Will Holt
| Will Holt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 30, 1929 Portland, Maine, United States |
| Died | May 31, 2015 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Genres | Traditional folk music, musical theatre |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, librettist, lyricist |
| Years active | c. 1950 - 1990s |
| Labels | Coral, Elektra, Stinson, Atlantic, MGM |
| Associated acts |
Les Baxter Dolly Jonah Martha Schlamme |
Will Holt (April 30, 1929 – May 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, librettist and lyricist. He was known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s, when he made early and influential recordings of such songs as "Sinner Man" and "Lemon Tree", for which he wrote the English lyrics. He later became known as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, and made significant contributions to Broadway theatre during the 1970s.
Born in Portland, Maine, but growing up in North Bridgton, Will Holt (his full name) learned to play the piano as a child. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Williams College, and studied with folk singer Richard Dyer-Bennet at the School for American Minstrels in Aspen, Colorado. Around 1950 he traveled around Europe by motorcycle, collecting folk songs and singing in clubs, before returning to service in the US Air Force. After marrying singer and actress Dolly Jonah (1930-1983), with whom he also performed and recorded, they settled in West Village, Manhattan. He sang regularly in clubs in New York City, St. Louis, Las Vegas and elsewhere, recording his first LP The World of Will Holt for the Coral label in the mid-1950s, and thereafter recorded for several labels including Elektra, Stinson and Atlantic.
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