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Johnny Holliday is featured on Outbound Radio |
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 Master musician and performer Johnny Holliday serenades audiences with his unique renditions of popular songs and original music providing an amazing show that is tailored to any event. With Smooth, Latin and Contemporary Jazz as well as several other styles, his repertoire reflects his virtuosity. Johnny brings a different dimension to his music, as he is both a disciplined military member, and a man of deep faith. He offers an excellent collection of recorded works as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, alongside his expertise in front of an audience, a fact our armed forces know well. When you hear Johnny Holliday playing you are having a great time! Born in Texas and raised all over the world as the son of an oilfield man, Johnny dreamed of playing drums, until one fateful afternoon while listening to his brother practice the trumpet. He was hypnotized by the ringing command, the resonant notes and the dexterity of the brass bell. From this moment on, he knew he had found his instrument, the trumpet. Anyone hearing the music he creates experiences a sound that is a meeting of natural born talent and discipline. Playing trumpet, learning to breath, and create a rolling vibrato led him to singing, and his excellent ear for arrangement guided him to creating his own show. It was his skill in music that earned Johnny a music scholarship, where he studied for over a year. But soon Johnny’s sense of duty enlisted him in the US Air Force. While in the Air Force, he performed in “Tops in Blue”, touring 14 countries, and 44 states in 10 months. The experience of a lifetime, it was also a trial by fire, forging his skills a performer, and teaching him a powerful work ethic that is rare in the world of music. It is the merging of these two disciplines, the military and the music, that bring you the true uniqueness of Johnny Holliday, a soldier and a musician’s musician. As General Hector Pagan wrote about him, “Johnny Holliday is a phenomenal musician, able to play masterfully several instruments and sing as well. His talents are such that he should probably devote his full time and energy to performing. The remarkable thing is that he doesn’t do it for self-aggrandizement or seek profit from it. He uses his craft to serve others and as a platform to transmit a positive and fruitful message.” General Pagan is speaking to both the attitude and the skill that make Johnny such a treat to hear. Here is a man who has lived the hard experiences in life, from being Air Force enlisted to working as a roughneck for an offshore oil drilling company, who chose to devote himself to creating joy and beauty in the world. There is power in that choice. It was during the humbling experience of working 100 miles off shore that Johnny developed his strong relationship with God. The isolation, constant danger and long hours allowed him to achieve clarity on his priorities. He studied the Bible, and practiced his trumpet, opening himself to the greater possibilities in life. After leaving the isolation of the oil drilling lifestyle, Johnny became a dedicated student of one of the world’s top trumpet players, Roy Roman. It was under his expert tutelage that Johnny was able to hone his natural talent to be a truly competitive performer in the world of highly skilled jazz and classical musicians. But his path, being one of service and devotion, led him to return to the Air Force once the tragedies of 9-11 struck. Johnny was assigned to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Like everything he does, he put his heart into his service as a Security Forces Member, earning many awards, such as “Top Gun” and “Distinguished Graduate”. Soon after he was deployed to Iraq, a place Johnny describes as being “ another spiritual training ground”. It was here, while deployed overseas, that he rediscovered his trumpet. During a particularly dark moment, while practicing in what he thought was an empty chapel, he was once again heralded for his great talent, and asked to play during an upcoming performance on the base. In Johnny’s words, “ Playing my trumpet for that music show was an epiphany. Just as my military career and love of country are very important to me, I finally recognized I equally love my music.” Today, Johnny not only performs locally in Miami but internationally in concerts, other festivals, as well as for Military Dignitaries and Ambassador’s from Foreign Countries. And on special occasions, Johnny Holliday is requested to perform at personal events, from dinner parties to formal military balls by 4 Star Generals. Recently performing at the Miami Jazz in the Gardens Festival, Johnny Holliday opened the show for major artist such as Al Jarreau, Lauryn Hill, Layla Hathaway, and Johnny Gil. His newest Jazz CD “In The Light” was featured on local news stations NBC, CBS and FOX. Always devoted to helping those in need, a portion of his proceeds’ goes to the Fisher House Foundation for Soldier’s injured in Combat and to the Air Force Security Forces Foundation. Get Connected: www.johnnyholliday.com www.facebook.com/johnny.holliday |
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