Frank Holder born 2 April 1925

Frank Holder (2 April 1925 – 29 October 2017) was a Guyanese jazz singer and percussionist who is regarded as one of the leading black UK jazz musicians to emerge from the mid-1940s' swing dance band movement. He had been a much loved figure 
on the British jazz scene since the post-war period and was the John Dankworth Seven’s singer during the 50s.

He was born in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana). His father, Cyril Holder, was a motor mechanic and dance promoter, his mother, Ursula, a housewife who raised their six children. His parents were church people, with young Frank encouraged to sing at church socials. Listening to late-night Voice of America radio broadcasts introduced him to jazz, and Frank pleaded with visiting bands to let him sing, and they did as his father was the promoter.

In 1944 he volunteered for the RAF and travelled over to the UK on a troopship, part of a massive convoy. Steeped in all things British, Frank found that he knew more about “your kings and queens” than his fellow RAF recruits. He sang in forces groups at RAF Cranwell, including a band led by Geoff Head. After the war, he persuaded the great West Indian trumpeter Leslie “Jiver” Hutchinson to sign him as a band singer in 1948. “He obliged me by doing that and I got demobbed here,” Frank said. “He gave me my break.”

After touring with Hutchinson, he played with bands led by Andre Messeder and John Carioca, appearing with the latter at Churchill's

Club in London. He worked with trumpeter Kenny Baker and also performed at the Feldman Swing Club (100 Club) in London, owned by the Feldman brothers until he was approached by Dankworth in Archer Street, the jazz world’s open-air labour exchange, and was offered the job of singer with the newly formed Seven. Holder recorded early in his career for Parlophone, Decca, and London Records. He is perhaps best known for his work in the early 1950s with the Dankworth Seven which often topped the Melody Maker Jazz Charts.

                            

From 1950 he was an integral part of the Seven’s success, recording for the Esquire label, and was on hand to help audition Cleo Laine when she joined the Seven. Laine gladly acknowledged Frank’s advice and support during her early career. Dankworth noted Frank’s “great stage presence and tremendous energy. He was a show-stopper on the bongos and the conga drum.”

Highlights from Holder's Dankworth days include an appearance at the Royal Albert Hall on the same bill as Nat King Cole.  Frank stayed on briefly when Dankworth formed his first big band  before leaving to collaborate with Latin American groups then active in London and to play percussion on tour with jazz stars such as Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott. 

He recorded with Kenny Graham’s Afro-Cubists as a percussionist in 1957 and made a calypso album for the Pye record label before another momentous opportunity came his way. 

The brilliant Jamaican alto saxophonist Joe Harriott recruited him for his highly innovative jazz quintet, playing European club dates and on recordings, most notably a version of Caravan that allowed Frank to display his exceptional percussive talents. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Holder toured, recorded, and performed with Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Don Rendell, Peter King, Dickie Hawdon, Eddie Harvey, Jack Fallon, Harry Beckett, Bill Le Sage, Shake Keane, Ronnie Ross, Coleridge Goode, Hank Shaw, Tony Kinsey, and songwriter Duncan Lamont. He was active in the postwar Latin music scene, including working with the Deniz Brothers.

In the 1960’s Holder branched out into variety and cabaret performances, appearing in many countries and at London venues such as the London Palladium, Lyceum, and Paramount. He often gave his time to charity fund raising events. Later bills were shared with Bill Haley and his Comets, Guy Mitchell, and Johnnie Ray.

Frank had met Irene Cox, a Selfridges sales assistant, at a Dankworth gig, and they married in 1963. She was his champion and a vital element in his success. That same year he appeared at the National Jazz and Blues Festival at Richmond. In 1964, he was compère for the BBC One series Carnival, 

working with Ginger Johnson, Carmen Munroe, and Geoff Love with his Orchestra. In 1966, Holder appeared with the BBC Radio Orchestra and in the following year recorded with John Dankworth featuring the actress singer Nadia Cattouse. In 1972, Holder was one of the winners of the Castlebar Song Contest for the folk ballad "Song for Jenny" composed by Sheila Roberts.

In the 90s, David Hays of Mainstem records released three albums by Frank: The Artistry of Frank Holder, accompanied by Duncan Lamont; I Love Being Here With You; and Ballads, Blues & Bop. On 15 July 2015, Frank was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Worshipful Company of Musicians in the City of London. 

Until the age of 92, Holder was still performing around London. Following his time with Paz and the Gillespiana gigs he continued to perform up until the week before his death in Carshalton, Surrey, England on 29 October 2017.

(Edited from an article by Peter Vacher @ The Guardian & Wikipedia)