Jason Atkins is a professional keyboardist based in Charlotte, NC. Originally from the small town of Greer, SC, his affinity for the Hammond organ began when he first discovered his father’s vinyl copy of Booker T and the M.G.’s classic “Green Onions” when he was 11 years old. When he was 14, he had saved enough money to buy his first Hammond/Leslie combo – A Hammond M3 and Leslie 46W with single-speed rotors. At the age of 16, he was the keyboardist for a progressive rock band of high school students, Dr. Rhubarb, playing original songs as well as covers of bands like Phish, The Allman Brothers, and Medeski, Martin, & Wood.
After high school, Jason moved to Charlotte, NC to join the established southern rock band, Satchelfoot. Soon he was getting calls to play and record with several local bands wanting his Hammond organ sound to take their band’s songs to the next level. Atkins’ reputation grew and his talent behind the keys became more refined, earning him opportunities to share the stage with some of rock and pop’s best groups like Blackberry Smoke, Los Lonely Boys, North Mississippi All-stars, Albert Lee, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, and his longtime Hammond hero, Booker T. Throughout his career, Atkins has played with over 100 local and regional acts, and recorded on more than 1000 songs.
In 2015, he was offered the unique position of organist for the Charlotte Checkers hockey team at their home base, the Bojangles Coliseum. When Atkins arrived to audition for the job he discovered there was a vintage Hammond C3 at the corner of the rink. He knew right then this would be his coolest gig yet. From that point, Jason became known among local and visiting hockey fans as “Greazy Keyz,” a nickname that described his funky, soulful style at the organ.
His career as a stadium organist grew with invitations to perform at select Charlotte Hornets Basketball games in 2019 and again in 2021 when he was asked to be the organist for the Kannapolis Cannonballers baseball team. The award-winning Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Cannonballers, selected a well-kept Hammond M3 to set the nostalgic ambiance for ballgames, a touch that endears longtime baseball fans and younger fans alike. In 2023, Atkins also became the organist for the Charlotte Knights baseball team.
Atkins can often be found in the studio working on various projects for films like When the Game Stands Tall, TV shows like HBO’s Righteous Gemstones, and other artist’s recording such as a track featuring Snoop Dogg.
Jason Atkins, aka Greazy Keyz, often says he is blessed to perform music for a living and is always grateful for the opportunity to entertain fans, friends, and colleagues from behind a Hammond organ. Atkins continues to play, record, and travel with myriad of successful artists, working to build the music community in Charlotte, NC.
