A local trumpet player has finally made it big after years of hard work and support from friends and family. William Lee Hogans is the newest addition to the band of R&B and rock star, Prince. Hogans is part of a four member horn section and performs behind Prince every weekend at Prince’s hip new club, 3121 in Las Vegas Nevada. As part of Prince’s band, Hogans has also had the opportunity to play with Elton John. This is not the first time Hogans has had success as part of a megastar’s band, he just finished up a CD tour with rap artist and hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Hogans is also an accomplished jazz artist who got his start in music at Morrow High School in Clayton County. Hogans then attended Georgia State University, where he studied classical music under Mark Hughes, principal trumpeter of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, Lee Hogans earned a masters degree in jazz performance at Rutgers University under the guidance of the renowned jazz educator William Fielder, instructor to award winning artists such as Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis.

Hogans’ artistic ability has been heard from Savannah, Ga. to Italy, Japan, and Portugal, having traveled extensively with international touring band Total Package and under the big top of UniverSoul Circus with the Poppin Soul Band. He has also performed with world-renowned musicians including Stanley Cowell, Ralph Peterson, Ralph Bowen, Chris Potter, the late great saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, R&B star Stevie Wonder and has shared the stage with the legendary Ray Charles as a part of his orchestra, under the direction Victor Vanacore.

Hogans’ accomplishments do not stop there, however. He debuted his first album, “The Vibe Orientation” in 2006. The album is a soulful mix of jazz and R&B that was largely written and produced by Hogans. “The Vibe Orientation” is available for purchase at www.LeeHogans.com and www.CDBaby.com.

Lee Hogans may travel all over the country following his love of music, but he calls Atlanta home. His parents, William and Belinda Hogans, live in Tyrone, Ga. along with his younger brother, Brian, also a jazz musician who is currently attending Queens College in New York.

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