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Loleatta Holloway

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Loleatta Holloway
Holloway in 1976
Holloway in 1976
Background information
BornNovember 5, 1946
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 21, 2011(2011-03-21) (aged 64)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active1967–2003
Labels
SpouseFloyd Smith (divorced)
WebsiteOfficial MySpace page

Loleatta Holloway (/lɒlˈiːtə/, lo-LEE-tə; November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011) was an American singer known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and "Love Sensation". In December 2016, Billboard named her the 95th-most successful dance artist of all time.[1] According to the Independent, Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music, used in house and dance tracks such as the 1989 Black Box single "Ride on Time".

Career

[edit]

Holloway began singing gospel with her mother in the Holloway Community Singers in Chicago and recorded with Albertina Walker in the Caravans gospel group between 1967 and 1971.[2][3][4][5] Holloway was also a cast member of the Chicago troupe of Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope. Around this time, she met her future producer, manager, and husband Floyd Smith, and recorded "Rainbow ’71" in 1971,[2] a Curtis Mayfield song that Gene Chandler had recorded in 1963. It was initially released on the Apache label, but was picked up for national distribution by Galaxy Records.

In the early 1970s, Holloway signed a recording contract with the Atlanta-based soul music label Aware, part of the General Recording Corporation (GRC), owned by Michael Thevis.[2] Holloway recorded two albums for the label, both of them produced by Floyd Smith — Loleatta (1973) and Cry to Me (1975). Her first single from the second album, the ballad, "Cry to Me" rose to No. 10 Billboard R&B and No. 68 on the Hot 100,[2] but before the label could really establish Holloway, it went out of business.

Top Philadelphia arranger and producer Norman Harris signed Holloway in 1976 for his new label, Gold Mind, a subsidiary of New York's Salsoul Records. The first release from the album Loleatta was another Sam Dees ballad, "Worn Out Broken Heart," which reached No. 25 R&B, but the B-side, "Dreaming," climbed to No. 72 on the pop chart and launched her as a disco act.[2][6]

She contributed vocals to "Relight My Fire" for Dan Hartman, who then wrote and produced the title track of her fourth and final album for Gold Mind, Love Sensation (1980). 18 of her songs charted on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including four #1s. However, it was a ballad that proved to be another big R&B hit for her. "Only You" was written and produced by Bunny Sigler, who also sang with Holloway on the track, and it reached No. 11 in 1978.

In the early 1980s, Holloway had another dance hit with "Crash Goes Love" (#5 on the U.S. Dance chart, No. 86 on the US R&B Chart).[2] She also recorded one single, "So Sweet," for the fledgling house-music label DJ International Records.[citation needed]

According to the Independent, Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music. The Italian house music group Black Box sampled Holloway's "Love Sensation" vocals for their 1989 single "Ride on Time".[7] In the UK, it topped the singles chart for six weeks and became the year's bestselling single.[8] The sample was used without permission; according to several sources, Holloway reached a settlement and was paid damages.[9][10][11] However, one of the "Ride on Time" producers said in 2018 that Holloway "never saw a penny" and that only Salsoul, the owner of the master, had received payment.[12]

Holloway resented the "Ride on Time" episode, and said: "I've been around for years trying to get this one hit record. It annoyed me knowing that Black Box were number one and I was not getting any credit for it."[9] She also expressed frustration that Black Box were paid more for performances than her, even after she was billed as "the voice of Black Box".[11] Davoli said he regretted not meeting Holloway before her death in 2011, and would have liked to apologize "for how messy things got".[12]

Holloway's fortunes dramatically improved, however, when she had her first US No. 1 hit when Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featured her vocals in the chart-topping "Good Vibrations" (1991). Holloway performed with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to promote the single and she received full vocal credit as well as a share of the royalties.[13] This was shortly after the backlash against various acts such as Milli Vanilli and the groups that used the vocals of Martha Wash, but refused to give her credit until she sued.

In 1992, Holloway had a hit with the dance band Cappella. There, she appeared billed alongside Cappella on the single "Take Me Away" (UK #25).

More recent dance chart entries included "Share My Joy" (Credited to "GTS Featuring Loleatta Holloway"), "What Goes Around Comes Around" (credited to "GTS Featuring Loleatta Holloway") in 2000, and "Relight My Fire" (credited to "Martin featuring Holloway"), which hit No. 5 in 2003. While not a single, "Like a Prayer", a Madonna cover, was a track on the Madonna tribute album Virgin Voices. The song "Love Sensation '06" and reached No. 37 on the UK Singles Chart.[14]

Death

[edit]

Holloway died aged 64 on March 21, 2011, from heart failure. She had four children.[15][16][17]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Year Album Peak chart positions Record label
US
[18] 		US R&B
[18]
1973 Loleatta — — Aware
1975 Cry to Me — 47
1977 Loleatta — — Gold Mind
1978 Queen of the Night 187 47
1979 Loleatta Holloway — —
1980 Love Sensation — —
"—" denotes a releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums

