The Original Hurricane Brass Band was founded in 1974 by New Orleans trumpet legend Leroy Jones, formed around the core of the recently disbanded Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band. The original lineup included Jones alongside legendary tuba player Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen, trumpeter Gregg Stafford, trombonist (then snare drummer) Lucien Barbarin, bass drummer Charles Barbarin, clarinetist Joseph Torregano, tenor saxophonist Henry Freeman, trombonist Michael Johnson, trumpeter Gregory "Blodie" Davis, trombonist Charles Joseph, and sousaphonist Kirk Joseph.
In its early years, the Hurricane Brass Band was an undeniable force on the local brass band and Second Line scene, becoming one of the first bands to incorporate distinctly modern elements into its repertoire. Today's most popular brass bands, including Hot 8 Brass Band and Rebirth Brass Band, can trace their lineage directly back to this group's innovations. When Jones left in the late 1970s to lead his own quintet, several Hurricane Brass Band musicians went on to found the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in 1977, one of the most influential brass bands in New Orleans history.
The band was revived in October 2005, when Jones, having just returned to New Orleans after a six-week evacuation to Dallas following Hurricane Katrina, was called to lead one of the city's first post-storm Second Lines — an event that gave the band its name once again. Since then, the Original Hurricane Brass Band has continued performing with alternating lineups at events including the French Quarter Festival, Satchmo SummerFest, funerals, and private engagements, as well as regular appearances at the Historic New Orleans Collection's Concerts in the Courtyard series.
