Eddie Holman (born June 3, 1946) is an American singer, minister, and recording artist, best known for his 1970 hit song "

Hey There Lonely Girl "Hey There Lonely Girl" is a song recorded in 1963, titled "Hey There Lonely Boy" in its original version by Ruby and the Romantics. It was a hit both for them and for Eddie Holman. It has been recorded by many other artists. Ruby and the Roma ...

". His specialties range from R&B and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

to Gospel.

Early life

Holman was born in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

on June 3, 1946 but raised in New York City. His mother, noticing that he loved to sing even as early as the age of 2, introduced him to the piano and the guitar, where he quickly revealed a natural aptitude. His abilities, however, were confined mostly to church and family gatherings. At age 10, Holman stepped onto the stage on Amateur Night at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

and showed his smooth tenor voice. His victory at the Apollo began to open many other doors, and soon he was performing at theaters on Broadway and even at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. He was a regular performer on NBC's '' The Children's Hour''. Not wanting her son to miss any opportunity, his mother was able to get him enrolled at the

Victoria School of Music Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in Harlem. At Victoria, he learned the technical craft of music and began to blossom. As a teenager, Holman moved to Philadelphia with his family. After graduating from high school, he attended Cheyney State University where he graduated with a degree in music.

Career

In 1962, Holman made his first record "What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You" on Leopard Records. It was in the Philadelphia soul scene that he began to develop his trademark style. While still in college, he recorded his first hit record, "This Can't Be True" (1966), which reached number 17 on the ''Billboard'' chart. Other hits began to follow: "Am I a Loser from the Start" (1966), "I Love You" (1969), "Don't Stop Now" (1970), and "Cathy Called" (1970). Holman finally struck personal gold in 1970 with his ballad, "

" (originally "Hey There Lonely Boy", a top 30 hit recorded in 1963 by

Ruby and the Romantics Ruby & the Romantics were an Akron, Ohio-based American R&B group in the 1960s, comprising Ruby Nash, George Lee, Ronald Mosely, Leroy Fann and Ed Roberts. The group had several pop and R&B hit records, topping the US '' Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

), which peaked at number 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart. The track peaked at number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1974. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc from the

R.I.A.A. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in March 1970. British journalist Tony Cummings once wrote, "Eddie Holman's voice, an astonishing precision instrument which can leap octaves with the speed of mercury and bend notes into shapes unimagined by lesser singers, has assured its possessor a place in soul history. In 1977, Holman had a brief resurgence in popularity with his last two

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s, "This Will Be a Night to Remember" and "You Make My Life Complete". Holman owns his own record label, Agape Records, and music publishing company, Schoochiebug Music Publishing ASCAP. He also continues to tour with the Eddie Holman Band. During the summer of 2007, Holman performed weekly for the passengers aboard the cruise ship while it was en route to the inside passage of Alaska.

Personal life

Holman and his wife Sheila have three children. He is an ordained Baptist minister who uses his musical talents both as a tool of entertainment and his faith. He believes that his talent is a gift from God and therefore must be used to glorify his maker. Furthermore, it is his belief "that those who are blessed with creative talent have a responsibility to encourage personal accountability and to set the best example possible because of the powerful influence that they have on the lives of so many young ones." He still resides in Philadelphia and spends time as a local community volunteer helping reach out to those less fortunate. He also works within the Philadelphia School System encouraging young people to become involved in the performing arts.

Discography

* ''I Love You'' (1969) * ''A Night to Remember'' (1977) * ''United'' (1985) * ''Love Story'' (2007) Compilations: * ''Eddie Holman and The Larks – Sweet Memories'' (1989) * ''Eddie Holman and The Larks – Eddie's My Name'' (1993) * ''This Can't Be True'' (2000) * ''Hey There Lonely Girl'' (2014)

References

External links