Red Holloway
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Red Holloway (James W Holloway), born in Helena, Arkansas on May 31, 1927, is a well-known blues and jazz saxophonist.
He started playing banjo and harmonica, switching to tenor sax when he was twelve years old. He graduated from DuSable High School, where he had played in the school big band with Johnny Griffin and Eugene Wright, and attended the Conservatory of Music, Chicago.
He joined the Army when he was nineteen and became bandmaster for the U.S. Fifth Army Band, and after completing his military service, returned to Chicago and played with Yusef Lateef and Dexter Gordon, among others.
In 1948 he joined blues vocalist Roosevelt Sykes and later played with other blues musicians such as Willie Dixon, Junior Parker, Lloyd Price, and John Mayall.
During the Fifties, Holloway continued playing in the Chicago area with Billie Holiday, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rushing, Arthur Prysock, Dakota Staton, Eddie Vinson, Wardell Gray, Sonny Rollins, Red Rodney, Lester Young, Joe Williams, Redd Foxx, B. B. King, Bobby Bland and Aretha Franklin. During this period, he also toured with Sonny Stitt, Memphis Slim and Lionel Hampton.
From 1963 to 1966, he was in organist "Brother" Jack McDuff's band, which also featured a young guitarist, George Benson.
From 1977 to 1982, Holloway worked with Sonny Stitt, recording two albums together, and following Stitt's death, Holloway played and recorded with Clark Terry.