Eddie Anderson sang lead on “Never Alone” while Leon Ware belts out “Love’s Creeping Up On Me”. The advert is from October 1966 and mis-credits Steve Mancha’s "Don’t Make Me a Story Teller" on Groovesville 1005 to The Holidays’ disc on Revilot 205.

Revilot

Revilot was part of Solid Hitbound Productions, a company formed by Don Davis and jazz disc jockey and music director at WCHB, LeBaron Taylor. It had instant success in the summer of ’66 with Darrell Banks (Open The Door To Your Heart) and a year later with The Parliaments’ mold-breaking “I Wanna Testify” - a recording that featured Tony Gray’s group on background.

Prior Darrell to Banks’ smash, Solid Hitbound Productions’ recordings were released on Mr. Wingate’s Ric-Tic label, but the company soon began pressing Groovesville and Solid Hit 45s – as well as Revilot ones. The discs bear many names revered in Soul circles, such as Mike Terry, Leon Ware, Dale Warren and of course Don Davis.

Although The Holidays had splintered after Golden World’s demise, Revilot was obviously reluctant to shelve the group’s well-known name and this is where things begin to get a bit foggy. Willie “Butch” Johnson had gone to Vietnam, only to return “messed up” with emotional problems and Maurice Gray had married Elsie and had drifted away from singing. However, Eddie Anderson did continue doing session work for songwriter Leon Ware and in February of 1967, the first of two records was released on the psychedelic looking Revilot label. The first featured Leon and Eddie, with perhaps Robert “Earl” Johnson also there.

“Never Alone is Eddie Anderson – he’s leading that. But Love’s Creeping Up On Me is Leon Ware - it’s not The Holidays. He wrote it and he’s singing it. He tried to get me to sing it, but I don’t sing up in that register.

Seven months later – in September ’67 – the second Revilot single by “The Holidays” was released. Leon Ware wrote “I Know She Cares”, but it doesn’t sound like he’s leading (I emailed Leon with some questions, but didn’t get any answers).

What is just as confusing is there was another Holidays’ record on Revilot - in 1969 on a pink colored label - but it’s a different outfit. Jimmy Holland had put together another group, which is detailed later.
 

The singers of these two sides are still unknown.
 

Researched and written by Graham Finch