Alabama's Music Achievers

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Ho - Hy

MUSIC ACHIEVERS

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CHARLIE HODGE- Decatur, Alabama

• Hodge spent seventeen years with Elvis Presley, playing guitar and singing harmony.
• Best known as the man who handed Elvis glasses of water and the scarves he tossed into the audience.
• Wrote "Me 'n Elvis", a book about his years with the King of Rock and Roll, in 1984.

WENDY HOLCOMBE- Alabaster, Alabama

• Began her career playing banjo on the Grand Ole Opry at age 12
• Toured with Jim Ed Brown and Jerry Clower
• Forced to retire at 18 due to health problems, died at age 23

GINGER HOLLADAY- Leeds, Alabama

• Began her professional career while a senior in high school.
• Sang backup for Elvis Presley.
• Worked in recording studios in Muscle Shoals, Memphis, Nashville and New York.

MARY HOLLADAY- Pell City, Alabama

• Began her professional career while attending Auburn University.
• Sang backup for Elvis Presley.
• Worked in recording studios in Muscle Shoals, Memphis, Nashville and New York.

 

WARREN HOLMES- New Hope, Alabama

• Holmes studied at the Vaughn Music School and the Stamp-Baxter Music School in Tennessee.
• He had a successful gospel music career of more than 50 years with a number of professional groups, both on radio and in television.
• He sang with the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, Foggy River Boys & Red Foley on the Ozark Jubilee, Southland Quarter and the ministries of Oral Roberts and Kathryn Kuhlman.
• Making his first record in 1941, Holmes soon gained recognition as one of the best bass singers in gospel music.
• His style was affectionately referred to as "low-down" bass.

 

DAVID HOOD- Sheffield, Alabama

• Bassist with Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section.
• Co-founder of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.
• Producer of Blackfoot, Smith Perkins Smith, co-producer Paul Simon, Bob Seger and others.
• Hood played on many chart records by artists such as Millie Jackson, Paul Simon, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Traffic, Bob Seger, the Staple Singers, Luther Ingram, Mel and Tim, Boz Scaggs, and many others.
• In addition to his studio work, Hood has appeared live with artists such as Art Garfunkle, Ronnie Blakely, and toured for two years with the English group Traffic.

 

JAMES HOOKER- Florence, Alabama

• Hooker was a session man in Memphis and Muscle Shoals recording studios during the late 60s and 70s.
• In 1975 he joined The Amazing Rhythm Aces at piano and toured and recorded with the group until their breakup in the early 80s.
• After touring with Steve Winwood for a year, Hooker went to work with Nanci Griffith and her folk/country band.

 

LYNN HOPE- Birmingham, Alabama

• Tenor saxophonist Hope joined King Kolax's band before forming his own outfit with his sister and brothers.
• In 1950, he went to Premium Records where he recorded his biggest hit, the standard "Tenderly" which was picked up by Chess Records.
• He recorded prolifically for Aladdin between 1951 and 1957 during which he continued his policy of bringing standards up-to-date with instrumental readings of "September Son", "Summertime", "She's Funny That Way" and a re-recording of "Tenderly" amongst others.

 

JEROME HOPKINS- Tuscaloosa, Alabama

• He earned a Masters in music education in 1952 at Howard University
• He gained his first exposure as a jazz pianist, playing for blues singer George Craft at a D.C. club called the OffBeat.
• In 1956, he met Billie Holiday. Subsequently, Holiday offered him a job an offer he accepted and an arrangement that lasted some three years.
• From 1960-1965, Hopkins played with the house orchestra at the Howard Theater, working with such performers and old friends as Sarah Vaughn, Red Foxx, Slappy White, and the notorious Jewel Box Revue.

 

PAUL HORNSBY - Elba, Alabama

• Played with Duane and Gregg Allman in the band, The Hourglass
• In 1969, Hornsby moved to Macon, Ga., where he became a studio musician and staff producer for Capricorn Records.
• He left Capricorn Records in 1974 to continue producing as an independent producer.
• Among Hornsby's production credits are Charlie Daniels Band, the Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, Kitty Wells, Bobby Whitlock, and several by Grinder Switch.
• His production projects have earned nine gold albums and three platinum albums.
• In 1989, he was awarded the Atlanta Songwriter's Association "Song of the Year" award and the First Runner-Up award on two compositions.

