Major "Mule" Holley Jr. (July 10, 1924 – October 25, 1990) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

ist.

Biography

Holley was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, United States. He attended the prestigious

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

in Detroit. Holley played violin and tuba when young. He started playing bass while serving in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

, playing in the Ships Company A Band at Camp Robert Smalls, which was led by Leonard Bowden and included Clark Terry, and several other musicians recruited from civilian dance bands.Floyd, Samuel A. “An Oral History: The Great Lakes Experience,” in ''The Black Experience in Music'' 11.1: (Spring 1983): pp. 41-61. In the latter half of the 1940s, he played with

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, i ...

; in 1950 he and

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

recorded duets, and he also played with Peterson and Charlie Smith as a trio. He was married to Minnie Walton (born Millicent Aitcheson). In the mid-1950s, he moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and worked at the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

. Upon his return to America, he toured with

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

in 1958 and with

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

between 1959 and 1960. A prolific studio musician, he played with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...

in 1964 and with the

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Trio,

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jaz ...

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many so ...

Milt Buckner Milton Brent Buckner (July 10, 1915 – July 27, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and organist, who in the early 1950s popularized the Hammond organ.Arwulf ArwulfMilt Buckner biography All Music. He pioneered the parallel chords style Feath ...

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and ...

and

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1967 to 1970, he taught at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

. Holley was known for singing along with his arco (bowed) bass solos, a technique

Slam Stewart Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart (September 21, 1914December 10, 1987) was an American jazz double bass player, whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass (arco) and simultaneously hum or sing an octave higher. He was a violinist before swi ...

also used. Holley and Stewart recorded two albums together. Holley died of a heart attack in

Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...

, at the age of 66.

Discography

As leader

* ''Two Big Mice'' with Slam Stewart (Black and Blue, 1977) * '' Shut Yo' Mouth!'' with Slam Stewart (PM, 1987) * ''Major Step'' with Joe Van Enkhuizen (Timeless 1992) * ''Excuse Me Ludwig'' (Black and Blue, 1997) * ''Mighty Like a Rose'' with Rose Murphy (Black & Blue, 1998)

As sideman

With

Peter Appleyard Peter Appleyard, (26 August 1928 – 17 July 2013) was a British–Canadian jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer. He spent most of his life in the city of Toronto, where for many years he was a popular performer in nightclubs and h ...

* ''Barbados Heat'' (Concord Jazz, 1990) * ''Barbados Cool'' (Concord Jazz, 1991) With

* '' Midnight Blue'' (Blue Note, 1963) * '' Bluesy Burrell'' (Moodsville, 1963) * '' Bluesin' Around'' (Columbia, 1983) With

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

* ''Light and Lovely'' (Black and Blue, 1979) * ''Midnight Slows Vol. 10'' (Black and Blue, 1979) With

* ''

Good Old Broadway ''Good Old Broadway'' is an album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins which was recorded in 1962 and released on the Moodsville label.Today and Now'' (Impulse!, 1962) * ''

The Jazz Version of No Strings ''The Jazz Version of No Strings'' (complete title ''The Coleman Hawkins Quartet Play The Jazz Version of No Strings'') is an album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins featuring tracks from the musical drama '' No Strings'' written by Richard Rodgers, ...

'' (Moodsville, 1962) * '' Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! At the Village Gate!'' (Verve, 1962) * '' Hawkins! Alive! At the Village Gate'' (Verve, 1963) * ''

Coleman Hawkins Plays Make Someone Happy from Do Re Mi ''Coleman Hawkins Plays Make Someone Happy from Do Re Mi'' is an album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins which was recorded in 1962 and released on the Moodsville label.Desafinado "Desafinado" (a Portuguese word, usually rendered into English as "Out of Tune", or as "Off Key") is a 1959 bossa nova song and jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça. Background "Desafin ...

'' (Impulse!, 1963) * ''

Back in Bean's Bag ''Back in Bean's Bag'' is an album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins with trumpeter Clark Terry which was recorded in late 1962 and released on the Columbia label.Lord, T.Clark Terry Discography Retrieved July 10, 2017 Reception Scott Yanow of Al ...

'' (Columbia, 1963) With

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes k ...

* ''Papa Jo and His Friends'' (Denon, 1978) * ''

Our Man, Papa Jo! ''Our Man, Papa Jo!'' is the last studio album recorded by drummer Jo Jones in 1977 and released by the Japanese Denon label the following year.Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

* '' Quincy Jones Plays Hip Hits'' (Mercury, 1963) * '' Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' (Mercury, 1964) * ''

Gula Matari ''Gula Matari'' is a 1970 studio album by Quincy Jones. Track listing # " Bridge Over Troubled Water" ( Paul Simon) – 5:09 # "Gula Matari" (Quincy Jones) – 13:02 # "Walkin'" (Richard Carpenter) – 8:02 # "Hummin'" (Nat Adderley) – 8:08 ...

