Dick Holler

Dick Holler (born Richard Louis Holler, October 16, 1934 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a songwriter, pianist and performer. He is best known as the writer of the folk-pop standard "Abraham, Martin and John" which has been recorded by numerous artists including Dion, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Emmylou Harris, Andy Williams, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, and Moms Mabley, among others.

He moved with his family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1951, where he later graduated from University High School and attended Louisiana State University for five years. It was while attending LSU that he began to play piano and organize bands and writing songs with his college friends.

Holler performed for two years on the local award-winning record rating TV teen show "Hit or Miss" along with future actresses Donna Douglas (Beverly Hillbillies' Elly May) and Elizabeth Ashley, and movie critic Rex Reed.

During a January 1956 "Teen Town Rally" TV show he met musician brothers Ike, Tommy and Jimmy Clanton. He tried, and was successful in signing the underage guitar player and vocalist Jimmy Clanton to play with his band at that time as well as his neighborhood band, "The Dixie Cats".

In May 1956, a four-piece band was formed to play a four-night-a-week gig, that included Holler on piano, Jimmy Clanton on lead guitar, Mike Bankston on drums, and Ed Winston on tenor sax with occasional bassist Leonard Root. A club owner later changed the band's name to Dick Holler and the Carousel Rockets, shortened to The Rockets.

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