Hollywood Jenkins Band

Hollywood jenkins band

robert jenkins - guitar/ vocals
and the hollywood band

Robert “Hollywood” Jenkins has been well known as a prolific San Francisco Bay area guitarist, vocalist and band leader for several years. Hollywood first became interested in music when he was sixteen years old, growing up in Bartlesville, Ok. He would sneak into the local Twenty Gents night club and watch a band called Ronnie and the Miracles play blues. At that time, as he watched the band’s performance, Hollywood thought that playing in a band was the coolest thing that you could ever do. He received even more inspiration to be a musician when he met James Browns guitar player (Jimmy Noland) at a Tulsa, Ok concert. Later, he became further infatuated with the blues when he saw his first Bobby Blue Bland Concert at the Oil Capital showroom.

His first electric guitar was bought on credit at a local music store with money that he earned doing odd jobs around the brick yard part of town. Hollywood moved to Tulsa and played guitar for a while in the pep band at Booker T. Washington High School until his destiny stirred him to move to San Diego, California. While living in San Diego, Hollywood met again one of his biggest idols (James Brown), when his band was chosen to open for him at the San Diego Convention Center. As a small footnote, famed bassist Nathan East of the group Fourplay and Eric Clapton fame was one of the bassist in Hollywood’s local San Diego, CA Band (Soul Unlimited).

Hollywood played for a time in Los Angeles until ultimately moving to Oakland, California, where he met and was encouraged by guitarist Marvin Holmes.
After relocating to Oakland he landed his first local gig with the Brummels Band, soon after, he played as a side man for many singers and musicians at venues like the Monterey Blues Festival with Beverly Stovall, The Richmond Auditorium opening for Ray Charles, The Oakland Convention Center backing John Lee Hooker, Yoshi’s Lounge with Ricardo Scales and Kimball’s East with flautist Kimberly Jackson.

Hollywood also played guitar for Ricardo Scales at the KBLX listener party in the Oakland Convention Center opening for Kenny Latimore and at the Napa Wine Festival on the bill with the Braxton Brothers and Spyro Gyro.
He has performed with Jimmy McCracklyn, Buddy Ace, Sugar Pie Desantos, Zakiya Hooker, the Ballads, Natural Four, Vernon Garrett, Beverly Watson and Joe Louis Walker. Hollywood was a featured artist at the KCSM Jazz on the Hill Festival, was a guest on the Jazz with Frankie TV Show and KGO News Talk Radio 810 AM live performance with radio personality, Rosie Allen.

Today Hollywood’s style is very diverse and has been influenced by many guitarists such as B B King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Robert Cray, and Grant Green that have shaped the Hollywood Jenkins sound. Hollywood was recently voted New Blues Artist of 2006, by the Bay Area Blues Society, (BABS).
Hollywood received critical acclaim in the Oakland Tribune newspaper, for his vocal performance at the Alameda County fair on July 4, 2006. He also received kudos from his many fans for his performances at the Home Grown Blues Series, down town Oakland, the Russell City Blues Festival, Hayward, CA, the Black Diamond Blues Festival, Pittsburg, CA, The Juneteenth Festival opening for Lenny Williams and the Music on the Main Richmond, CA and has recently been signed to open for Bobby Bland, Jimmy McCracklyn and Bobby Rush on New Years Eve at the Richmond Convention Center. Hollywood solely believes that to him, performing live music with a band is still the coolest thing that you could ever do!