Many argue over who was Motown's best female vocalist in the 1960s and, for large numbers of the label's fans, it is Brenda Holloway. Not as pure in tone as Kim Weston, she had more range than Diana Ross and Mary Wells - the latter of whom she often cites as her biggest influence - and a sultry quality that eluded the more fiery Martha Reeves.
Soul Sister
Brenda Holloway has often been described as having a bluesier sound than some of the other performers on the Motown roster in the mid-1960s. This conveys a completely misleading impression to anyone unfamiliar with her style. Holloway, rather than taking the slightly butch, blues-belter approach to a lyric often adopted by the likes of Lavern Baker, was breathy and sensual - the perfect voice, in fact for pop-soul. She was so impressive, she was chosen as the support act to The Beatles on their 1965 US tour.
It was a disaster that Berry Gordy allowed himself to be so besotted with The Supremes that this talented performer become so disillusioned at a perceived lack of opportunities that she quit the label in 1968, only four years after having signed a contract.
Motown Hits
Holloway's Motown singles included Every Little Bit Hurts, the less successful, but utterly beautiful l'll Always Love You - both tracks notably different in pace and production from the standard Motown sound - When I'm Gone, and Operator. Till The End of Time was another that still makes the heart pound today, thanks to both the winsome quality of Holloway's vocal, and the nostalgic tonal qualities of the production.
Holloway and her younger sister Patrice Holloway co-wrote You've Made Me So Very Happy with Frank Wilson and Gordy but, typical of her unlucky career, it would be a funkier later version by Blood, Sweat and Tears that was the million seller.
Brenda Holloway: The Early Years, Rare Recordings 1962-1963
Holloway was born in California in 1946. Though only 17 when she signed for Motown - catching Gordy's eye by attending a convention where, squeezed into a gold lame pantsuit that made the most of her feminine curves, she sang along to a Mary Wells number - she had already built up quite a back catalogue. The Early Years album, released in 2009 by Ace Records, showcases her precocious talent, featuring many never before released songs from the early 60s.
Brought up in the Watts district of Los Angeles, Holloway performed in churches like many nascent soul singers, but, more distinctively, was also a classically trained violinist. At school, she and Patrice - who died in 2006 - formed a vocal group with some friends, and called themselves The Watesians. Some of their recordings, plus two demos, speculatively believed to be Brenda Holloway's earliest recordings, are included on the album.
Even on these early tracks, Holloway stands out as a distinctive vocalist. Constant Love more than hints at the influence of Mary Wells, but especially delightful is the hitherto unreleased Suddenly, recorded at the same session. Several duets with male singers also impress, and the harmonic influences of doo-wop are easy to trace.
The album notes describe Holloway as one of the most spectacular female vocalists ever to record for Motown. This album offers a fascinating insight into the performer at an early stage of her career, when she was already displaying a remarkably mature sound.
Northern Soul
Brenda Holloway owes much of her continued popularity to the British Northern Soul scene, where she is a great favourite. In 2009, as part of the Motown's 50th anniversary celebrations, she was in London in the company of former fellow label members Chris Clark and Mable John, and Jack Ashford's Funk Brothers band, playing dates at the Jazz Cafe and the Hammersmith Odeon. She still looked and sounded immaculate.
Jack Watkins - I've been a freelance writer on the arts and heritage, based in London and South East England for about ten years. My great passions are ...
