R.I.P. Loleatta Holloway (1946-2011)

As some of you will know, it has been over a year since my last blog post here. I've had various ideas come to mind, but nothing seemed quite compelling enough. However, today that's changed. Last night, the news came down from her manager that Loleatta Holloway, one of the greatest vocalists to emerge from disco had passed away yesterday (March 21) at the age of 64..

An incredibly sad moment, speaking not only personally but for the disco and dance community at large. In my own life, while I've never had the opportunity to see her perform live, Loleatta was an inextricable part of my own personal soundtrack, having been one of the first voices to capture my heart back at a time when I was just starting to seriously explore the world of disco. Hearing Walter Gibbons' 12" Mix of "Hit & Run," on my old Salsoul Classics CD, Gibbons' handiwork and Loleatta's vocals put together, turned what was an already good, albeit innocuous Norman Harris piece of Philly disco with lyrics about "an old fashioned country girl," into an explosive masterpiece of soul, rhythm and release.. Her wailing vamps, sighs and extended ad-libbed vocal runs over the song's rhythm track turned "Hit & Run," from merely a good tune into something that I could only describe as head music, disco-style. Those 9 + minutes of Loleatta stand, among other things, as a testament to the underrated artistry of a true, gifted vocalist. Anyone who thought of disco as a sterile, soulless medium had obviously never heard a Loleatta Holloway song.

Listen: Loleatta Holloway - Hit & Run (Walter Gibbons 12" Mix) (1977, Gold Mind/Salsoul)


Loleatta Holloway - Hit & Run
Uploaded by frandisco00

In recent days, there had been some rumblings about her ill health. Starting on Sunday, there were vague, cryptic posts about "keeping Loleatta in your prayers" scattered across message boards and Facebook circles. Many of the posts seemed to have originated from an on-air announcement from the Chicago radio station V103, where a relative had made contact, asking programmers to play some of her music. Later that night, after posting what I had heard on Twitter, I soon heard from her manager, Ron Richardson (@RonAtHushtown), who tweeted back, asking me to contact him to get the full, correct information.

I had been told that Loleatta had reportedly suffered a heart attack not long ago and had been placed in a medically induced coma, as a result. While her condition seemed to be improving just before her passing (she was reportedly off life support and breathing on her own), sadly, it wasn't enough to pull her through.

While disco has often and correctly been cited as a producers' medium, the identity of the singer (as the traditional artist) often submerged in the production; the opposite argument could easily be made for Loleatta. For one thing, there was absolutely nothing anonymous about Loleatta's voice and in her case, there was probably nothing that captured the full glory of her vocals quite like her disco tracks. Initially at a loss to fill all of the extra time she had on these new disco tracks she had to record; her greatest disco moments turned out less like mere songs and more like musical canvases; a medium which gave her the latitude to display the full expanse of her fiery, spirited vocal power like never before (or since).

On a more sobering note however, I had read somewhere that when asked about the subject of royalties, Ms. Loleatta could give an earful whenever the subject was broached. I had later posed the subject to Dayna Newman, when she was soliciting questions for an interview she had lined up with her for discomusic.com, just to see what sort of response she'd give. It was dismaying, though not entirely surprising to read her answer. And while I understand she probably did fairly well for herself overall, she bluntly said that as far as royalties were concerned, she had never seen any; that artists like her had to rely mostly on gigs in order to capitalize on the success of their records. And that, apparently, was the censored explanation.

In that way, being the most sampled voice in dance music, a seminal bridge between the worlds of disco and house, was likely a mixed blessing of sorts. While it cemented her legendary status and relevance well beyond the realms of disco and R&B, it was also a situation that at times (see the infamous Black Box controversy) seemed to highlight the shady ends of the music business and the often unfair way artists of her time (and of her race, it should be said) were often exploited.


Ellis D - My Loleatta
Uploaded by RJJNY


Yet, while she never became a household name like some of her contemporaries in the disco world, she remains undoubtedly one of the most beloved, iconic vocalists to have emerged from disco. The rapid, immense outpouring of love and respect on Twitter, in the twelve hours following the announcement of her passing spoke to the incredible appreciation audiences felt for her (Loleatta Holloway was trending worldwide for much of that time) and her contributions. In the greatest way, she encapsulated the key qualities of the quintessential diva; that combination of strength and vulnerability; of sadness, joy and intensity of feeling that came through in her persona (as immortalized in Junior Vasquez' AKA Ellis D's My Loleatta bootleg), the same qualities she had amplified though her voice in the greatest gospel tradition. It is perhaps for that reason why myself and so many others took her to their hearts. So for those of you who have shared (and for those who will) in the joy, passion and pain of Loleatta; you, as the lady herself once said, are the lucky ones.

