Eddie Holman
Encyclopedia
Eddie Holman is an American
singer and recording artist. He is best known for his 1970 hit song "Hey There Lonely Girl
".
and pop
to gospel
. Although born in Norfolk, Virginia
, Holman later grew up in New York
. His mother, noticing that he loved to sing, even as early as the age of two, introduced him to the piano
and the guitar
, where he quickly revealed a natural aptitude. His abilities, however, were confined mostly to church
and family gatherings until 1956. It was then, at the age of ten, that Little Eddie Holman stepped onto the stage on Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater
and showed his smooth tenor voice. His victory at the Apollo began to open many other doors for the young prodigy. Soon, Holman was performing at theaters on Broadway
and even at Carnegie Hall
. Not wanting her son to miss any opportunity, his mother was able to get him enrolled at the Victoria School of Music in Harlem
. At Victoria, he learned the technical craft of music and began to blossom. In 1962, Holman made his first record.
As a teenager, Holman and his family moved to Philadelphia. After graduating from high school, he attended Cheyney State University
where he graduated with a degree in music. It was in the Philadelphia soul
scene that he began to develop his trademark style. While still in college, he recorded his first hit record, "This Can't Be True" (1965). Other hits began to follow: "Am I A Loser From The Start" (1966), "I Love You" (1969), "Don't Stop Now" (1970), and "Cathy Called" (1970). After singing with the Philadelphia groups The Delfonics
and The Stylistics
, Holman finally struck personal gold in 1970 with his ballad
, "Hey There Lonely Girl" (originally "Hey There Lonely Boy" recorded in 1963 by Ruby and the Romantics), which peaked at #2 on the Billboard
Hot 100
chart
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
from the R.I.A.A. in March 1970. The song inspired Smokey Robinson
to dub Holman, "The man with the voice of an angel."
British journalist Tony Cummings once wrote, "Eddie Holman's voice, an astonishing precision instrument which can leap octaves with the speed of mercury and bend notes into shapes unimagined by lesser singers, has assured its possessor a place in soul history."
In 1977, Eddie had a brief resurgence in popularity with his last two hit single
s, "This Will Be A Night To Remember" and "You Make My Life Complete".
Eddie Holman and his wife Sheila have three children. He is an ordained Baptist minister who uses his musical talents both as a tool of entertainment and as a medium to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. He believes that his talent is a gift from God and therefore must be used to glorify his Maker. Furthermore, it is his belief "that those who are blessed with creative talent have a responsibility to encourage personal accountability and to set the best example possible because of the powerful influence that they have on the lives of so many young ones." [quoted from eddieholman.com]
Today, Holman owns his own record label
(Agape Records) and music publishing company (Schoochiebug Music Publishing). He also continues to tour with the Eddie Holman Band. He still resides in Philadelphia, and spends time as a local community volunteer helping reach out to those less fortunate. He also works within the Philadelphia School System encouraging young people to become involved in the performing arts. During the summer of 2007, Holman performed weekly for the passengers abroad the MS Sun Princess
cruise ship
while it was en route to the inside passage of Alaska
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and recording artist. He is best known for his 1970 hit song "Hey There Lonely Girl
Hey There Lonely Girl
"Hey There Lonely Girl" is a song by R&B singer Eddie Holman. Recorded and released in 1969, it charted in 1970. An original version by Ruby and the Romantics was entitled, "Hey There Lonely Boy" in 1963. Holman's song hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
".
Biography
His specialty ranges from R&BRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
to gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Although born in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Holman later grew up in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His mother, noticing that he loved to sing, even as early as the age of two, introduced him to the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, where he quickly revealed a natural aptitude. His abilities, however, were confined mostly to church
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
and family gatherings until 1956. It was then, at the age of ten, that Little Eddie Holman stepped onto the stage on Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
and showed his smooth tenor voice. His victory at the Apollo began to open many other doors for the young prodigy. Soon, Holman was performing at theaters on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and even at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. Not wanting her son to miss any opportunity, his mother was able to get him enrolled at the Victoria School of Music in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. At Victoria, he learned the technical craft of music and began to blossom. In 1962, Holman made his first record.
As a teenager, Holman and his family moved to Philadelphia. After graduating from high school, he attended Cheyney State University
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public, co-educational historically black university that is a part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Cheyney University has a campus that is located in the Cheyney community within Thornbury Township, Chester County and Thornbury...
where he graduated with a degree in music. It was in the Philadelphia soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
scene that he began to develop his trademark style. While still in college, he recorded his first hit record, "This Can't Be True" (1965). Other hits began to follow: "Am I A Loser From The Start" (1966), "I Love You" (1969), "Don't Stop Now" (1970), and "Cathy Called" (1970). After singing with the Philadelphia groups The Delfonics
The Delfonics
The Delfonics are a pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ", "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come "...
and The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
, Holman finally struck personal gold in 1970 with his ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, "Hey There Lonely Girl" (originally "Hey There Lonely Boy" recorded in 1963 by Ruby and the Romantics), which peaked at #2 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
from the R.I.A.A. in March 1970. The song inspired Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
to dub Holman, "The man with the voice of an angel."
British journalist Tony Cummings once wrote, "Eddie Holman's voice, an astonishing precision instrument which can leap octaves with the speed of mercury and bend notes into shapes unimagined by lesser singers, has assured its possessor a place in soul history."
In 1977, Eddie had a brief resurgence in popularity with his last two hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s, "This Will Be A Night To Remember" and "You Make My Life Complete".
Eddie Holman and his wife Sheila have three children. He is an ordained Baptist minister who uses his musical talents both as a tool of entertainment and as a medium to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. He believes that his talent is a gift from God and therefore must be used to glorify his Maker. Furthermore, it is his belief "that those who are blessed with creative talent have a responsibility to encourage personal accountability and to set the best example possible because of the powerful influence that they have on the lives of so many young ones." [quoted from eddieholman.com]
Today, Holman owns his own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
(Agape Records) and music publishing company (Schoochiebug Music Publishing). He also continues to tour with the Eddie Holman Band. He still resides in Philadelphia, and spends time as a local community volunteer helping reach out to those less fortunate. He also works within the Philadelphia School System encouraging young people to become involved in the performing arts. During the summer of 2007, Holman performed weekly for the passengers abroad the MS Sun Princess
MS Sun Princess
Sun Princess is a Sun class cruise ship built in 1995 and operated by the Princess Cruises line. At the time of her construction, she was one of the largest cruise ships in the world...
cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
while it was en route to the inside passage of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Discography
- I Love You (1970)
- Night To Remember (1977)
- United (1985)
- Eddie's My Name: A Collection Of Rare 60's Soul (1993)