Rolan Webster Holden (August 7, 1939 – January 22, 1997) was an American

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 ...

and rhythm and blues singer from Seattle, Washington, United States. He appeared on ''The Lloyd Thaxton Show'', '' Mike Douglas Show'', ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' (with Connie Francis, The Crests, Bobby Freeman and

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

) and '' The Dick Clark Show''. He performed 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 ...

with artists

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

, the Crests and

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

. Most notable were USO tour-stops with Elvis Presley, Pat Boone and Connie Francis. Between 1958 and 1965, Holden toured with Hank Ballard & the Midnighters,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, Brook Benton,

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, Cleve Duncan & the Penguins, Rosie and the Originals, the 5 Royales, the Coasters,

Freddy Cannon Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. (born December 4, 1936), better known by his stage name Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", " Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", and " ...

, the Crests, Marvin & Johnny, Don and Dewey,

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." His greatest fame was due to ...

, Marv Johnson, Mickey & Silvia, Harvey Fuqua & the Moonglows, Jimmy Clanton, the Olympics, Donnie Brooks and Bill Haley. In 1969, Holden, as singer/entertainer, formed a six piece rock and R&B band: Ron Holden & Good News. Good News performed at various clubs and festivals in the Seattle/ Tacoma area for about eight months. The group members were Charles Jefferson (trumpet), Bob Cozzetti (trumpet),

Tim Gemmill Timothy Jon Gemmill (born May 28, 1949) is an American jazz musician, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, graphic designer and entrepreneur, who has been involved in musical projects since the late 1960s. Most notably; Music Projection ...

( tenor saxophone & flute), Steve Swartz (drums), Toby Cyer ( electric guitar) and Bruce Ransom (electric bass & guitar). Influences included

, Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

History

Holden was discovered by Larry Nelson, who had just left work as a police officer to start his own record label. Holden spread the rumor that he had been heard singing by Nelson while being held in the

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

jail after being arrested for

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

and

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

possession, but the story has not been confirmed. Biography '' AllMusic'' In 1959, Holden recorded the single " Love You So", which became a hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 11 on the US ''

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 ...

'' R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

and No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in April 1960. Donna Records, owned by record company producer Bob Keane, bought the rights to Holden's recordings shortly after and issued a full LP entitled ''Love You So''; this record was re-issued by Del-Fi Records in 1994. Holden returned to the charts in 1974 with "Can You Talk?" (U.S. R&B No. 49). He died of a heart attack in Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico in 1997.

References

External links

Ron Holden's biography in Way Back Attack
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, Ron 1939 births 1997 deaths Singers from Washington (state) American male pop singers Challenge Records artists American rhythm and blues singers Musicians from Seattle Del-Fi Records artists 20th-century African-American male singers

History

See also

References

External links