Rest easy, Loleatta.



Update: Loleatta's manager, Ron Richardson, recently tweeted information about her homegoing service in Chicago, to be held March 31st.


PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
WHITNEY DOES LOLEATTA.. (FRIDAY AUGUST 7, 2009)
DISCO DELIVERY #36: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (1978, GOLD MIND/SALSOUL) (WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2007)

LINKS:
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY OBITUARY (GUESTBOOK)
NEW YORK TIMES - MUSIC: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY, GOSPEL AND DISCO SINGER, IS DEAD AT 64 (BY JON PARELES) (MARCH 23, 2011)
BBC NEWS: DISCO SINGER LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY DIES AT 64 (MARCH 22, 2011)
THE INDEPENDENT - OBITUARY: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (BY PIERRE PERRONE) (FRIDAY MARCH 25, 2011)
BILLBOARD.COM: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY, DISCO SINGER, DIES AT 64 (BY JASON LIPSHUTZ) (MARCH 22, 2011)
EXCLAIM.CA: DISCO GREAT LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY DIES AT 64 (BY DAVID DACKS) (MARCH 22, 2011)

THE GUARDIAN - MUSIC BLOG: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY: MORE THAN A VOICE (BY BEN BEAUMONT THOMAS) (MARCH 22, 2011)
SOULMUSIC.COM - TRIBUTE TO LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY, 1946-2011 (BY DAVID NATHAN)
JOE.MY.GOD: DISCO LEGEND LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY DIES AT 64 (TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011)
HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (1946-2011) (TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011)
LOVE IN C MINOR: RIP LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (MARCH 22, 2011)
FAITHFANZINE: TERRY FARLEY REMEMBERS LOLEATTA (TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011)
HI-FI MAGAZINE: RIP: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (MARCH 22, 2011)
POP TRASH ADDICTS: GOODNIGHT, MS. HOLLOWAY (TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011)
THE GOLDEN ERA GOSPEL BLOG: R.I.P. LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011)
BOINGBOING: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY, DISCO AND SOUL VOCALIST, HAS DIED (BY XENI JARDIN) (TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011)

SOULMUSIC.COM - CLASSIC FEATURE: 1977 INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (BY DAVID NATHAN)
SOULMUSIC.COM - CLASSIC FEATURE: 1975 INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (BY JOHN ABBEY)
DISCO-DISCO.COM - INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
DISCOMUSIC.COM - INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (BY DAYNA NEWMAN)
DJHISTORY.COM - INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (BY BILL BREWSTER)
WHOSAMPLED - LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
JAHSONIC: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY

CATEGORIES: IN MEMORIAM..

Whitney does Loleatta

..well, sort of.

It seems Whitney Houston's upcoming comeback single "Million Dollar Bill," produced by Swizz Beatz and written (quite partially) by Alicia Keys has leaked, and surprises of surprises (truly), it's based right off of Loleatta Holloway's Salsoul classic "We're Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together)." Took me a few minutes to put it together, but from the opening basslines, I knew I was hearing something familiar. For all the press attention this has been receiving lately, I'm surprised this doesn't seem to have been mentioned (even vaguely) yet, but I guess it was only a matter of time.



Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill


Loleatta Holloway - We're Getting Stronger

The original track, off of Loleatta's "Loleatta" (1976, Gold Mind/Salsoul) LP her first for Salsoul, was produced by the late, great Norman Harris and written by Harris along with prolific Philly writers Allan Felder and Ron Tyson (currently of The Temptations). Tyson, Felder and Harris together had written the bulk of Loleatta's first Salsoul LP along other Salsoul staples like Loleatta's own "Dreamin'," First Choice's "Doctor Love," Love Committee's "Law & Order" to name a few. Back to the song though, the late Walter Gibbons' stunning remix needs to be heard as well, with all of it's exquisite instrumental breaks, really brings out the melody and vocals making it that much better, in my opinion..

Listen: Loleatta Holloway - We're Getting Stronger (The Longer We Stay Together) (Walter Gibbons 12" Mix)

Though personally, nothing can take away from Loleatta's original, it's probably the best out of all the leaks from Whitney's upcoming 'comeback' record and seems to have gotten the strongest reception so far. The sample itself is well done and the single goes a way in rehabbing her image from the 'Crack is Wack'/Being Bobby Brown lows (or 'highs,' depending on your perspective) several years back. If anything, probably the last thing that I expected a Swizz Beatz single to sound like, given what I've heard of his stuff. If it hits big, I can only wonder how long before other Philly/disco samples start hitting the airwaves again.


PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
DISCO DELIVERY #55: CISSY HOUSTON - STEP ASIDE FOR A LADY (1980, COLUMBIA) (FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2008)
DISCO DELIVERY #36: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (1978, GOLD MIND/SALSOUL) (WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2007)
DISCO DELIVERY #8: CISSY HOUSTON - THINK IT OVER (1978, PRIVATE STOCK) (FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2006)

LINKS:
DISCOMUSIC.COM: INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
DISCOGS: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - LOLEATTA LP
DISCO-DISCO.COM: INTERVIEW WITH LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
MYSPACE: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY (OFFICIAL)
FOURFOUR: PUT ONE HAND IN THE AIR (AUGUST 7, 2009)
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: WHITNEY HOUSTON'S 'I LOOK TO YOU' FIGURES FOR A STRONG RADIO RECEPTION (BY DAVID HINCKLEY) (MONDAY AUGUST 3, 2009)
POP & HISS, THE L.A. TIMES MUSIC BLOG: WHITNEY HOUSTON ENJOYS A COMING OUT PARTY (JULY 24, 2009)
WHUDAT: WHITNEY HOUSTON DEBUTS I LOOK TO YOU.. "LOVE ME LIKE I NEVER LEFT" (WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2009)
DOSE.CA: WE LOOK TO NYC FOR WHITNEY HOUSTON'S ALBUM PARTY; YES, SHE'S LOOKING GOOD, SAME GOES FOR THE MUSIC (BY LEAH COLLINS) (WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2009)
MIRROR.CO.UK: MY PREVIEW OF THE NEW WHITNEY HOUSTON ALBUM (BY DEAN PIPER) (JULY 19, 2009)
BILLBOARD: WHITNEY HOUSTON PREMIERES NEW ALBUM IN LONDON (BY MARK SUTHERLAND) (JULY 15, 2009)

CATEGORIES: DISCO NEWS

Disco Delivery #36: Loleatta Holloway - Queen Of The Night (1978, Gold Mind/Salsoul)

Loleatta Holloway - I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I'm Right On Time) (Album Version)
Loleatta Holloway - I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I'm Right On Time) (12" Mix)
Loleatta Holloway - Catch Me On The Rebound (Walter Gibbons 12'' Mix)
Loleatta Holloway - Catch Me On The Rebound (Album Version)

Recently, when Buy Music By Mail was closing up shop, I ended up buying a whole whack of Unidisc reissues from them; this album and a few others. I got them in the mail just yesterday, and this was one of the first ones I had opened and I don't think I've stopped listening to it since. With that, I figured this would be the perfect time to finally do an entry on Loleatta..

I had originally got this album on vinyl some five/six years ago now. Unfortunately the vinyl didn't play as well as it looked, so I didn't really play it too often. I can't even find the vinyl here with all of the others, so I probably left it at my parents place when I moved out a little while ago (found it! proper album cover photos added 3/23/11).. Anyway, getting this CD was the first time I had listened to the album in several years, and I've just been having the best time rediscovering a track which I had all but forgotten about until now..

The track in question just happens to be the side two opener, "I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I'm Right On Time)," which has got to be one of the most seriously underrated Loleatta tracks out there. Despite being sampled as the basis for "The Queen's Anthem" back in the 90's, for whatever reason this is just one of those Loleatta tracks which doesn't seem to be discussed or cited too often.. Apparently the ABC network in the US even used the instrumental in it's promos at the time, so perhaps that might explain why this was passed over (thanks to the anonymous commenter for this info). Either way though, this was an instant favourite of mine on the album, and one that I would easily rank alongside Loleatta's better known classics.. Written and produced by Bunny Sigler (whose stuff I'm growing ever fonder of, the more I hear it) and mixed by Tom Moulton (who also mixed the entire album), it's a thrilling piece of good ole' get-down-to-the-real-nitty-gritty soulful disco with everything I love about both Bunny and Loleatta's stuff. With those trademark full and busy Bunny Sigler disco arrangements paired with Loleatta's explosive voice and presence - really, what's not to love? Those strings gliding and sliding all over the place, horns blasting, hooks everywhere.. All of it matching Loleatta's uplifting vocal intensity note for note, complimenting her inimitable sassiness through and through.. It's nothing less than a power-packed, explosive release of intense, glorious disco fabulosity. And speaking of fabulous, what's a Loleatta classic without a good ole vamp/ad-lib? Just when you think things are starting to wear a little thin, Loleatta's back in the mix doing her thing, or "goin' for herself" as she puts it:

"..All I'm doin' is getting myself together.. for YOU, baby! I mean, do you want me to come downstairs with ROLLERS in my hair!? Huh!? Really? I have to get together for you baby, cause if I don't, you'll look at somebody else.. And when we go out, I wanna be ALL that you see.."