[edit]
  • Greatest Hits (1996, The Right Stuff)
  • Queen of the Night: The Ultimate Club Collection (2001, Salsoul)
  • The Greatest Performance of My Life: The Best of Loleatta Holloway (2003, Salsoul)
  • The Anthology (2005, Suss'd)
  • A Tribute to Loleatta Holloway: The Salsoul Years (2013, Salsoul)
  • Dreamin': The Loleatta Holloway Anthology 1976–1982 (2014, Big Break)

Singles

[edit]
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[18] 		US
R&B
[18] 		US
Dan
[18] 		AUS
[19] 		UK
[14]
1971 "Rainbow "71"" — — — — — —
1973 "Part Time Lover, Full Time Fool" — — — — — Loleatta (1973)
"Mother of Shame" — 63 — — —
"Our Love" — 43 — — —
1974 "H•e•l•p M•e M•y L•o•r•d" — — — — — Cry to Me
1975 "Cry to Me" 68 10 — — —
"I Know Where You're Coming From" — 69 — — —
"Casanova" — — — — —
1976 "Worn Out Broken Heart" — 25 — — — Loleatta (1977)
1977 "Dreamin'" 72 — 3 — —
"Hit and Run" — 56 — —
"Ripped Off" — — — —
"We're Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together)" — — — — —
1978 "Only You" (with Bunny Sigler) 87 11 9 — — Queen of the Night
"I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I'm Right on Time)" — — — —
"Catch Me On the Rebound" — 92 — —
1979 "That's What You Said" — — 30 — — Loleatta Holloway
1980 "Love Sensation" — — 1 — — Love Sensation
"I've Been Loving You Too Long" — — — — —
1983 "Love Sensation" (re-release) — — 45 — —
1984 "Crash Goes Love" — 86 5 — —
1992 "Strong Enough" — — 35 — —
1993 "Love Sensation" (remix) — — 32 — —
1994 "Stand Up!" — — — — 68
"The Queen's Anthem" — — — — 77
1995 "I Survived" — — — — 178
2000 "Chocolate Sensation" / "Ride On Time" (remix) — — 9 — —
"Dreamin'" (remix) — — 1 — 59
2005 "Stand Up" (remix) — — 44 — —
2006 "Love Sensation '06" — — — 49 37
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
[edit]
Year Title Artist Peak chart positions Album
US
[18] 		US
R&B
[18] 		US
Dan
[18] 		AUS
[19] 		UK
[14]
1977 "Run Away" Salsoul Orchestra — 84 3 — — Magic Journey
1982 "Seconds" — — 22 — — Heat It Up
1991 "Good Vibrations" Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch 1 64 10 4 14 Music for the People
"Take Me Away" Cappella — — — — 25 —
1994 "Keep the Fire Burnin'" Dan Hartman — — — — 49 Keep the Fire Burnin'
1998 "Shout to the Top" Fire Island — — 1 — 23 —
1999 "(You Got Me) Burnin' Up" Cevin Fisher — — 1 — 14
"No Apology" Love to Infinity — — — — 140
2000 "Share My Joy" GTS — — 5 — — Re-Birth 2
2001 "What Goes Around Comes Around" — — 3 — — 01
2003 "Relight My Fire" Ricky Martin — — 5 — — —
"A Better World" AgeHa w/
Jocelyn Brown 		— — 3 — — Mix the Vibe: Past–Present–Future
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Video games

[edit]

TV series

[edit]
  • Re-Micks (2011) – Herself (archive footage)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists". Billboard.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 612. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  3. ^ Simmonds, Jeremy (2012). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61374-478-9.
  4. ^ Arena, James (June 1, 2013). First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7581-0.
  5. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
  6. ^ Leland, John (January 1988). Singles. SPIN Media LLC.
  7. ^ Perrone, Pierre (March 25, 2011). "Loleatta Holloway: Much-sampled disco diva who sued Black Box over their worldwide hit 'Ride on Time'". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Osborne, Ben (June 26, 2018). "Game Changer: Black Box 'Ride On Time'". DJ Mag. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Masterton, James (March 24, 2011). "Numero Uno Was Better". Masterton.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018.
  10. ^ Perrone, Pierre (March 25, 2011). "Loleatta Holloway: Much-sampled disco diva who sued Black Box over". The Independent. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Laing, Dave (March 24, 2011). "Loleatta Holloway obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Osborne, Ben (June 26, 2018). "Game Changer: Black Box 'Ride On Time'". DJ Mag. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  13. ^ Barker, Andrew (March 22, 2011). "Loleatta Holloway, soul singer, dies". Variety.
  14. ^ a b c "UK Charts > Loleatta Holloway". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  15. ^ Parales, Jon (March 23, 2011). "Loleatta Holloway, Gospel and Disco Singer, Is Dead at 64". The New York Times. p. A27.
  16. ^ "Soul singer Loleatta Holloway dies aged 64". New York Post. March 22, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  17. ^ Yenigun, Sami (March 22, 2011). "Disco Diva Loleatta Holloway Has Died". NPR.org. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "US Charts > Loleatta Holloway". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 131.
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