This is why Music Legend Eddie Holman can't wait to return to Liverpool for Northern Soul

We caught up with ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’ soul singer, Eddie Holman ahead of his live performances at Grand Central.

There’s a Northern Soul and Motown Weekender taking place at Grand Central, Renshaw Street on 6th and 7th September. Headlined by none other than American singer and recording legend, Eddie Holman, this two night celebration will have you on the dance floor and singing along to your favourite tracks, all night long.

Hit single ‘Hey There Lonely Girl’ smashed into the UK top ten back in 1974 and since then Eddie Holman has gone on to enjoy incredible success, around the globe.

We caught up with Eddie to find out why he can’t wait to come back to Liverpool, the secret behind being at the top of his game still, after more than 60 years in the business and why he’s eyeing up property on the city’s waterfront.

“I’m excited, I’ve had the opportunity to play in Liverpool over the years. I’ve appeared at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on three occasions – I tore it up there.

“And I’ve also performed in concert at the Adelphi Hotel and at Liverpool Cathedral – I know the city very well and I enjoy visiting. I’ve been based there when on tour, I like to walk down to the water and into town. It’s lovely meeting people who recognise me on the street.

“I’m not saying it just for saying it, it’s one of my favourite cities. If I were living in England, there’s some very nice condo’s overlooking the water!” Could we see the soul man moving to our fabulous city, not just yet as he’s showing absolutely no signs of retiring.

For those that don’t already know, Northern Soul is a music and dance movement that swept the Liverpool, Manchester, Wigan and Leeds area of the UK during the 1970’s. The music was heavily influenced by Motown and was typically upbeat and base heavy. Northern Soul was created through crate-digging for vinyl gems, while the masses in the dance halls decided what was good. Heavily influenced by Motown and black american soul music, Eddie’s hits made for the perfect tracks to groove to.

“Northern Soul is all about love and getting along and people enjoying each other’s company. It’s not about bad lyrics, calling people names or bad language. I’m so happy that people have passed the music on to their children. That’s a beautiful thing, it can’t be bought. It’s from the heart.” Eddie explained.

One track in particular paved the way for a career which to date, has spanned more than 60 years. Hey There Lonely Girl put Eddie firmly in the international lime light, he said: “I knew I had a hit record.

“We actually had a double sided hit. We had two songs and we knew they were hits. One was called “It’s All in the Game” and the other was “Hey There Lonely Girl”. We couldn’t decide which of the two should be the A side. So we put out a double sided release, on October 29th 1969, mine and Sheila’s 3rd wedding anniversary!

“We let the people decide which one they like the most, Lonely Girl came on quick, but audiences loved them both.”

Regardless of what type of show Eddie is performing, he always includes Northern Soul tracks in his set list. His loyal fans attend his gigs, whatever the genre and his fanbase is getting younger all the time.

Eddie explained: “Younger fans have a tendency to bring their parents to the shows, that’s very special. When young people, I mean like 18, 19 year-olds listen to the music in their homes and know how much the music meant to their parents, they bring them along to gigs – I never take that for granted.

“If there’s one thing that keeps me on point when it comes to performing, besides my wife Sheila, it’s the loyalty and love of the fans. That keeps me looking and sounding good.” With a giggle he adds: “I’m 73 years old and I don’t look a day over 50!”

“I feel a real responsibility to the fans, the people who are kind enough to have followed me for half a hundred years! I owe it to them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0F4i1_MnEk

Eddie has been working in the entertainment business since he was 10 years old. It’s safe to say he’s seen lots of changes in the industry. His incredible work ethic and desire to succeed has remain a constant. Eddie said: “It’s because of my mother, that’s why I work hard and why I perform on the level that I do, because of my Mother and my wife. Two strong women.

“My mother gave me the career, she made the sacrifices, she wanted me to be a star and she did everything she could to make it happen and it happened. When my mother passed away, my wife Sheila became my best friend, she took over. I credit my longevity and my career to those strong women.”

For an artist who is showing no signs of enjoying a quiet retirement, Eddie reflects on his time starting out and has some stellar advice for anyone with their heart set on a long, successful career in music.

“You gotta be consistent, you can’t be on again, off again and you can’t be ‘some-timing’. You have to work at your art, it has to be consistent. If you look back at anyone who has been around for a long time, and there’s not many, it’s because of consistency, that’s the reason why they’re still here.

“Some are just being patted on the back because of who they are and because they’ve been around so long. They’re not performing on any high level though, I’m not that kind of artist. If I’m not as good as I was 40 or 50 years ago, don’t pat me on the back

“The day I cannot perform on the level that I perform on, I’ll retire. And guess what, I’ll never retire. I’ll do this until God calls me home in heaven. If i didn’t know I was going to do a killer show, I wouldn’t step on stage. I do legendary shows. My mother took me to see legends, it was instilled in me what I was 10 years old. It’s about hard work.”

“You can have all the talent in the world, but hard work kicks talent in the ass every time.”

Eddie is headlining both Northern Soul and Motown nights at Grand Central on 6th and 7th September. He’s joined by Randy King, Soul Jam’s Joanne Ryan and DJ’s Tommy Noon and Harry Dennet. Do not miss your chance step back into the 70’s and groove with a real live legend.

To get your tickets for Northern Soul & Motown at Grand Central head to Eventbrite here. You can get updates on up-coming events this Autumn at Grand Central by checking out the official Facebook page here.