It all started sometime back in the late 70s  with a dollar and an 8 track player. I begged my mother to buy me an 8 track of bunch of Big Band era tunes at a garage sale. After enough nagging, I was able to wear her down and she bought it for me. When I got it, I took it home and played it over and over until the tape wore out. It was then that I fell in love with music. However, it wasn't until I was 11 that we were able to sign up for band. I remember wanting to play trumpet. I wanted to play trumpet because my dad, a local pianist named Danny Hollis,  was a jazz musician and he played with a gentleman named Tommy Loy. Tommy was a phenominal trumpet player. For decades, he was the soloist who played the Star Spangled Banner before every Cowboys homegame until the team was sold to Jerry Jones in 1989. 

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Like any other kid in those days, I started out in elementary school band, but kept with it after 6th grade. I upgraded to trumpet the next year, but had to use a school horn. It wasn't the prettiest thing, but I remember that it was an old Bach Strad 37. Way better than what most kids were playing in those days. IT wasn't until my 13th birthday that I got my own horn, courtesy of Mr. Loy.  He graciously gave me one of his Getzen Severinsen horns from his collection, which I still have to this day.

 

During my formative years, I was lucky to spend time studying with people like Rodney Booth and Dr. Lyman Brodie. They were very instrumental in setting the foundation for my playing. I am grateful them for teaching me to play the right way and to my parents for sacrificing to pay for those lessons. 

I continued to play and was a solid player in HS, but I was more focused on classical playing than jazz at the time. Which is ironic, considering my father was a jazz musician. I had the plan of becoming a musician, but my parents wanted otherwise for me, so I abandoned that dream and only played for fun upon graduation from HS. 

 

While in college at Southern Methodist University, I was in the Mustang Band and played there. After college, I put the horn down and concentrated on life. I worked for a few years, but always felt the urge to continue playing. One day, I decided to get back to playing and become a "comeback player."

So after several years of shedding to get my chops back in shape and learning tunes, I finally decided to put a group together. The personnel has changed over the years, but I've started using a core group that features Spenser Liszt on Tenor, Mike Garvey on Keys, Willie Wrinkle on Bass and Paul Piper on Drums.  I consider myself rather fortunate to play with such terrific musicians. 

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Currently, I play a Customized Del Quadro Grizzly with a sleeved reversed leadpipe, a Kanstul 1525 flugelhorn and Jim New's S5 mouthpieces. Products all made in the US.