Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)

Daddy B. Nice's #35 ranked Southern Soul Artist



Portrait of Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past) by Daddy B. Nice
 


"I Had A Good Time"

Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)

Composed by Eddie Holloway


Listen to Eddie Holloway singing "I Had A Good Time" on YouTube.

Listen to Eddie Holloway singing "Poor Boy" on YouTube.

Listen to Eddie Holloway singing "My Mind Is Too Strong" on YouTube.

Daddy B. Nice notes: Most writers take the long view and write after the fact. I write in the moment, so what you read below is just as it was at the time---contemporaneous---warts and all.


Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:

"Once I was up,
And I had so much good love,
Oh, but when I started falling down,
No one wanted to help me stay up.

Even though I'm down today,
All I can say is
I had a good time
And now I'm down."

One of the chitlin' circuit's most obscure yet revered artists (he's the kind of guy who says "women folks" without a trace of irony) Eddie Holloway is a throwback to such performers as Clarence Carter, Joe Simon, and--yes--even Hank Williams. He's just the kind of artist a newcomer to Southern Soul should become enthralled with: the epitome of the brilliant unknown.

No amount of sophisticated "urban" arranging can diminish the "country" in Holloway's masterful vocals, but Holloway is a much more effervescent personality than Simon. His melodies and chafing, mesmerizing rhythms brim with optimism and promise. It's a good thing, too, because when Holloway does sing a sad song (like Simon's "Nine Pound Steel") his voice evokes a misery that's almost unbearable.

Holloway's "I Had A Good Time" (from I Had A Good Time,Gucci, 1991) never fails to engage the listener on one or another levels, be it humorous, bemused, paranoid or tragic. There is something universal in the fear--so succinctly memorialized in "I Had A Good Time"-- of being kicked off "easy street" by Father Fortune.

Yet even more deeply embedded in the song's message is a conflict in philosophies of life: especially the live-for-the-moment philosophy of which "I Had A Good Time" is the chitlin' circuit's supreme specimen. The core of the song is:

"I'm down now,
But that's okay."

Also the composer of the majority of his tunes, Holloway's spare words express a benign resignation--of being at peace with one's spendthrift ways, be they of a sexual, spiritual or material nature. And one of the ways to that peace is remembering the good times.

"Once I had friends.
I was so proud.
My friends look at me today,
With a smile.
But that's all right."

And if you want to take "I Had A Good Time's" message to its ultimate level, it's a description of aging. We all must experience losing what we once had--youth, looks, love, money, mobility.

But "I Had A Good Time" isn't Holloway's only achievement. Launched by a mighty, high-flying, horn-and-synth arrangement, a precocious bass line, and Holloway's take-no-prisoners vocal, "Poor Boy" (also from I Had A Good Time) sounds as dynamic today as it did in the nineties.

"I was just a poor boy
Until you came along.
Your love made me richer
Than any man I've known.
You made me love you, woman,
And now you're gone."

Holloway's hero tells his woman to "keep on walking"--he's irate--and he keeps repeating the phrase. In fact, the energy level of the record seems to bubble up from the marital vengeance running through the verse. Whatever the source, the record motivates, and the musical symbiosis between the heavenly horns and the yelping, earthbound vocal make it one of the most unique recordings in Southern Soul.

"My Mind Is Too Strong" is yet another Holloway song that has taken a permanent place in the Southern Soul catalog. The arrangement is old-fashioned and orchestral, yet charmingly so. The energy is tremendous, springing from Holloway's great sense of tempo. Embellished with his whip-and-leather vocal, "My Mind Is Too Strong" becomes a foot-stomping anthem of the first order, and yet another reason to search for Holloway's hard to find I Had A Good Time disc.

Nearly invisible in the more obscure bayou mists of Southern Soul, yet never quite seeming to go away, Eddie Holloway has never captured the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the music on his landmark 1991 LP. But the material on that album still burns with an intensity that anyone who loves rhythm and blues can't ignore.

