Song:Playground In My Mind
Album:A Golden Classics Edition
Playground In My Mind reached #2 in 1973. It was the only charted song for Clint Holmes and he only recorded one album. So it is a true one hit wonder. Holmes was born May 9, 1946 in Bournemouth, England. His mom was an opera singer who entertained US troops during WWII. She met jazz singer Ed Holmes. He was black and she was white. They married and after WWII they moved to the Buffalo suburb of Farnham, NY. Holmes studied music at Fredonia State College and then enlisted in the US Army and sang in a military chorus. After his discharge, Holmes moved to Washington, DC and sang in clubs. And he was spotted by veteran producer and songwriter Paul Vance. Vance and partner Lee Pockriss wrote and produced songs like Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. And he also produced Johnny Mathis. They wrote and produced Playground In My Mind and it was a flop when Epic Records released it in 1972. So it was back to the clubs for Holmes. But a Wichita, KS radio station started playing the song in Nov. 1972. And the song broke nationally in early 1973. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Epic had Holmes record an album which is what this CD from Collectables is. Holmes only recorded one album for Epic. BTW, the child singing the chorus is Paul Vance's son. If you are looking for Playground In My Mind on a various artists CD, beware of off labels like K-Tel using rerecorded versions. This might be one of those songs best acquired from iTunes. Holmes was Joan Rivers' sidekick on her 80s talk show. But for years, Clint Holmes has been a Las Vegas staple and he still performs. Holmes' mom moved there and he would always have her come on stage and do a number with him. Sadly, his mom died recently. So condolences for that. Playground In My Mind is one of those kitschy songs that you can't get out of your head once you hear it. That's why it was a hit a year after it flopped. It just needed a radio station to play it. Here's a video for Playground In My Mind by Clint Holmes.
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