Coolbone

Hailing from New Orleans and merging the jazzy sounds of brass with hip-hop, the Coolbone Brass Band is comprised of members Steven "Coolbone" Johnson, Earl Conway, Vincent Broussard, Thadeus Ford II, Jeremy Cole, Ronell Johnson, Randall Anderson, and Terrell Warren, among others. Formed in the mid-'90s, the group issued an independent debut, Coolbone Swing Troop, before signing with Hollywood Records. Their major-label debut, Brass Hop, followed in 1997 but their union with Hollywood was a fleeting one as their third overall release, 2000's Bone Swing, was released on another independent label, Louisiana Red. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi