Hollie Farris is a professional musician, a trumpet player who has played and recorded with

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

and was a member of

The J.B.'s The J.B.'s (sometimes punctuated The JB's or The J.B.s) was James Brown's band from 1970 through the early 1980s. On records, the band was sometimes billed under alternate names such as Fred Wesley and the JBs, The James Brown Soul Train, Mace ...

. He is the co-composer of "Standing On Higher Ground" which appears on the '' Love Over-Due'' album by Brown. He has played on ''

Colour Me Free! ''Colour Me Free!'' is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Joss Stone, released on 20 October 2009 by Virgin Records. The album was originally scheduled to be released in April 2009. However, Stone's record label, EMI, de ...

'' and '' The Soul Sessions Vol. 2'' albums by

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

. He was also a member of

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...

s touring band.

Career

With James Brown

Farris would end up playing with James Brown, playing trumpet, adding vocals and eventually becoming music director in the band. The relationship began in 1975 when Farris was located in Nashville. He was playing with his band in an Atlanta hotel lounge when James Brown came in and heard them play. He hired Farris immediately. During the course of his involvement with Brown, in the 1970s, when

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

was having his first fight with

Leon Spinks Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a s ...

, Farris and the band were invited to Ali's suite after a sparring session and spent 2 hours talking to him. Farris was caught off guard by Ali's humor. In 1986 he became the music director which included the duties of rehearsing the band, adding new songs to be worked with etc. After spending eight years with Brown, Farris quit after a series of bad experiences and stayed away for seven years. He would return to the band after Brown was released from prison and stay with him for another sixteen years. By 2007, Farris had spent 20 years in that role. Ferris's musical relationship with Brown lasted until the singers passing.

Other artists

In 1988, he was a member of

s backing band that also featured saxophonist

Randall Bramblett Randall Bramblett (born 1948) is an American musician and singer-songwriter, whose career as a solo artist, session player, and touring musician, has spanned five decades. He has worked with Gregg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Goose Creek Symphony, Ro ...

, guitarist Anthony Cranford, drummer Russ Kunkel, keyboardist Mike Lawler, backing vocalist LeAnn Phelan, and bassist Michael Rhodes. Farris appeared in the 1989 ''Roll with It'' music video by Winwood. In 2007, he was a member of Joss Stone's backing band.

Appearances / session work (selective)

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Hollie Farris
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References

External links

My Father the Godfather by Daryl Brown and Michael P. Chabries, Hollie Farris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farris, Hollie The J.B.'s members American trumpeters Living people American male trumpeters Year of birth missing (living people)