--Daddy B. Nice


About Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)

So many talented Southern Soul performers have made their debuts in the new millennium that one tends to forget the ground-breaking efforts in the early 90's of artists like Eddie Holloway, whom time has not treated so kindly. Holloway's seminal CD, I Had A Good Time (Gucci/Hot Productions, 1991) was an early precursor of the adult R&B revival to come.

After his promising debut, years passed without much recording activity from Holloway. Hollerin' and Poppin' (Hot Records) came out in 1998, but is hard to find and--in light of the chitlin' circuit impact of I Had A Good Time--something of a disappointment, although diehard fans enjoyed "Slippin' On My Love," which concocted an exotic fusion of bluegrass and Southern Soul.

More recently, some Deep South radio stations have been playing tracks from another elusively marketed LP called Shake N' Bump (Hot JWP 2001). In particular, the radio single "I Came A Long Way" displays Holloway in a form reminiscent of his vintage material.

"Shake And Bump" and "We Have A Good Time (When We Get Together") recycle some of the musical qualities of "My Mind Is Too Strong" and "I Had A Good Time" respectively.

Holloway continues to be a draw on the chitlin' circuit, too. Fans were encouraged to hear him listed among the headliners in a Mississippi concert in July 2005, with such notable performers as Robert "The Duke" Tillman, Floyd Taylor, Luther Lackey, and Marvin Sease.

Meanwhile, deejays of the Deep South continue to play material from I Had A Good Time, particularly "Poor Boy," "My Mind Is Too Strong," and the inimitable "I Had A Good Time," which remains one of Southern Soul's most easily identifiable classics.

Eddie Holloway Discography:

I Had A Good Time (Hot Blues 1991)

Hollerin' & Poppin' (Hot Blues 1998)

Shake N' Bump (Hot JWP 2001)

Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits (Empire Musicwerks 2005)


Song's Transcendent Moment

"Even though I'm down today,
I have to say,
I had my good times."


Tidbits

1.

A "greatest hits" collection of Eddie Holloway's music appeared in 2005--"Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits" (Empire Musicwerks)--although, like Holloway's other discs, it will take some tracking down.

2.

December 9, 2005. Hallelujah and Hosannas, Eddie Holloway fans! Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits (Visionary, 2005) is at last available, and--for the first time ever--so are the song samples.

For an artist this site has worked so hard to publicize, the appearance of this "greatest hits" CD marks not only a rejuvenation of Eddie Holloway's career but another victory in Southern Soul's inexorable climb into the mainstream. DBN.

3. Eddie Holloway Letters From Daddy B. Nice's Mailbag:


Daddy B. Nice notes: Just posted March 7, 2019!

Listen to "DJ Sir Rockinghood Presents: The Mellow Eddie Holloway Mix Pt. 1" on YouTube.

*******************

Re: EDDIE HOLLOWAY Follow-Up

Hi Daddy B.,

Regarding Eddie Holloway, for what it's worth. I recently played his CD “Soul N´ The Blues: The Greatest Hits” (Empire, 2005), and I had to take it out of the player and check if it wasn´t a Roy C album by mistake in my Holloway jewel case. It was not, it was Holloway. I´m not too familiar with him, but it´s a great album. Great songs too.

All best,
Tommy Löfgren

Daddy B. Nice replies:

Hi Tommy,

I assume you didn't pay $874.21 for the one new copy available on Amazon. See Soul N´ The Blues: The Greatest Hits by Eddie Holloway. That sticker price should give heart to all southern soul artists, no matter how obscure.

Daddy B. Nice notes:

Tommy Löfgren writes on southern soul music for the Swedish-based "Jefferson Blues Magazine".


RE: EDDIE HOLLOWAY

Hello there,

I am writing an article about the music of Eddie Holloway for a UK music magazine. I’ve got all of his vinyl and CDs, but was wondering do you know anyone who knew him, who could give me a bit of background context - like what he did for a day job between recording, and what he was like, or any stories etc. If you know anyone who did know him, perhaps you’d be kind enough to put us in touch.

Many thanks and keep up the good work.

