It may surprise some that perennial dance diva
Loleatta Holloway's highest-charting solo record was the soulful ballad "Cry to Me." Still,
Holloway is best known for dancefloor workouts like "Love Sensation," "Hit and Run," and "Run Away." Born in Chicago in 1946,
Holloway developed her throaty, full-bodied vocal style and dramatic presentation while singing with her mother in the gospel group the Holloway Community Singers. She later began taking acting classes. As a teenager, she joined classic gospel group
the Caravans led by
Albertina Walker, who recorded for Savoy. In the early '70s, she 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 produced a cover of
Gene Chandler's 1963/1965 hit "Rainbow '71" 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 "Our Love" (number 43 R&B)/"Mother of Shame" (number 63 R&B) charted during the summer of 1973. The tunes were included on her debut album,
Loleatta (1973). "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 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 label 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 with 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 (possibly the label was hedging its bets), dance-oriented Gold Mind's first release of
Holloway's was the
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. The two elongated alternate jam session takes of "Hit and Run" are disco classics.
"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 in late 1977). After Gold Mind folded, all of their acts were transferred to Salsoul. Her 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 also spawned her second highest-charting single on the R&B charts, the duet ballad "Only You" with
Bunny Sigler, which hit number 11 R&B in late summer 1978. 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 became a huge hit on the disco charts. 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."
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: DJ International, Saturday, Warlock, and Select, among others. During the '90s, audio sampling came into vogue and snippets of
Holloway's vocals can been 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 when
Mark Wahlberg, younger brother of
New Kids on the Block's
Donnie Wahlberg, sampled "Love Sensation" for his million-selling 1991 hit. "Good Vibrations" by
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring
Loleatta Holloway hit number one pop in the fall of that year. The disco diva was in more demand than ever, riding the momentum of a number one pop hit.
Holloway occasionally toured thereafter and resided in Chicago. After a short illness,
Loleatta Holloway 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