Artist:Brenda Holloway
Song:You Can Cry On My Shoulder
Album:20th Century Masters:The Millenium Collection:The Best Of Brenda Holloway
Brenda Holloway had the talent and potential to be one of Motown's biggest stars. But conflict with the company and her faith led her to premature retirement. She was born June 21, 1946 in Atascadero, CA and grew up in the Watts section of Los Angeles. She grew up singing in church with her sister Patrice and sang professionally as a teen in LA. Her big break came when she performed My Guy at a 1964 DJ convention in LA. Motown owner Berry Gordy was there and signed her immediately. Her debut single Every Little Bit Hurts was a smash and reached #12 on the pop singles charts in 1964. Part of Brenda's problem is she lived in Los Angeles and had to travel to Detroit to record. There were follow up singles in 1965 like You Can Cry On My Shoulder but her second album was scrapped. Brenda felt that she was getting second rate material because she lived in LA and started writing her own songs. She didn't have a hit with her 1968 song You've Made Me So Very Happy but Blood Sweat & Tears turned it into a smash in 1969. A second Brenda Holloway album was finally released in 1968 but she immediately announced her retirement and married a minister. She believed the music business conflicted with her Christian beliefs. Brenda Holloway's music continued to be popular in Britain's Northern Soul scene. She recorded a gospel album in 1980 and returned to secular music in the 90s with her 1999 CD It's A Woman's World on Volt Records. She still performs locally in LA. This budget comp is worth checking out. Here's Brenda Holloway performing You Can Cry On My Shoulder on Hullaballoo in 1965.
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