Eddie
Anderson sang lead on “Never Alone” while Leon Ware belts out “Love’s Creeping
Up On Me”. The advert is from October 1966 and mis-credits Steve Mancha’s "Don’t
Make Me a Story Teller" on Groovesville 1005 to The Holidays’ disc on Revilot
205.
Revilot
Revilot was part of Solid
Hitbound Productions, a company formed by Don Davis and jazz disc jockey and
music director at WCHB, LeBaron Taylor. It had instant success in the summer of
’66 with Darrell Banks (Open The Door To Your Heart) and a year later with The
Parliaments’ mold-breaking “I Wanna Testify” - a recording that featured Tony
Gray’s group on background.
Prior Darrell to Banks’ smash, Solid Hitbound Productions’ recordings were
released on Mr. Wingate’s Ric-Tic label, but the company soon began pressing
Groovesville and Solid Hit 45s – as well as Revilot ones. The discs bear many
names revered in Soul circles, such as Mike Terry, Leon Ware, Dale Warren and of
course Don Davis.
Although The Holidays had splintered after Golden World’s demise, Revilot was
obviously reluctant to shelve the group’s well-known name and this is where
things begin to get a bit foggy. Willie “Butch” Johnson had gone to Vietnam,
only to return “messed up” with emotional problems and Maurice Gray had married
Elsie and had drifted away from singing. However, Eddie Anderson did continue
doing session work for songwriter Leon Ware and in February of 1967, the first
of two records was released on the psychedelic looking Revilot label. The first
featured Leon and Eddie, with perhaps Robert “Earl” Johnson also there.
“Never Alone is Eddie Anderson – he’s leading that. But Love’s Creeping Up On Me
is Leon Ware - it’s not The Holidays. He wrote it and he’s singing it. He tried
to get me to sing it, but I don’t sing up in that register.
Seven months later – in
September ’67 – the second Revilot single by “The Holidays” was released. Leon
Ware wrote “I Know She Cares”, but it doesn’t sound like he’s leading (I emailed
Leon with some questions, but didn’t get any answers).
What is just as confusing is there was another Holidays’ record on Revilot - in
1969 on a pink colored label - but it’s a different outfit. Jimmy Holland had
put together another group, which is detailed later.
The
singers of these two sides are still unknown.
Continued