 

ROBERT H. HORTON- Birmingham, Alabama

• With Chick Webb (1928-29), Gene Kennedy (1929).
• With Charlie Johnson (1930), toured with Ralph Cooper's Kongo Knights (1932-33); Lucky Millinder (1933-34), Willy Bryant (1935-36), Edgar Hayers (1937-40) including tour of Europe.
• Worked on and off with Cootie Williams' Big Band during the 1940s, briefly with Claude Hopkins (March - June 1946).

 

LOTTICE HOWELL - Moundville, Alabama

• Her great beauty and a thrilling soprano voice earned her the part of Caro Nome in "Rigoletto", and then the lead in Mozart's "Impressario".
• She later turned to Vaudeville, appearing in the "Music Box Review".
• She worked under Irving Berlin in a show featuring Fanny Brice and The Marx Brothers, and appeared with Charlie Chaplin on the RKO Vaudeville Circuit.
• In 1926 she appeared at the Plymouth Theater on Broadway in the play "Deep River", and followed that with the musical comedy "My Maryland" produced by Sigmund Romberg.
• In October 1929, Miss Howell accepted an offer from MGM to go to Hollywood. There she starred as LaGoyita, the Spanish Vampire, in the film "In Gay Madrid", appearing opposite Ramon Navarro.

 

MIRIAM SIMPLER HOYT- River View, Alabama

• A vocalist and pianist she has performed at Pat O'Brien's in the New Orleans French Quarter for more than 25 years.
• Known to many by the stage name "Scubie," Mrs. Hoyt plays by request and is accomplished in all types of music, from swing, jazz and blues to pop.
• She has appeared on the David Letterman Show.
• She's also played for celebrities such as Carol Channing, Whoopie Goldberg and Jim Nabors.

 

WILLIAM "BILLY" HRABE- Montgomery, Alabama

• He served as the first band director of Sidney Lanier High School, Montgomery, Alabama, from 1923 to 1938.
• Director of the Masonic Home Band, the Shrine Band the West Point Railroad Band and the D.O.K.K. Band.
• Mr. Hrabe' was inducted in the Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 1976.

 

LATHAN HUDSON- Sylacauga, Alabama

• His songs have been recorded by such artists as George Jones, Tammy Wynette, B.J. Thomas, Burl Ives, Elvis Costello, Louise Mandrell, Box Car Willie, Barbara Streisand, and many others.
• Hudson's "New Looks From An Old Lover" was a number one country cross-over hit for B.J. Thomas.
• "I'm In Tune," a song written with Gloria Thomas, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1985 and was a number one song on Billboard magazine's inspirational chart.
• Hudson has also produced records with Jon and Jim Hager of Hee-Haw fame.

 

JIMMY HUGHES- Leighton, Alabama

• Soul singer inaugurating the FAME Record label with "Steal Away" a Top 20 R&B hit in 1964.
• Hughes enjoyed even greater success with "Neighbor Neighbor" #4 in 1966 and "Why Not Tonight?" #5 in 1967.

 

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Achiever	Style	Instrument	Worked With	Date Of Birth	Date Of Death	Place Of Birth	Home
Hodge, Charlie	Rock, Pop	Guitar, Background Vocals	Elvis Presley	Dec. 14, 1934	March 3 2006	Decatur, AL	Pigeon Forge. TN
Hodgens, Delores	Classical, Jazz	Piano	Carnie Hall			Birmingham, AL
Hogan, Billy	Country	Songwriter	Ernie Ashworth	Oct. 10, 1933	June 6, 1994	Elkmont, AL	Anniston, AL
Hogan, Kevin	Country	Bass Guitar	Tanya Tucker, Waylon Jennings	1955		Huntsville, AL
Holcombe, Wendy	Country	Banjo, Fiddle	Ernest Tubb	April 19, 1963	Feb. 14, 1987	Alabaster, AL
Holden, Edsel	Pop, Jazz	Vocals, Trumpet, Trombone	Cliff Barnes,  Sammy Kaye	Feb. 1932		Athens, AL
Holder, Joey	Pop, Rock, Jazz, Country	Keyboards	Muscle Shoals Studios			Florence, AL
Holland, James	Country, Gospel	Vocals	aka Mr. Gospel Music 4 times	Feb. 22, 1927		Huntsville, AL
Holland, Norman	Gospel	A&R	Daywind Records			Geneva, AL
Holland, Steve	Rock		Molly Hatchet			Dothan, AL
Achiever	Style	Instrument	Worked With	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Place of Birth	Home
Hollis, D. Dix	Country	Fiddle	Paramount Records			Lamar County, AL
Holly, Kelvin	Rock, Country	Guitar	Little Richard			NJ	Florence, AL
Holmes, Clent	Country	Guitar	Drifting Cowboys			Chatom, AL
Holmes, Clyde	Country	Fiddle, Mandolin	Cherokee Twins			Chatom, AL
Holmes, Warren	Gospel	Bass Vocals	Blackwood Brothers			New Hope, AL
Holston, Henry	Gospel	Tenor Vocals	Sterling Jubilee Singers				Bessemer, AL
Home Remedy	Bluegrass	Group					Montgomery, AL
Hood, Bobby	Country	Songwriter				Muscle Shoals, AL
Hood, David	Rock, R&B, Country	Bass	Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section	Sept. 21, 1943		Sheffield, AL
Achiever	Style	Instrument	Worked With	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Place of Birth	Home
Hood, Paterson	Rock	Vocals, Guitar Songwriter,	Drive By Truckers			Florence, AL
Hood, Ray	Country	Guitar, Vocals		1962		Dora, AL
Hooker, James	Country, Rock	Keyboards	Amazing Rhythm Aces	July 20, 1948		Winnesboro, SC	Florence, AL
Hooper, Tony	Christian	Guitar, Vocals	Radio Tokyo, Worship Together			Corinth, MS	Winfield, AL
Hope, Lynn	Jazz, Blues	Saxophone		Sept. 26, 1926		Birmingham, AL
Hopkins, Jerome	Jazz	Piano	Billie Holliday	1926		Tuscaloosa, AL
Horn, Jim	R&B
Hornsby, Paul	Country, Rock	Keyboards	Capricorn Records	Aug. 26, 1944		Elba, AL
Horton, Bobby	Folk	Banjo, Guitar	Three On A String	1950		Birmingham, AL
Horton, Gaylon	Pop	Publisher	Movie soundtracks		June 3, 1995
Achiever	Style	Instrument	Worked With	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Place of Birth	Home
Horton, Robert H.	Jazz	Trombone	Fess Whatley, Cootie Williams	Sept. 8, 1899		Birmingham, AL
Hotel	Pop, Rock	Group					Birmingham, AL
Hourglass	Rock	Group	Allman Brothers			Decatur, AL
Houston, Milton	R&B	Guitar	aka Boston Blackie			Panola, AL
Houston, Seetman	R&B	Guitar	Boston Blackie's brother			Panola, AL
Howard, Deloris	Gospel
Howard, Mildred Madison	Gospel		Gospel Harmonettes
Howard, Pleshette	Gospel
Howard, Samuel	Classical, Jazz	Piano	Carnegie Hall			Birmingham, AL
Howard, Yolanda	Gospel
Achiever	Style	Instrument	Worked With	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Place of Birth	Home
Howell, Lottice	Broadway, Opera	Vocals	Broadway	1898	1982	Moundville, AL
Hoyt, Miriam Scobie	Pop, Jazz, Blues	Piano, Vocals	O'Briens in New Orleans			River View, AL	Valley, AL
Hrabe, William Billy	Marching Band	Conductor	Band Masters Hall of Fame 1976	1880		Cuba, KS	Montgomery, AL
Hudson, George	Jazz	Trombone				Birmingham, AL
Hudson, George (2)	Jazz	Trumpet, Bandleader				Birmingham, AL
Hudson, Henry Lee	Country	Fiddle		1907
Hudson, Latham	Country	Songwriter	Grammy 1985			Sylacauga, AL
Hudson, Rob	Country	Guitar, Vocals				Elba, AL
Hues Corporation	Gospel	Group				Fairchild, AL
Achiever	Style	Instrument	Worked With	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Place of Birth	Home
Huffstutler, Leondard D.	Gospel					Liberty, AL
Huggins, William Patrick	Rock, R&B	Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter		June 24, 1952		Guntersville, AL
Hughes, Jimmy	R&B	Vocals	Percy Sledge's cousin	1938	April 1, 1997	Leighton, AL
Hunt, D.A.		Vocals, Guitar	Sun Records	May 1929		Mumford, AL
Hunter, Alan	Rock	VJ	MTV			Birmingham, AL
Hunter, Julia	Country	Vocals	Movies & TV actress/comedian			Opelika, AL
Huntsville Symphony Orchestra	Classical	Group				Huntsville, AL
Hurricane Creek	Bluegrass	Group					Decatur, AL
Hutcheson, Marcus	Rock	Guitar, Vocals				Montgomery, AL

If you have information about any of these music achievers
or know of someone who needs to be included in the listing, please let us know:
Send mail to Info@alamhof.org
For Music Achiever Application: Achiever Form

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