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This South African master of the big band, swing, jazz, and nostalgia idioms of the twentieth century has produced an enlightening tome. As a famous broadcaster, he traveled extensively in Europe, the United Kingdom, and America. This handsome gregarious man developed lasting worldwide friendships at home and in his travels abroad. We are allowed into fabulous behind the scenes glimpses of his life, his marriages and his daughters, Who's Who in the light music world, as well as a plethora of world famous persons.
By the age of eight, Holloway was not only an accomplished horseman, but had been introduced to rugby and cricket. That same year he lost his father and his elder brother took on the role of father figure. As a youngster Holloway became familiar with English by reading American comic books. His teenage years were filled with scholastics, sports, and music. Glenn Miller became his first idol. (His second was Dale Carnegie.) At age fourteen, when he first heard "Sweet Eloise" and "Sleep Song" on a juke box, he began a lifetime of collecting records. As a young man he played cricket in the summers and first league rugby in the winters. The golf course engaged his love of sports during his adult years.
Holloway began his illustrious broadcasting career with a three month series on Glen Miller that produced a glut of letters prompting him to form the Glen Miller Appreciation Society of South Africa in order to showcase the likes of Benny Goodman, Arty Shaw, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. The Big Band Society of South Africa soon followed. In the 1980's, he was asked to present a series of broadcasts for Radio RSA, which at that time broadcast to Africa, America, and Europe. In 2003 The Big Band of America presented Holloway with their Golden Bandstand Award. If you're a jazz era / swing band affectionado, this is the book for you.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review