Loleatta Holloway (, ; November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011) was an American singer known for

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

songs such as "Hit and Run" and "

Love Sensation "Love Sensation" is a 1980 song performed by American R&B singer Loleatta Holloway, taken from her album of the same name. The song was produced and written by Dan Hartman, arranged by Norman Harris, and mixed by Tom Moulton. It was a hit on ...

". In December 2016, ''

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 adverti ...

'' named her the 95th most successful dance artist of all time. According to the ''

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

'', Holloway is the most sampled female singer in popular music, used in

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

tracks such as the 1989 single " Ride on Time".

Biography

Holloway began singing

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

with her mother in the Holloway Community Singers in Chicago and recorded with Albertina Walker in the Caravans gospel group between 1967 and 1971. Holloway was also a cast member of the Chicago troupe of '' Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope''. Around this time, she met her future producer, manager, and husband Floyd Smith, and recorded " Rainbow ’71" in 1971, a

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

song that

Gene Chandler Gene Chandler (born Eugene Drake Dixon; July 6, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed "the Duke of Earl" or, simply, "the Duke." He is best known for his most successful son ...

had recorded in 1963. It was initially released on the Apache label, but was picked up for national distribution by Galaxy Records. In the early 1970s, Holloway signed a recording contract with the Atlanta-based

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

label Aware, part of the General Recording Corporation (GRC), owned by

Michael Thevis Michael George Thevis (February 25, 1932 – November 20, 2013) was a Greek American millionaire pornographer and convicted murderer based in Atlanta, Georgia, but with close links to the Five Families of New York City and the DeCavalcante cri ...

. Holloway recorded two albums for the label, both of them produced by Floyd Smith — '' Loleatta'' (1973) and ''

Cry to Me "Cry to Me" is a song written by Bert Berns (listed as "Bert Russell") and first recorded by American soul singer Solomon Burke in 1961. Released in 1962, it was Burke's second single to appear in both ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot R&B Sides and ...

'' (1975). Her first single from the second album, the ballad, "Cry to Me" rose to No. 10 Billboard R&B and No. 68 on the Hot 100, but before the label could really establish Holloway, it went out of business. Top Philadelphia arranger and producer Norman Harris signed Holloway in 1976 for his new label, Gold Mind, a subsidiary of New York's

Salsoul Salsoul Records is an American New York City based record label, founded by three brothers, Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre (the Cayre brothers). Salsoul issued about 300 singles, including many disco/ post-disco 12-inch relea ...

Records. The first release from the album '' Loleatta'' was another Sam Dees ballad, "Worn Out Broken Heart," which reached No. 25 R&B, but the B-side, "Dreaming," climbed to No. 72 on the pop chart and launched her as a

act. She contributed vocals to "

Relight My Fire "Relight My Fire" is a popular disco song written and released by American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Dan Hartman as the title track from his 1979 album of the same name. It was also performed by Costa Anadiotis' band Caf ...

" for Dan Hartman, who then wrote and produced the title track of her fourth and final album for Gold Mind, ''

'' (1980). 18 of her songs charted on the

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, including four #1s. However, it was a ballad that proved to be another big R&B hit for her. "Only You" was written and produced by Bunny Sigler, who also sang with Holloway on the track, and it reached No. 11 in 1978. In the early 1980s, she had another dance hit with "Crash Goes Love" (#5 on the U.S. Dance chart, No. 86 on the US R&B Chart). She also recorded one single, "So Sweet," for the fledgling house-music label DJ International Records. In the late 1980s, her vocals from "Love Sensation" were used in the UK No. 1 hit " Ride on Time" by Black Box. Holloway, however, was uncredited for her vocals. She successfully sued the group, which led to an undisclosed court settlement in her favor. In 1992, she had a hit with dance band Cappella. There, she appeared billed as Cappella featuring Loleatta Holloway on the single "Take Me Away" (UK #25). Holloway's fortunes dramatically improved, however, when she had her first US No. 1 hit when

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was an American hip-hop group formed in 1991 by Mark Wahlberg (alias Marky Mark), Scott Gee, Hector the Booty Inspector, DJ-T, and Ashey Ace. The group's best known song is "Good Vibrations", which made it to number ...

featured her vocals in the chart-topping " Good Vibrations" (1991). According to Andrew Barker in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' (March 22, 2011), Holloway performed with

Marky Mark Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...

and the Funky Bunch to promote the single and she received full vocal credit as well as a share of the

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

. This was shortly after the backlash against various acts such as Milli Vanilli and the groups that used the vocals of

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...

, but refused to give her credit until she sued. More recent dance chart entries included "Share My Joy" (Credited to "GTS Featuring Loleatta Holloway"), "What Goes Around Comes Around" (credited to "GTS Featuring Loleatta Holloway") in 2000, and "Relight My Fire" (credited to "Martin featuring Holloway"), which hit No. 5 in 2003. While not a single, " Like a Prayer", a

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

cover, was a track on the Madonna

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

''Virgin Voices''. The song "Love Sensation '06" and reached No. 37 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Death

Holloway died aged 64 on March 21, 2011, from heart failure. She was survived by her four children.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

*''Greatest Hits'' (1996, The Right Stuff) *''Queen of the Night: The Ultimate Club Collection'' (2001,

) *''The Greatest Performance of My Life: The Best of Loleatta Holloway'' (2003, Salsoul) *''The Anthology'' (2005, Suss'd) *''A Tribute to Loleatta Holloway: The Salsoul Years'' (2013, Salsoul) *''Dreamin': The Loleatta Holloway Anthology 1976–1982'' (2014, Big Break)

Singles

As featured performer

Video games

*'' Make My Video: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch'' (1992) – Herself (archive footage)

TV series

*'' Re-Micks'' (2011) – Herself (archive footage)

References

External links

* *
Loleatta Holloway at Disco-Disco.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, Loleatta 1946 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers American dance musicians American garage house musicians American gospel singers Singers from Chicago Salsoul Records artists 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers American women in electronic music 21st-century African-American women singers