* En anglais uniquement
An exuberant player with attractive tones on both tenor and alto,
Red Holloway was also a humorous blues singer. Whether it be bop, blues, or R&B,
Holloway held his own with anyone.
Holloway played in Chicago with
Gene Wright's big band (1943-1946), served in the Army, and then played with
Roosevelt Sykes (1948) and Nat Towles (1949-1950), before leading his own quartet (1952-1961) during an era when he also recorded with many blues and R&B acts.
Holloway rose to fame in 1963 while touring with
Jack McDuff, making his first dates as a leader for Prestige (1963-1965). Although he cut many records in R&B settings,
Red Holloway was a strong bop soloist at heart, as he proved in the '70s when he battled
Sonny Stitt to a tie on their recorded collaboration. He went on to work mostly as a leader, but also guested with Juggernaut and the Cheathams, and played with
Clark Terry on an occasional basis. He continued being active as a player into the 21st century, releasing Standing Room Only on Chiaroscuro Records in 2000;
Keep That Groove Going, with
Plas Johnson, on Milestone Records in 2001;
Coast to Coast, also on Milestone Records, in 2003; and
Go Red Go! in 2009 on Delmark Records.
Holloway died on February 25, 2012 of kidney failure and stroke. He was 84 years old. ~ Scott Yanow