Travis Biggs is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose services were widely employed on the jazz-funk and soul circuits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Under his own name, he released two albums during the late 1970s.
Spreading his talents over sides by John Kasandra and Bohannon, among others, Biggs adopted the little-used nickname “Hyena.” With an array of sundry instruments at his fingertips, he secured a deal with TB & C Enterprises in 1976 and assembled a sizable studio ensemble — including his brass/woodwind-playing brother Rayse — to record Challenges.
Retaining most of his backing players, Biggs jumped ship for Source Records, which issued Solar Funk in 1979 with a mix of new and repeat thrills.
With the brothers interlocked on flugelhorn and violin atop the slick, speedy hit-hat of Jerome Spearman, blows and fiddles along with steam-powered gusto. Though the albums is mostly wordless, Jeanette McGruder and fellow vocalists announce select titles at timed intervals with sheer exuberance.
Amidst the rhythmic rattle and thump of Don Mayberry scales up the octave of D-sharp as brother Rayse and saxist Vincent Bowens wiggle around the low and mid ranges. As the tune advances, our bandleader lays it on thick and foamy with turns at his synthesizer, organ, and clavinet.
Between albums, Biggs conducted sides for soulster Emanuel Taylor, played strings on Michael Henderson‘s Solid LP, and joined Herman Kelly & Life — a studio project that issued the danceable 1978 longplayer Percussion Explosion! Rounding out his career as the new decade dawned, the multi-talent lent his keyboard skills to Isaac Hayes and Linda Clifford and played assorted instruments on the 1981 sophomore effort by the S.O.S. Band.
Artist/Album Pages:
Spirits Rejoice were a South African jazz-funk band that released the album African Spaces on Atla...
Titus Oates were an American psych-rock band from Dallas that released the album Jungle Lady on se...
The Neutrons were a Welsh mid-'70s supergroup that released two albums on United Artists during 19...
Kornet were a Swedish jazz-rock band from Piteå that issued two albums between 1975 and 1977 on Ma...
Random Hold were an English New Wave/art-rock band from London that released a self-titled EP and ...
Dee Edwards — aka Doris Jean Harrell (June 1945 — Jan. 25, 2006) — was an American soul singer fro...
Crack was the supposed name of an American hard-rock/psych band whose music was released on the a...
The Original Mirrors were an English New Wave/modern-rock band from Liverpool that released a self...
Sloche were a Québécois symphonic-rock band that released the album J'un Oeil on RCA Victor in 197...
Vicious Pink were an English electro-pop duo from Leeds consisting of keyboardist Brian Moss and v...
Casino were an English pop-rock band that released a self-titled album on State Records in 1976. ...
General Crook (born Feb. 28, 1945) is an American soul singer from Mound Bayou, Miss. Discograp...