Brenda Holloway - Songs

ABOUT

Brenda Holloway (b. 1946) is a highly acclaimed and veteran soul singer and songwriter with a powerful and emotional delivery who became famous during the mid and late 1960s as the first West Coast artist signed to Motown Records. She is best known for her rendition of the melancholic Ed Cobb-penned ballad, "Every Little Bit Hurts" (1964), an R&B Top 20 hit that also made the Pop/Rock Top 20 and became her greatest crossover success. Other big hits include the finger-snapping "When I'm Gone" (1965) and the original version of "You've Made Me So Very Happy" (1967), a song she co-wrote with Berry Gordy Jr., Frank Wilson, and her sister Patrice Holloway that was later popularized by Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Born in Atascadero, California, Holloway sang in her church choir as a child and also took up the violin, flute, and piano. At 14, she began working on demo records and singing backup for various LA-based R&B groups, and in 1962, she recorded her first single, "Hey Fool," on the Donna label. She also recorded duets with singer, songwriter, and producer Hal Davis for the Minasa and Snap labels, which led to a contract with Motown in 1963 while she was still in her teens. Despite her early success, she left the label after four years before moving on to the Invictus and Music Merchant labels where she remained through the early 1970s. With her sister Patrice, she also continued session work into the 1970s, backing such top acts as Joe Cocker. After taking an extended break from the music industry, she returned in the 1990s, continuing to perform and record music, particularly in the U.K. where her early work had remained popular in the Northern soul scene.

Brenda Holloway was honored in 1999 with the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. In 2005, she appeared on the PBS concert TV special, "My Music: Salute To Early Motown."

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Brenda Holloway

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