Brenda Holloway

Brenda Holloway (born June 21, 1946) is an American soul singer who was a recording artist for Motown Records during the 1960s. Her best-known recordings are the hits "Every Little Bit Hurts", "When I'm Gone", and "You've Made Me So Very Happy". The latter, which she co-wrote, was later widely popularized when it became a Top Ten hit for Blood, Sweat & Tears. She left Motown after four years, at the age of 22, and largely retired from the music industry until the 1990s, after her recordings had become popular on the British "Northern soul" scene.

Biography

Early life and career Brenda Holloway was born in Atascadero, California on June 26, 1946, the eldest of three children to Wade and Johnnie Mae (Fossett) Holloway. In 1948, she and her infant brother, Wade, Jr., moved with their parents to the Watts section of Los Angeles, where her sister, Patrice, was born in 1951. Brenda took up violin, flute and piano and sang in her church choir, as well as developing a love of classical music. and with the young Patrice. That same year, at the age of 16, she recorded the first version of Ed Cobb's ballad "Every Little Bit Hurts", released as a single by Del-Fi Records. She also recorded duets with Hal Davis for the Minasa and Snap labels, and worked with other local recording artists. After graduating from Jordan High School, Holloway also studied music at Compton Community College. winning her a spot on Motown's Motortown Revue.

Motown then issued her version of a song that had originally been recorded by Wells, "Operator". The song only produced a modest showing and Holloway began dealing with issues with the label. Holloway was one of the few Motown artists not to attend the label's grooming school and was sometimes chastised by some of Motown's staff, including Gordy and Robinson, for performing and dressing "too much like Tina Turner". Some of the Detroit staff regarded her as temperamental and a "troublemaker", and the company increasingly focused attention on its most successful acts, notably the Supremes.

However, Holloway only returned to a performing career after the death of her old Motown friend Mary Wells in 1992, when she restarted performing in the Los Angeles area and in Britain, often in tandem with Brenton Wood,

In 1999, Holloway was honored with the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's prestigious Pioneer Award.

In 2005, she appeared on the PBS concert TV special My Music: Salute to Early Motown.

Discography

Studio albums Every Little Bit Hurts (1964) The Artistry of Brenda Holloway (1968) Brand New! (1980) All It Takes (1990) It's a Woman's World (1999) My Love Is Your Love (2CD, 2003)

Live album Together... (Live) (2000)

Compilations 20th Century Masters (2003) Anthology (Tamla-Motown) (2005)

Singles + List of singles as a lead artist, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications Title Year Chart positions Album US USR&B/HH CAN "Hey Fool"(with Jess Harris)1962 — — — "Game Of Love" — — — "I'll Give My Life" — — — "You're My Pride and Joy"1963 — — — "I Never Knew You Looked So Good Until I Quit You"(with Jess Harris) — — — "It's You"(with Hal Davis) — — — "I Ain't Gonna Take You Back"(Brenda Holloway and the Carrolls)1964 — — — "Every Little Bit Hurts" 13 3 — Every Little Bit Hurts "I'll Always Love You" 60 — — The Artistry of Brenda Holloway "When I'm Gone"1965 25 12 43 "Operator" 78 36 14 "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" 116 — — "Together 'Til the End of Time"1966 125 — — "Hurt a Little Everyday" — — — "Just Look What You've Done"1967 69 21 — "You've Made Me So Very Happy" 39 40 48 "Let Love Grow"1972 — — — "Give Me a Little Inspiration"1988 — — — All It Takes "On the Rebound"(with Jimmy Ruffin) — — — "Hot and Cold"1991 — — — "Same Page"(with Rags Moody III)2018 — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.