Shelley Carrol, a saxophonist, is from Houston, Texas. He comes from a family of gospel musicians and singers. He was there that he felt the music bug at an early age. This led to him joining the famed Boys Choir of Houston. He was able to learn from the Texas Tenor legends Arnett Cobb, Don Wilkerson and more after he had picked up the saxophone. He didn’t realize how respected these gentlemen were. They lived in his neighbourhood. Shelley was a star in the city’s Summer Jazz Workshop Program and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Here he discovered a real flair for performing on the stage. Shelley was a student at the University of North Texas and was awarded a place in the Grammy Nominated One O’clock Lab Band. He recorded two critically-acclaimed CD’s there in 1990 and 1991. Barry Lee Hall, the trumpeter, invited Mr. Carrol to join the Duke Ellington Orchestra. This would be a huge musical opportunity that would bring him worldwide fame. He has toured over 30 countries since joining the band. He has recorded or performed with Sheryl Crow and Whitney Houston, Marla Gibbs and Maureen McGovern. From facebook
