Hollis Gentry III

Saxophonist Hollis Gentry III was a legend on the San Diego jazz scene but remains frustratingly little known outside of the Southern California circuit. Born in Corpus Christi, TX, in 1954, Gentry was five years old when his family relocated to San Diego. He began studying saxophone as a fourth grader and at age 15 co-founded the funk band Power with classmate Nathan East, later a premier jazz, R&B, and pop session bassist. After opening a 1972 date headlined by jazz giant Cannonball Adderley, Power dissolved and Gentry spent much of the decade playing behind trumpeter Bruce Cameron. Upon earning his master's degree from UC San Diego in 1980, he co-founded the smooth jazz outfit Fattburger, exiting in the wake of the band's 1985 debut, One of a Kind. Gentry next formed his own band, Neon, before touring behind smooth jazz guitarist Larry Carlton and pianist David Benoit. In 2001, he issued his lone solo LP, For the Record, prior to joining a reunited Fattburger with 2003's Sizzlin'. A late 2004 auto accident left Gentry with severe facial damage and a shattered jaw, effectively ending his career as a musician. He nevertheless continued composing new material until his death on September 5, 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny