An exuberant player with attractive tones on both tenor and alto,
Red Holloway is also a humorous
blues singer. Whether it be
bop,
blues, or
r&b,
Holloway can hold 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 came to fame in 1963 while touring with
Jack McDuff, making his first dates as a leader for Prestige (1963-1965). Although he has cut many records in
r&b settings,
Red Holloway is a strong
bop soloist at heart, as he proved in the 1970s 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. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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Go Red Go!