In Rotation - Nancy Holloway

This week at Pearl Modern we have been listening to the song stylings of Nancy Holloway. We first discovered Nancy Holloway while we were in Paris for an exhibition. We heard her rendition of the Little Anthony and the Imperials song "Hurts So Bad" on the amazing compilation album "Mélodie En Soul Sol Paris 70's" and were totally blown away.

Below is the song "Hurt So Bad" from Nancy Holloway from its original appearance on her classic album "Hello Dolly".

Nancy Holloway was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1932. She briefly lived in New York City in her late teens and early twenties, doing odd jobs for little pay. In 1954, at the age of twenty two, she made the courageous and correct decision to move to Paris. One evening at the jazz night spot the Mars Club, she was dared to sing on the stage. Her performance was so well received by the audience that she was offered a regular singing slot at the club.

Below is a clip of Nancy Holloway in a club performing "Prends garde à toi" in 1964.

Holloway toured frequently through Europe and the United Kingdom and ended up performing at the famous Moulin Rouge. In 1963, she signed with Decca and released a number of excellent albums. Nancy Holloway was popular in Europe because she charmingly sang American songs specifically for the French market, mainly sung in French, but with an unabashedly American accent. She had many cameo appearances in French films and appeared on countless magazine covers.

Beneath is the song "Désappointée" from the above Decca release from 1963.

In closing, a wonderful song entitled "As Long As He Needs Me" from the album "Hello Dolly" from 1969.