Biography
The Northern soul favorite "It's Written All Over My Face" brought the most recognition to singer Marva Holiday, who entered the world and grew up in San Jose, California. Jazz immortal Charles Mingus counted among her relatives as the father of half-sister Yonnine, and he functioned in a surrogate paternal role for Holiday herself. During her teenage years she performed regularly with the choir at her neighborhood Baptist church, then moved on to writing original material. In 1966 she stepped briefly into a touring lineup of the girl group Bonnie & the Treasures, whose Phil Spector-soundalike cult classic "Home of the Brave" had already earned lasting notice, taking the place of founding member Sherlie Matthews. The two women quickly formed a close friendship; as Matthews's profile as a songwriter rose, she frequently called on Holiday for demo work. GNP Crescendo executive Gene Norman heard a copy of "It's Written All Over My Face" and offered Holiday a solo contract, issuing the single with little impact in 1967. After that release stalled she entered the lineup of Black Magic and supplied three tracks for their 1968 Atco album Where Love Is. Her time with the group ended soon afterward when she became pregnant with her first child and moved to Oakland to pursue music studies at Merritt College. She came back to Los Angeles in 1971 and joined Motown Records' publishing division Jobete as a staff songwriter. During her two years there only a single composition reached the marketplace, Stacie Johnson's 1973 single "Woman in My Eyes." Following a stretch of independent club performances she stepped away from the stage in 1977 and helped establish the publishing company Scrunch Music. She subsequently ran her own Oakland imprint Zipporah while resuming live work in gospel settings. "It's Written All Over My Face" at last received sustained exposure through Britain's Northern soul scene. In summer 2005 Holiday made her U.K. debut at the Cleethorpes Mirwood Revue, sharing the bill with Matthews and singer Jim Gilstrap.
Albums