Photography by Lauren Allen.
Joshua Reese has spent more than a decade mastering the trombone, but it wasn’t until 2020 that he found his true stage: a street in Cockrell Hill.
What began as the simple act of sharing his music with a few passersby transformed his life, catapulting him from obscurity to millions watching his performances on social media. With a bucket for tips and his trombone in hand, Reese brings a bit of joy to those who drive by.
“I’m very over-dedicated to my music,” Reese says. “I’ve been a trombone player for maybe 12, 13 years. There was always something about music.”
Life hasn’t always been easy for Reese, who says he struggled with ADHD growing up and had trouble in school. But music was something that always came easy to him.
“In elementary school, they would give us four instruments that actually made noise, and I guess back then in my school they had a thing going where they would give us toys — they wanted to see what kids could potentially play,” Reese says. “And when I picked up this toy trombone it was like, ‘Yeah, he can actually play that.’ It came naturally. I’m autistic, so like patterns, I have to keep doing it until it sticks.”
In 2020, Reese took to a street in Cockrell Hill to share his talent.
“Everything was shutting down because of the pandemic, and we had our first little snowstorm,” Reese says. “I went to school in Oak Cliff, and I knew after I graduated that I wanted to continue to pursue the instrument, so that’s what I did.”
“I do it for tips, but also, I don’t really do it for the tips. I take tips, that’s why I have the bucket, but overall, it’s really just getting to play for people. I love to share my music. People love it.”
Videos of Reese performing on the street have blown up on social media and given him a following.
“I blew up on Instagram and TikTok,” Reese says. “On TikTok, I think it was six million (views), and Instagram was even more.”
Reese remembers the day it all started, July 25, and things have only progressed since then.
“A wise man told me, if you learn this song, I guarantee if you go out and play it, you’re gonna blow up,” Reese says. “It was a Peso Pluma song, and I learned it, came out and played it, and the next thing you know, my phone was just blowing up, and I was like, what’s going on? I went from 600 followers to 16,600.”
Learning new music comes easily to Reese, who is able to play basically anything by ear. If you pass by him while he’s playing, near the Starbucks on N Cockrell Hill Road, you’re likely to hear any and all types of tunes.
“I try to play something that everyone likes,” Reese says. “I try to mix it up, because there’s a lot of different cultures here with different music. I’m deeply into music, so there’s a lot of music I can learn.”
Reese played all through the brutal Texas summer heat, but his love for music always kept him going even on the 100-plus degree days.
“I’m very dedicated to my instrument, and I think a lot of people actually think I played too much, because that’s all they see me doing,” Reese says. “They’re like, ‘You don’t go out to the movies or something?’”
After playing for so many years, Reese has built up his endurance to the point where he can be out on the street playing all day. He says he often starts around 10 a.m. and can go into the evening hours.
Of course, street playing can attract all kinds of people. While Reese has had his fair share of negative interactions, the response to his music has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I mean, people can be racist,” Reese says. “People can be mean about it, but it doesn’t bother me, because my instrument, it keeps me in another place. It puts me in my own world.”
