Young-Holt Unlimited
Encyclopedia
Young-Holt Unlimited were an American
soul
and jazz
instrumental
musical ensemble
from Chicago
, Illinois
.
Drummer
Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist
Eldee Young
, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis
' jazz trio
, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist
Don Walker
in 1966. They met with modest success, including the minor hit
, "Wack-Wack", which charted
at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
In 1968, the group renamed itself Young-Holt Unlimited, and replaced Walker with Ken Chaney. Under their new name, the group scored a number three Hot 100 hit with "Soulful Strut," the backing instrumental track from Barbara Acklin
's "Am I the Same Girl
." "Soulful Strut" sold a million copies with the gold record
awarded by the RIAA
in January 1969, less than 3 months after the track's release.
Unfortunately, follow-up releases failed to match "Soulful Strut's" commercial success, and the group had disbanded by 1974, with Young and Holt continuing to play in Chicago small bands.
Young died of a heart attack on February 12, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, at the age of 71.
Holt was believed still to be active as of early July of 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
musical ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Eldee Young
Eldee Young
Eldee Young was a jazz double-bass and cello player who performed in the cool jazz, post bop and rhythm and blues mediums....
, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
' jazz trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Don Walker
Don Walker
Don Walker may refer to:*Don Walker , Australian musician*Don Walker , American orchestrator*Don Walker...
in 1966. They met with modest success, including the minor hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "Wack-Wack", which charted
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
In 1968, the group renamed itself Young-Holt Unlimited, and replaced Walker with Ken Chaney. Under their new name, the group scored a number three Hot 100 hit with "Soulful Strut," the backing instrumental track from Barbara Acklin
Barbara Acklin
Barbara Jean Acklin was an American soul singer and songwriter who was most successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit as a singer was "Love Makes a Woman" in 1968...
's "Am I the Same Girl
Am I the Same Girl
"Am I the Same Girl" is a popular soul song written by Eugene Record and Sonny Sanders. First recorded in 1968 by Barbara Acklin, "Am I the Same Girl" charted most successfully in the US as a 1992 release by Swing Out Sister...
." "Soulful Strut" sold a million copies with the gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
awarded by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in January 1969, less than 3 months after the track's release.
Unfortunately, follow-up releases failed to match "Soulful Strut's" commercial success, and the group had disbanded by 1974, with Young and Holt continuing to play in Chicago small bands.
Young died of a heart attack on February 12, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, at the age of 71.
Holt was believed still to be active as of early July of 2011.
Albums discography
- 1966: Wack Wack (in harriet the spy)
- 1967: Feature Spot (as The Young Holt)
- 1967: "The Beat Goes On"
- 1967: On Stage
- 1968: Soulful Strut
- 1968: Funky But!
- 1968: Live at the Bohemian Caverns
- 1969: Just a Melody
- 1970: Mellow Dreamin
- 1971: Born Again
- 1973: Oh, Girl
- 1973: Young-Holt Unlimited Plays Super FlySuper Fly"Super Fly" is the third 12" single by Giant Panda. It was the released by their label Tres Records . The single contains two songs from their album Fly School Reunion with their instrumental tracks as well.-Personnel:...