Synonymous with "disco diva," Loleatta Holloway was a gospel-trained powerhouse with a full-bodied vocal style -- and a knack for entertaining monologues -- who was also successful with her deeply impassioned ballads. The Chicago native's highest-placing solo single on the pop chart was, in fact, a ballad and the title song of her second album Cry to Me (1975). It was after that success that Holloway signed with Gold Mind, the Salsoul Records subsidiary run by producer Norman Harris, and was embraced by DJs and dancers with Loleatta (1977), featuring a club-tailored trio of "Dreamin'," "Hit and Run," and "Ripped Off" that altogether nearly topped Billboard's disco chart. With Queen of the Night (1978), Holloway scored the number 11 R&B hit "Only You" and earned a Grammy nomination for her version of "You Light Up My Life." In addition to the Salsoul Orchestra's number three disco single "Run Away," Holloway was featured on Dan Hartman's number one disco hit "Relight My Fire" (1979), and she soon returned to the top of the same chart on her own with "Love Sensation" (1980), the Hartman-produced title song from her sixth and final album. After another single with the Salsoul Orchestra, Holloway went on to record singles for other labels, and most notably teamed with Arthur Baker for "Crash Goes Love" (1984). In the early '90s, Holloway's voice was sampled on Black Box's "Ride on Time" and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's "Good Vibrations," the latter of which gave her a featured credit. Assorted remixes and tracks otherwise featuring Holloway's voice continued to register on dance charts well into the 2000s. The singer died in 2011.
Born in Chicago in 1946, Loleatta Holloway developed her talent while singing with her mother in the gospel group the Holloway Community Singers. She later took acting classes. As a teenager, she replaced Shirley Caesar in the Caravans, a classic gospel group, led by Albertina Walker, who recorded for Savoy. In the early '70s, Holloway joined the Chicago cast of the musical Don't Bother Me I Can't Cope. Around this time, she met her future producer, manager, and husband Floyd Smith. Smith first produced Holloway on a cover of Gene Chandler's "Rainbow" for his Apache label. Atlanta businessman Michael Thevis, who had just started GRC (General Recording Corporation), signed Holloway to his Aware label. The small double-sided hit "Mother of Shame" (number 63 R&B)/"Our Love" (number 43 R&B) charted in 1973, the year Holloway also released her first album, Loleatta. "Cry to Me," the title track of her second album, gave Holloway her highest-charting solo single on the R&B and pop charts; written by master songwriter Sam Dees, it hit number ten R&B and number 68 pop in early 1975.
While with GRC, Holloway met promotion director Gus Redmond, whom she would later work with at Salsoul Records. In 1976, GRC went out of business and Holloway signed with Norman Harris' Salsoul-distributed Gold Mind Records. Guitarist/arranger/songwriter/producer Harris was a veteran of the Philly soul scene, having been a member of MFSB, the studio band for Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International Records. He'd joined fellow MFSB vets bassist Ron Baker and drummer Earl Young to form Baker-Harris-Young Productions (the Trammps, First Choice, Double Exposure, Love Committee, Eddie Holman). Oddly enough, the dance-oriented Gold Mind's first Holloway release was the Sam Dees ballad "Worn Out Broken Heart." The catchy Harris-produced uptempo flipside, "Dreamin'," reached number 72 pop and was popular in discos. Her first Gold Mind LP, Loleatta (released March 1977), was produced in both Chicago by Floyd Smith and in Philadelphia by Baker-Harris-Young. In addition to "Worn Out Broken Heart," the album included "Hit and Run," which peaked at number 56 R&B. "Dreamin'" and "Hit and Run," along with the album cut "Ripped Off," reached number three together on Billboard's club chart.
"Run Away," co-written by Vincent Montana, Jr., was released as the Salsoul Orchestra featuring Loleatta Holloway and was Holloway's next chart single -- number 89 R&B, number three club -- in late 1977. After Gold Mind folded, all of their acts were transferred to Salsoul. Holloway's first Salsoul LP, Queen of the Night (September 1978), yielded the disco hits "Catch Me on the Rebound," "Mama Don't, Papa Won't," and "I May Not Be There When You Want Me." The LP spawned her second highest-charting single on the R&B chart, the Bunny Sigler duet "Only You," which hit number 11, and a cover of "You Light Up My Life" was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary. Her next album, Loleatta Holloway (September 1979), included the disco hits "All About the Papers," "That's What You Said" (another Holloway/Sigler duet), "The Greatest Performance of My Life," and the deep-soul ballad "There Must Be a Reason." Around 1979, Holloway contributed vocals to "Relight My Fire," a massive disco hit for Dan Hartman ("Instant Replay," "I Can Dream About You"). Hartman produced the singer's signature tune, "Love Sensation," which topped the club chart. The song was also the title of Holloway's 1980 LP that spawned the disco hits "Dance What Cha Wanna" and "Short End of the Stick." In 1982, Holloway was reunited with the Salsoul Orchestra on a track written and produced by Patrick Adams (Inner Life, Phreek), "Seconds."
Though she never had a pop hit in the U.S., Holloway had a huge following in Europe and Japan. In the mid-'80s, Salsoul ceased operations and Holloway was without a recording contract. Shortly after producing a cover of Rufus & Chaka Khan's "Sweet Thing" for Holloway, Floyd Smith died in 1984. That same year, the singer signed with Streetwise Records, a label owned by producer Arthur Baker (Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force). The single "Crash Goes Love" b/w "Sweet Thing" peaked at number 86 R&B in late summer 1984. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Holloway recorded for a succession of labels that included DJ International, Saturday, Warlock, and Select. During the '90s, audio sampling came into vogue and snippets of Holloway's songs were heard on numerous dance records from around the world. This practice has led to some litigation (see Black Box's "Ride on Time"). Holloway's fortunes took a turn for the better in 1991 when Mark Wahlberg, aka Marky Mark, sampled "Love Sensation" for his chart-topping, million-selling hit "Good Vibrations." Holloway received a featured artist credit and appeared in the song's video and beside Wahlberg for live performances. Holloway occasionally toured thereafter and resided in Chicago. After a short illness, she suffered heart failure and died at the age of 64 on March 21, 2011, leading to a wave of tributes and condolences from across the globe. ~ Ed Hogan & Andy Kellman