Steve Guarnori

Daddy B. Nice replies:

Hi Steve,

I've been running a "seeking information" bulletin on my artist page for Eddie Holloway for many years now without much to show for it. The obscurity of many of those transitional 90's performers and labels (Ichiban, Konkord, Ace; Eddie's was "Hot" in various formulations) is the reason I got into writing about southern soul in the first place. It seemed this music might be lost forever.

In the tentative obituary at the top of the artist guide I list a "close friend" of Holloway's named Todd Little, but have no contact. I also mention WMPR, the radio station in Jackson, Mississippi, where Wanda Evers could possibly get you in touch with some of the older deejays (Ragman, Handyman) or alumni.

You might also check out the entities that posted these YouTube videos:

Listen to Eddie Holloway singing "I Had A Good Time" on YouTube.

Listen to Eddie Holloway singing "My Mind Too Strong" on YouTube.

Listen to Eddie Holloway singing "Poor Boy" on YouTube.

In the meantime I'll post your query (without any contact information, unless you specify otherwise) on the Calendar/Mailbag page, which naturally gets a lot of traffic compared to the Holloway page.

--Daddy B. Nice

Steve replies:

Hi Daddy B Nice,

Thank you. I’ll try Wanda Evers I think. He really was under rated, if you want I can send you a copy of the finished article when it is published which will be in the fall.

Cheers

Steve

Daddy B. Nice replies:

I'd like that, Steve. Thank you very much. Eddie was one of my favorites.

SouthernSoulRnB.com - Chitlin' Circuit Southern Soul Music Guide

Feedback, comments, information or questions for Daddy B. Nice?

Write to

daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com

**********

4. Eddie Holloway Passes


February 27, 2014: (3/4/14 Update: Death confirmed.)


Southern Soul Legend Eddie Holloway Reported To Have Passed Away

On February 24, 2014 The Southern Soul Belle posted a notice on the Southern Soul Zone. The Belle reported that Todd Little, a "close friend" of Eddie Hollway's, informed her that the Southern Soul singer passed away due to complications after suffering a stroke. If the report is confirmed, contemporary Southern Soul music will have lost one of its quintessential "B-side" pioneers.

DBN notes: Eddie Holloway's death has been confirmed on Jackson, Mississippi's WMPR, 3/4/14.

Obscure yet renowned as a seminal figure, Holloway was the #35-ranked performer on Daddy B. Nice's Top 100 Southern Soul Artists (90's-00's). Holloway's most beloved singles include "Poor Boy," "I Had A Good Time," "Shake 'N Bump" and "My Mind Is Too Strong."

If anyone has information on Eddie Holloway, please contact:

daddybnice@southernsoulrnb.com


***********


If You Liked. . . You'll Love

If you loved The Band's "The Weight (You Put the Weight On Me)," you'll love Eddie Holloway's "I Had A Good Time."


Honorary "B" Side

"Poor Boy "




5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 
Sample or Buy I Had A Good Time by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
I Had A Good Time


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Gucci

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits


5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 
Sample or Buy Poor Boy  by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
Poor Boy


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Gucci

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits


5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 
Sample or Buy My Mind Is Too Strong by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
My Mind Is Too Strong


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Gucci

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits


5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 5 Stars 
Sample or Buy Slippin' On My Love by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
Slippin' On My Love


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Hot

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits


4 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars 
Sample or Buy I'm The One by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
I'm The One


CD: I Had A Good Time
Label: Gucci



4 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars 4 Stars 
Sample or Buy When We Get Together by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
When We Get Together


CD: Shake And Bump



3 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars 
Sample or Buy Mr. Telephone Man by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
Mr. Telephone Man


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Hot

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits


3 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars 
Sample or Buy Nine Pound Steel by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
Nine Pound Steel


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Gucci

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits


3 Stars 3 Stars 3 Stars 
Sample or Buy Pop That Koochie by Eddie Holloway (Blast From The Past)
Pop That Koochie


CD: Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits
Label: Hot

Sample or Buy
Soul N' The Blues: The Greatest Hits





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