Nancy Holloway

American vocalist and actress who moved to France in the 1950s.
Born 11 December 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. Died 28 August 2019 in Paris, France.

At the age of 16 she married a man by the name of Holloway. Though the marriage would last just three months, she has kept her new surname ever since. She came to Paris in 1954 where she performed in jazz clubs, often with drummer Kenny Clarke. In 1960 her repertoire has began to incorporate rock’n’roll and rhythm’n’blues music. In March 1961 Nancy with her “Rock’n’Rollers” under the direction of André Borly released “Be Bop A Lula” (originally by Gene Vincent) on PBM label. On 31 May 1961 she had first appearance on French TV show “Age tendre et tête de bois” with Gilbert Bécaud, Les Chaussettes Noires and Hédika. At the end of 1962 she signed with the record company Ricordi (France). Eventually Ricordi went bankrupt and so she negotiated a contract with Decca.