endeavors wholeheartedly: “I used to think that my art, my lyrical compositions, my poetry and my other writings were just something I came up with or just came to me by chance. I now understand that my dreams result from the movement of the day and the steps that impress my experiences.”
Spencer does not accept restrictions when it comes to his artistic work. Instead, he embraces all his inspirations and creates music and visual art that reflect his spirit. His latest artistic pursuit is documentary filmmaking, and he is currently creating a script about his great-great-grandfather, James Spencer, who, in 1845, founded a free community, Freetown, for African Americans in the state of Maryland. “Once finished, this documentary will be so important that it will not just be a local documentary,” Spencer shared.
A Life of Service
Spencer has served in various civic roles, most recently as a commissioner of arts in public places for the city of Annapolis, the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. He was also the director of youth and community affairs for the City of Annapolis, Maryland, from 2002 to 2010. One of his proudest achievements was being chosen as a torch bearer for the 1996 Olympics, one of four torch bearers from Annapolis.
From his role as Anne Arundel County’s first Black paramedic to his successes as a recording artist, Spencer has consistently broken barriers and defied conventional career boundaries. Through his entrepreneurial endeavors and various civic appointments, he continues to assist in shaping Maryland’s cultural and political landscape.
