Georgia Holt (born Jackie Jean Crouch; June 9, 1926 – December 10, 2022)
was an American singer-songwriter, actress and model. She was also notable for being the mother of singer and actress
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
.
Early life
Holt was born Jackie Jean Crouch in
Kensett, Arkansas
Kensett is a city in White County, Arkansas, White County, Arkansas, United States. Located adjacent to the east side of Searcy, Arkansas, Searcy, the city is the hometown of noted legislator Wilbur Mills, Wilbur D. Mills, who was influential throu ...
, in 1926
to Lynda Inez Gulley, (February 8, 1913 - May 13, 2009), aged 13, and Roy Malloy Crouch, (July 17, 1905 - June 18, 1969) a 21-year-old baker. Holt said she was of English, German, Irish, French, Dutch, and
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
descent. She frequently moved back and forth between her separated parents. Holt estimated that she attended 17
junior high school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
s. Her father taught her how to sing and play guitar.
Career
Holt sang on an
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
radio station when she was six years old, and by the age of 10, had sung with
Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...
. She won several talent and beauty competitions,
and had a number of minor television and film roles in the 1950s. These included
''Watch the Birdie'' (1950),
''Grounds for Marriage'' (1951) and
''Lovely to Look At'' (1952). However, by the mid-1950s, Holt's income was largely derived from working as a club singer.
After performing in a singers' workshop (
Phil Moore's "Get Your Act Together") in July 1978 at
Studio One in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Mike Douglas
Michael Delaney Dowd Jr. (August 11, 1920 – August 11, 2006),Cook County Birth Certificates, file number 6053268, borAugust 11, 1920Social Security Death Index, Michael D. Dowd Jr., Birth: 11 Aug 1920, death: 11 Aug 2006 residing in North ...
,
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...
, and
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...
booked Holt to appear on their television talk shows.
Holt also appeared as an audience polling member as part of a group of ten mothers of famous celebrities on the U.S. game show ''
Card Sharks
''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a row o ...
'' from July 4 to 8, 1988.
Holt was the subject of the 2013
Lifetime documentary ''
Dear Mom, Love Cher
''Dear Mom, Love Cher'' is a 2013 American television documentary about Georgia Holt, mother of singer and actress Cher. The film, directed by P. David Ebersole, recounts Cher's family history and features in-depth interviews with her, Holt, Ho ...
'', which was executive produced by her daughter,
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
. The same year, Holt also released her album ''Honky Tonk Woman'', which was recorded in 1982 with
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
's band. It was Holt's discovery of the tapes which led to the documentary project.
The album includes a duet with Cher titled "I'm Just Your Yesterday".
In 2013, Holt and Cher appeared together on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
''
and ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...
''
to promote the documentary and album.
Personal life
Throughout her life, Holt was married 6 times and divorced six times. She and her first husband, Armenian-American truck driver John Paul Sarkisian (whom she remarried 19 years later as her fifth husband and divorced again) had daughter Cher in 1946, when Holt was 19.
Holt later married actor John Southall, by whom she had her second child, actress Georganne LaPiere.
Following this, she wed Joseph Harper Collins.
In 1961, Holt married Gilbert Hartmann LaPiere, a bank manager, who legally adopted Cher and Georganne, changing their surnames to LaPiere.
Holt's last marriage was to Hamilton T Holt, by whose surname she became known.
Through Cher, Holt had two grandsons,
Chaz Bono
Chaz Salvatore Bono (born Chastity Sun Bono; March 4, 1969) is an American writer, musician and actor. His parents are entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher, and he became widely known in appearances as a child on their television show, ''The Sonny ...
and
Elijah Blue Allman
Elijah Blue Allman (born July 10, 1976), known professionally as P. Exeter Blue (Phillips Exeter Blue), is an American musician, and the son of singer Cher and her second husband, Gregg Allman; he is the half-brother of Chaz Bono, Delilah All ...
.
From 1976 until her death, Holt was in a relationship with Craig Spencer. At the time they met, Holt was 50 and running an antiques shop, whilst Spencer was aged 21, and initially interested in her daughter Georganne.
Her daughter, Cher, announced on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that Holt had died on December 10, 2022, at age 96.
Holt was survived by Spencer, her daughters, and grandsons.
Filmography
Discography
Bibliography
*
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Georgia
1926 births
2022 deaths
American film actresses
Female models from Alabama
American women country singers
American country singer-songwriters
American women singer-songwriters
People from Kensett, Arkansas
Actresses from Arkansas
Country musicians from Arkansas
American people of Irish descent
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American television actresses
20th-century American singers
Singer-songwriters from Arkansas
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers