The Fresando’s changed their name to the Five Masters before transforming into The Four Holidays - the advert for their gig at the Webbwood Inn is from May 1964. The Caprees recorded in Mississippi before recording for Golden World Records in Detroit.

Discography

There were numerous US groups called The Holidays. These are the various recordings by the Detroit ones:
  

Label

Group’s Name

Song tiles

m/y

Star-X 501

(1) Fresando’s

I Mean Really / Your Last Goodbye

1957

Bumble Bee

(1) Five Masters

We Are Like One / Cheap Skate

1958

Penthouse 9357

(2) Royal Holidays

Margaret / I’m Sorry (I Did You Wrong)

1958

Carlton 472

(2) Royal Holidays

Margaret / I’m Sorry (I Did You Wrong)

1958

Herald 536

(2) Royal Holidays

Down In Cuba / Swingin’ At The Bandstand

1959

Buccaneer 502

(13) Caprees

If I Should Lose You / Where There’s a Will

1962

Markie 109

(3) Four Hollidays

Step By Step / Grandma Bird

1962

Markie 115

(3) Four Hollidays

I’ll Walk Right Out The Door / I Won’t Need You

9/1963

Markie 115

(3) Four Hollidays

I’ll Walk Right Out The Door / I Can’t Wait

9/1963

Master 3001/2

(3) 4 Hollidays

Deep Down I My Heart / He Can’t Love You

2/1964

Holliday 4013 / 14

(4) Hollidays

Set Me On My Feet Right / Happy Young Man

1964

SYCO 2001

Jimmy Holland

Sugar Baby / More Sugar Baby (Instrumental)

3/1965

Blue Rock 4036

Jimmy Holland

Baby Don’t Leave Me / As Long As I Have You

1965

Markie 121

Jimmy Holland

I Can’t Wait / Sugar Baby (Sweeter Than Candy)

1965

Golden World 36

(5) Holidays

I’ll Love You Forever / Makin’ Up Time (Instrumental)

3/1966

Golden World 47

(5A) Holidays

No Greater Love / Watch Out Girl

8/1966

Revilot 205

(6) Holidays

Love’s Creeping Up On Me / Never Alone

2/1967

Revilot 210

(7) Holidays

I Know She Cares / I Keep Holding On

9/1967

Groove City 206

(8) Hollidays

Easy Living / I Lost You

1968

Revilot 226

(9) Holidays

All That Is Required (Is You) / I’ll Keep Coming Back

2/1969

Soul Hawk 1008

(10) New Holidays

Maybe So Maybe No / If I Only Knew

1969

Westbound 157

(10 B) New Holidays

Maybe So Maybe No / My Baby Ain’t No Play Thing

1969

Marathon 257

(11) Fabulous Holidays

Too Many Times/ I’m So Glad

1972

Marathon 18475

(11) Holidays

Gettin Kind of Serious / Gettin Kind of Serious (Inst.)

1973

Marathon 18475

(11) Holidays

Ego Tripping / Lady Day

1973

Rob-Ron 75

(12) Holidays

This Is Love / The Love We Share

10/1975

Ron-Hol 76

(12) Holidays

Procrastinate (Why Do We) / Instrumental

5/1976

Marathon 440

(11 - 12) Holiday

Getting Kind of Serious / Procrastinate (Why Do We)

1980

 

Below are the group members on the above recordings.

Group

Members

1

Cleo “Sonny” Barksdale, Robert Barksdale, James Holland, Jesse Ledbetter and Aaron Little

2

Charles Farley, Kenneth Fuqua, Chester Scott, Jerry Wallace and Vernon Williams

3

Cleo “Sonny” Barksdale, Robert Barksdale, James Holland and Johnny Mitchell

4

Cleo “Sonny” Barksdale, Robert Barksdale, James Holland and James Shorter

5

Maurice Tony Gray, Tony Hester, Willie “Butch” Jackson and Robert “Earl” Johnson: led by Edwin Starr

5A

Eddie Anderson, Maurice Tony Gray, Willie “Butch” Jackson and Robert “Earl” Johnson

6

Eddie Anderson, Robert “Earl” Johnson and Leon Ware

7

Unknown

8

Steve Mancha

9

Joe Billingslea, Jack Holland, James Holland and Maurice Wise

10

Jack Holland, James Holland and Maurice Wise

10B

Willie Harvey, Hershel Hunter, Bobby Martin and Fletcher

11

Jack Holland, James Holland, Maurice Wise and James Reed

12

Jack Holland, James Holland and James Reed led on Procrastinate. Ronald Scrutchins

13

Maurice Tony Gray, Charles “Chuck” Guy, Willie ”Butch” Jackson and Robert “Earl” Johnson

 

Selected CDs. Please drop us a line of you know of any others.

Company & Number

CD Title

Song Title

Connoisseur VSOP 287

Detroit Soulman

Easy Living

Goldmine GSCD 53

The Solid Hitbound Story

I Lost You

Goldmine

Groovesville Review Vol. 3

Watch Out

Goldmine GSCD 69

Thelma Detroit Collective

I’ll Love You Forever

Goldmine GSCD 70

Totally Solid Hitbound

Never Alone I Lost You

Goldsoul

Detroit Floor Fillers

Makin’ Up Time

 

I wish to thank the following Detroiters for patiently answering my questions and giving me an insight into Detroit’s rich musical history: Elsie Baker, Ron Banks, Robert Barksdale, J. J. Barnes, Armen Boladian, Frank Bryant, Dennis Coffey, Don Davis, Melvin Davis, Will Davis, Frank Garcia, Wilburt Jackson, Tony Gray, Diane Hogan, Joe Hunter, Don Mancha, Thomas Mealy, Carlis Monroe, Sam Motley, Ron Murphy, William “Sonny” Sanders, Betty Worley, V.C. Veasey, Vernon Williams, Clyde Wilson (aka Steve Mancha) and Richard “Popcorn” Wylie

Many thanks go to collectors Bob Abrahamian, Carl Pellegrino, Joe Moorehouse, Ron Murphy and Naoya Yamauchi for kindly providing record-label scans and audio files. Richard Johnson supplied the 1966 Revilot advert and doo-wop aficionado Nikki Gustafson graciously gave her information on The Royal Holidays’ career.

My main interviews with James Holland were on August 4th, 1998 and February 8th, 1999. The interview with Tony Gray and Elsie Baker was on January 24th, 1998, and Steve Mancha’s was on October 17th that same year.

© Graham Finch

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