Major (Mule) Holley; Jazz Bass Player

Jazz bassist Major (Mule) Holley, who performed with such greats as Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman, has died of a heart attack. He was 66.

Holley died Thursday at a friend’s home in Maplewood, N.J.

He got his nickname from Navy service with Clark Terry’s band, whose instruments he used to carry. Terry said he looked like a pack mule and the name stuck.

Holley began playing the violin at age 7 and then studied tuba, cello and piano.

His first professional date was in 1946 in San Diego, where he performed in an ensemble led by saxophonists Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon. He moved to New York after getting out of the service.

He went on to perform with a long list of music figures, including Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, the Kenny Burrell Trio, Oscar Peterson, Rose Murphy, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. He was considered a protege of Leroy (Slam) Stewart and, like Stewart, used to sing as he played bass solos.