What can I say? A little attitude with a whole lotta soul and I'm sold..

The album version at some seven or so minutes wasn't brief by any means, but the Unidisc CD adds a mysterious ten minute 12'' Mix of this track as a bonus. That mix takes out most of the spoken parts and the slower sections generally, but makes up for it by giving those awesome string arrangements a little more room, keeping things in dancefloor mode all the way through.. Anyway I say mysterious, because for whatever reason the only 12'' of this that I could find was a promo copy that's the same length as the album version (at least according to the label). The CD doesn't give any mixing credits, so I'm guessing it's also mixed by Tom Moulton like the album version. Given that vinyl copies of this 10 minute version are either non-existent or untraceable, I'm not even sure if or even when this was originally released.. Update: Mystery solved.. It turns out the 10 minute '12'' Mix' was in fact, a previously unreleased mix. That mix would eventually be released on the compilation CD Salsoul 12'' Gold Master Series, Vol. 2 (1995, Salsoul/Bethlehem), which probably explains why they couldn't denote it as 'previously unreleased' on the more recent Unidisc CD reissue (thanks to discomusic.com user 'Disco Funk' for this info.)

Going back to the album, the big showstopper and favourite on the LP was, quite fittingly, the opener "Catch Me On The Rebound." An undisputed Loleatta Holloway Salsoul disco classic, produced by the ever-reliable Norman Harris, the Tom Moulton album mix is in itself a veritable hard-hitting Philly-style tour-de-force with that infectious horn driven hook, frantic hi-hats and of course Loleatta blowing away right over top.. It does it's thing so well, it almost doesn't need a remix. So just when you think an already great track couldn't be improved on any further.. Enter Walter Gibbons.

Gibbons has become one of the most celebrated remixers of the disco era, and rightfully so. A maverick of the disco mix so to speak, Gibbons' mixing style was truly ahead of it's time. With Gibbons' mixes often drastically altering the originals, it's perhaps not so surprising that while many of his mixes were hits for listeners and dancers, his mixing style had also been known to ignite the territorial tendencies of some producers as well. While remixes that significantly alter and/or add-on to the original have become industry standard over the years, judging from what's been written (see the liner notes of "Mixed With Love - The Walter Gibbons Salsoul Anthology"), at the time his style was pioneering, innovative and even brazen. While like any artist, he had both his creative successes and missteps, to me no one quite broke things down the way Gibbons did. In other words, he wasn't so much in the business of extending and organizing as much as he was in taking the elements of a song and using the mixing process to deconstruct, reimagine and rearrange them.

So far, "Catch Me On The Rebound" has got to be one of my favourite Walter Gibbons mixes.. One of the things I love about his mixes is how he often managed to zero in on not just elements that were underplayed in the original, but elements which you never even knew existed. Case in point: those glorious, extended vocal runs and guitar licks which were either not fully audible or even present on the original. Also check the breakdown on the intro, with nothing more than a tight bassline and hissing hi-hat drawing you in, with the other layers gradually coming in further into the track introducing the different key instruments: the flute, guitar, piano, percussion and horns. Each of them gets enough space somewhere in the mix to really be heard and appreciated.. Another great part of his mix are those clever start/stop edits on the drums dramatically and effectively accentuating her vocals.. Overall, it is quite simply a flawless mix which manages to draw that balance between the richness and polish of a dancefloor stormer with the raw, spontaneous energy of an extended jam session..

That said though, for me the crowning achievement of this mix is, above all else, Gibbons' emphasis on Loleatta's vocals in all their full ferocious, soulful splendor. He'd done it before with his mix of "Hit And Run" (which I hope to put up sometime) and he does it again here just as effectively. You could tell how much Walter appreciated the presence and power of Loleatta's voice with the way he showcased it, milking that vocal for all it was worth.. So far, I don't think I've heard any of her album tracks do that quite the way Walter's mixes did. Walter seemed to know, judging from her disco-disco.com interview, what Loleatta herself knew; to capture that voice was not to rein it into strict lyrical verses, but to highlight her at her most raw, creative, expressive and improvised moments: with Loleatta goin' for herself, vamping and testifying in these explosive outbursts of raw, unadulterated emotion, strength and soul. Simply put, nothing quite captured her voice the way a Walter Gibbons mix did.

As far as the rest of the album is concerned, I'm not sure how I'd rate this compared to her other records. To be honest, even though I'm familiar with all her hits from various compilations I only have two of her albums: this one and her first Salsoul album. So far it fits the mould of the first Salsoul LP, which is split roughly evenly between uptempo tracks and ballads, and I honestly have yet to really get past the uptempo tracks.. Aside from the two big ones, "Catch Me On The Rebound" and "I May Not Be There..," "Good Good Feeling" and "Mama Don't - Papa Won't," both produced by Norman Harris, are also a couple of strong uptempo tracks. Of the ballads, the most notable is probably her version (which is certainly one of the better ones) of "You Light Up My Life" produced by Tom Moulton and the closer "I'm In Love" produced by her late husband Floyd Smith and Gordon Edwards. On that note, I'm reminded of one of her responses from her interview on disco-disco.com, where she said:

"Floyd produced mostly ballads, because he knows that I'm a ballad singer - but I got caught up in the Disco thing. With the fast songs and the fast music. But that's why he would always fight that I had ballads on my albums.... Because he fought for that, otherwise I think Norman Harris and that team all really wanted me to just do all Disco numbers.... But Floyd was like; 'NO! You'll burn her out. She'll burn out trying to sing those fast songs all night, every night.' He was right, so he put some ballads in there where I could always stop for a moment and do a ballad."

which seems to explain the roughly even split between uptempo tracks and ballads. Although the change of pace is nice and perhaps needed at times, I can't help but imagine how absolutely killer an album packed full of dance tracks would have been..

Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Loleatta was one of those artists who singlehandedly put the 'soul' in Salsoul. There's just something about Loleatta's voice - no matter what she's singing, her's was just one of the most thrilling, electrifying voices to come out of disco era. There's definitely more of her that I want to put up, but hopefully this'll do you all for now.

Just to add on to things: Thanks to YouTube I recently found some great footage of Loleatta doing a fabulous, live (believe it!), energetic performance of "I May Not Be There When You Want Me.." and sounding great, if I do say so myself.. And in case anyone is in doubt about it's authenticity, at one point she forgets the lyrics, but manages to pick things up again without missing a beat. Just one of those slight imperfections that makes it all the more real..




Loleatta Holloway - I May Not Be There When You Want Me (But I'm Right On Time) (Live TV Performance)
Uploaded by UnidiscMusic

I'm told that this video is also available on the "Salsoul Classics" DVD from Unidisc, in case anyone's interested..

On that note, I also recommend the Unidisc CD reissue of her "Queen Of The Night" album (not to be confused with the hits collection of the same name). I haven't been able to listen to it on my stereo, which is unfortunately out of commission for now but judging from how it sounds on my iPod, the sound quality is quite good and the bonus mixes are definitely a plus.


PURCHASE:
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (CD REISSUE)
AMAZON.CA | AMAZON.COM | AMAZON.CO.UK | AMAZON.DE | CD UNIVERSE
MIXED WITH LOVE - THE WALTER GIBBONS SALSOUL ANTHOLOGY (3 CD SET)
AMAZON.CO.UK | AMAZON.COM
SALSOUL 12'' GOLD MASTER SERIES, VOLUME TWO
CD UNIVERSE | AMAZON.COM
SALSOUL CLASSICS (DVD)
AMAZON.COM

LINKS:
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - QUEEN OF THE NIGHT LP @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - QUEEN OF THE NIGHT LP @ DISCOGS
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - I MAY NOT BE THERE WHEN YOU WANT ME 12'' @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - I MAY NOT BE THERE WHEN YOU WANT ME 12'' @ DISCOGS
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - CATCH ME ON THE REBOUND 12" @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY - CATCH ME ON THE REBOUND 12" @ DISCOGS
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY INTERVIEW @ DISCO-DISCO.COM
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY @ JAHSONIC
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY @ DISCOMUSEUM
MS. FUNKYFLYY'S LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY PAGE
ROBERT CHRISTGAU REVIEWS LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
DIVAZOO: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY @ WIKIPEDIA

WALTER GIBBONS @ DISCOGS
WALTER GIBBONS @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
WALTER GIBBONS - MIXED WITH LOVE CD (REVIEW) @ DISCOMUSIC.COM
TIM LAWRENCE: MIXED WITH LOVE - THE MUSICAL WORLD OF WALTER GIBBONS
WALTER GIBBONS @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM

CATEGORIES: DISCO DELIVERIES, VISUAL DISCO