'' (A&M, 1970) * ''

I Heard That!! ''I Heard That!!'' is a 1976 double album by Quincy Jones. The first half of the album consists of new material, with the second a compilation of his work for A&M Records since 1969. Track listing # "I Heard That!!" ( Dave Grusin, Quincy Jone ...

'' (A&M, 1976) With

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

* ''

Blues 'N' Jazz ''Blues 'N' Jazz'' is the 29th album by B.B. King released in 1983. It was recorded on his 57th birthday, September 16, 1983. Background Writing in the album sleeve-notes, producer Sid Seidenberg says: "Recording his forty-first album on his bi ...

'' (MCA, 1983) With

Roland Kirk Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

* ''

Here Comes the Whistleman ''Here Comes the Whistleman'' is a live album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk recorded in March 1965 at Atlantic Studios in New York, and released in February 1967. It was his first release on the Atlantic label and features performance ...

'' (Atlantic, 1967) * '' A Meeting of the Times'' (Atlantic, 1972) With

Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All ...

* ''The Texas Twister'' (Master Jazz 1975) * ''Just Jazz'' (Uptown, 1984) * ''

Just Friends ''Just Friends'' is a 2005 American Christmas comedy film directed by Roger Kumble, written by Adam 'Tex' Davis and starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Christopher Marquette. The plot focuses on a formerly obes ...

'' (Muse, 1992) With

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

* ''Tread Ye Lightly'' (Cameo, 1964) * ''Having Fun'' (Delos, 1990) With Joe Williams * ''Having the Blues Under European Sky'' (Denon, 1985) With others * Totti Bergh, ''Major Blues'' (Gemini, 1991) *

, ''Block Chords Parade'' (Black & Blue, 1974) *

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

, ''

Family Man Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

'' (Muse, 1978) * Johnny Guarnieri, ''Johnny Guarnieri Originals'' (1979) * Bob James, ''Sign of the Times'' (1981) * Rufus Jones, ''

Five on Eight ''Five on Eight'' is the only album featuring drummer Rufus "Speedy" Jones as leader. Recording and music Drummer Rufus "Speedy" Jones led a quintet in the period 1963–64; this led to the recording of ''Five on Eight''. The album was produced b ...

'' (Cameo, 1964) *

Dave McKenna Dave McKenna (May 30, 1930 – October 18, 2008) was an American jazz pianist known primarily as a solo pianist and for his " three-handed" swing style. He was a significant figure in the evolution of jazz piano. Career He was born in Woonsock ...

, ''Dave McKenna Quartet with Zoot Sims'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrast (vision), contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts ...

, 1974) *

, ''

Some Blues ''Some Blues'' is an album by jazz pianist Jay McShann recorded in 1990 and 1992 and released on the Chiaroscuro label in 1993.Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrast (vision), contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts ...

, 1993) *

Flip Phillips Joseph Edward Filippelli (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001), known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic conc ...

, ''The Claw'' (

, 1986) *

Richie Pratt Richie Pratt (born Richard Dean Tyree; March 11, 1943 – February 12, 2015) was an American jazz drummer. He embarked upon a career as a professional musician on the New York scene in the early 1970s, it was as much due to an unanticipated sporti ...

, Olathe ( Artists Recording Collective, 2007) *

Hilton Ruiz Hilton Ruiz (May 29, 1952 – June 6, 2006) was an American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player. He was of Puerto Rican descent. Biography Born in New York City, Ruiz began playing piano at the age of f ...

, ''Crosscurrents'' (Stash, 1985) *

Shirley Scott Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an American jazz organist. Her music was noted for its mixture of bebop, blues and gospel elements. She was known by the nickname "Queen of the Organ". Life and career Scott was born in Ph ...

, '' The Soul Is Willing'' (Prestige, 1963) * Shirley Scott, ''

Drag 'em Out ''Drag 'em Out'' is an album by organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1963 and released on the Prestige Records, Prestige label.Payne, DShirley Scott discographyaccessed July 2, 2012 Reception The Allmusic site awarded the album 3 stars.Frank Sinatra, '' L.A. Is My Lady'' (Qwest, 1984) *

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

, '' Never Let Me Go'' (1963) *

Dicky Wells William Wells (June 10, 1907 – November 12, 1985), known professionally as Dicky Wells (sometimes Dickie Wells), was an American jazz trombonist. Career Dickie Wells is believed to have been born on June 10, 1907 in Centerville, Tennessee, Uni ...

, '' Bones for the King'' (Felsted, 1958) * Dicky Wells, '' Trombone Four-in-Hand'' (Felsted, 1959) * Gerry Wiggins, ''Wig Is Here'' (Black & Blue, 1974) *

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

, ''Directly from the Half Note'' (Philology, 1966)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holley, Major 1924 births 1991 deaths American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Cass Technical High School alumni Jazz musicians from Michigan People from Maplewood, New Jersey Duke Ellington Orchestra members 20th-century American musicians 20th-century double-bassists American male jazz musicians Black & Blue Records artists 20th-century American male musicians United States Navy personnel of World War II