Jim Holvay
| Jim Holvay | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James S Holvay |
| Also known as | "Soul" |
| Born |
May 16, 1945 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Soul, rhythm and blues, pop, rock |
| Instruments | Guitar, fender p bass, lead vocals, background vocals |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Labels | Cameo Parkway Records, USA Records, Mercury Records, Twinight Records, Daylight Records, Colossus Records, , Odyssey Records |
| Associated acts | The MayBees, The Chicagoans, The Livers, The Executives, Kane & Abel, The MOB, The Buckinghams, Jonna, Eastside Heartbeats |
James Steven "Jimmy Soul" Holvay (born May 16, 1945) is an American songwriter and musician best known for writing Kind of a Drag, a number one hit for The Buckinghams. He is one of the founding members of The MOB, the first rock band to perform at a Presidential Inaugural Concert & Ball.
Jim Holvay has co-written other songs for The Buckinghams Don't You Care, Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song), Susan and other artists including The MOB (I Dig Everything About You, Give It To Me). His latest compositions can be heard in the 2016 production Eastside Heartbeats, A New Rock ‘N’ Roll Musical.[4]inspired by the story of Cannibal and the Headhunters opening for The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in 1965.
Before his teen years while attending St. Barbara School in Brookfield, Jim’s brother Dennis brought home the vinyl 78rpm “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley And His Comets, that accelerated Jimmy’s interest.
With money saved, Jim bought his first guitar along with a Mel Bay chord book at the age of 12. Dennis found out the frustrations about how hard it was to push the strings down to the fret board and had an idea. When their father asked Dennis what he thought Jimmy would like for Christmas that year the answer was a better guitar. That Christmas Jim unwrapped the princely sum of $75, a Hofner archtop guitar. That spring, Dennis suggested to his father that Jimmy would like a DeArmond pickup and a Supro amplifier for Jim’s birthday.
In 7th grade he formed The Rockin’ Rebels. His first paying gig was at the opening of a Go-Kart Shop in Lyons, IL. A couple years of guitar lessons plus a recording session featuring two blues-progression instrumentals, Jim entered Lyons Township High School as a freshman in 1959. Then, he played in a group called Jimmy & The Jesters. His father drove him to Record Row on the south side of Chicago. Within a few blocks of each other were the labels Vee Jay, Constellation, King and Chess Records. Jim met Chess Records A&R Willie Dixon with his acetate tape in hand. Even though Jim was turned down, to his advantage, he received constructive criticism that would help him. Jim also met Leonard Chess and Curtis Mayfield who influenced Jim’s songwriting and guitar playing. While in high school, he purchased a sunburst-finish , played and recorded a couple of songs on Terry Records with an Aurora,Illinois band named The MayBees and met his longtime collaborator, Gary Beisbier. During his junior and senior years, Holvay connected with Jim Lounsbury, the local TV dance show host, and played at the Lounsbury record hops throughout Chicagoland, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Holvay graduated in 1963 and joined a band called The Chicagoans with Gary.
...
Wikipedia