Khris Royal was born to be a musician. This young and exceptional New Orleans native began playing the saxophone at seven years old, and producing and writing music at fourteen. Royal’s musical talents were nurtured at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) High School, in classrooms once shared by jazz greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Terrence Blanchard, and Donald Harrison. When Royal was only 16, he was granted a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and his career has taken off since then. In addition to leading his own band, Khris Royal & Dark Matter, Khris Royal has been the only horn player in George Porter Jr. & the Runnin’ Pardners since Fall 2009. In 2011, Royal joined as a touring member of the popular West Coast rock/reggae band, Rebelution.