Biography of Eddie Holman

Although he was a formally trained singer, Eddie Holman had the kind of earnestness and anguished delivery that comes from the heart rather than academia. He attended the Victoria School of Music and Cheyney State in Philadelphia after enjoying stardom as a child. Holman's family moved from Virgina to New York in the early '50s, and he appeared in off-Broadway productions and on NBC's The Children's Hour as "Little" Eddie Holman. He recorded for Leopard and Ascot before moving to Philadelphia in the '60s. Holman's 1956 debut for Parkway, "This Can't Be True," was a Top 20 R&B single, as was the next release, "Am I a Loser." Holman moved to Bell in 1968, then to ABC in 1969. His ABC debut, "I Love You," was a nice song, but his version of "Hey There Lonely Girl" was a classic, arguably the finest rendition of that tune ever released. It peaked at number four R&B and number two pop in 1969. Holman never again earned any crossover plaudits, but enjoyed mild R&B hits for ABC with "Don't Stop Now" and "Cathy Called" in 1970. "My Mind Keeps Telling Me" for GSF in 1972 and "This Will Be a Night to Remember" in 1977 for Salsoul were Holman's final R&B hits. He became a born-again Christian in the '80s and studied formally for a theology degree. He cut a gospel album, United, for his Agape label in Philadelphia in 1985. Holman also did secular material in England, recording "I Surrender" for Action and "Whatever Happened to Our Melody" for Nightmare. ~ Ron Wynn