Saul Holiff (June 22, 1925 – March 17, 2005) was a Canadian music promoter and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's manager for thirteen years. Saul Holiff was born in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, on June 22, 1925. He dropped out of high school, the London Central Collegiate Institute, when he was fifteen, delivered newspapers, ran a fruit and vegetable business, worked as a truck driver, a puddler at the

Steel Company of Canada Stelco Holdings Inc. (known as U.S. Steel Canada from 2007 to 2016) is a Canadian steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario. Stelco was founded in 1910 from the amalgamation of several smaller firms. It continued on for almost 100 years, until i ...

, a traveling salesman and a self-employed clothing merchant. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he trained as a rear air gunner in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

. In the 1950s he performed at London's Grand Theatre in a variety of roles before becoming a concert promoter and manager with offices in London, Los Angeles and

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. He promoted such acts as

Bill Haley and the Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

and

through smaller venues such as his own restaurant, Sol’s Square Boy. Holiff managed

’s career from 1960 to 1973. He also managed

Tommy Hunter Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman". Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, '' Country Hoedown''. ''T ...

, Debbie Lori Kaye and

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

. In 1961 Holiff was responsible for introducing singer

June Carter June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in t ...

into Cash’s act. In 1970 Holiff won a Gold Leaf Award for 'Canadian Industry Music Industry Man of the Year', the Gold Leaf Awards were the precursor to the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

s. Cash and Holiff had a tumultuous relationship, which is highlighted in the 2012 film '' My Father and the Man in Black'', an award-winning documentary created by Holiff's son Jonathan. Holiff negotiated a $75,000 settlement agreement with

Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Loui ...

because of the similarity of Cash’s hit Folsom Prison Blues to a Jenkins song. https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/07/07/saul-holiff-johnny-cash-and-making-american-icon After he quit as Cash's manager in 1973 he retired from show business and enrolled at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in history. Holiff died by suicide on March 17, 2005, in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

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. In 2018 he was awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement award at th
Forrest City London Music Awards

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holiff, Saul 2005 deaths 1925 births People from London, Ontario Juno Award winners Canadian music managers

Further reading

References