Patrice Holloway facts for kids

Patrice Yvonne Holloway (born March 23, 1951 – died October 3, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. She was known for her soul and pop songs.

Patrice Holloway's Music Journey

Patrice Yvonne Holloway was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 23, 1951. She was the youngest of three children. Her older sister, Brenda Holloway, was also a famous singer with Motown Records.

Patrice also signed with Motown. She recorded songs like "The Touch of Venus" and "For the Love of Mike." However, these songs were never officially released.

Early Recordings and Popular Songs

In the mid-1960s, Patrice recorded several songs for Capitol Records. Some of her well-known songs include "Love And Desire," "Ecstasy," and "Stolen Hours." These songs became very popular in the 1970s on the Northern Soul music scene. Northern Soul was a type of music that became popular in dance clubs in the United Kingdom.

Patrice often sang background vocals with her sister. They sang on many records for other artists. For example, they helped with Joe Cocker's 1968 cover of The Beatles' song "With a Little Help from My Friends." This song later became the theme song for the TV show The Wonder Years.

Patrice also recorded a special song called "Stay With Your Own Kind." This song was important because it talked about relationships between people of different races. This was a brave topic to sing about at that time.

She also helped write the song "You've Made Me So Very Happy." Her sister Brenda first recorded it. Later, in 1969, the band Blood Sweat & Tears covered the song. Their version became a huge hit, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.

Singing for Josie and the Pussycats

Patrice Holloway is most famous for her work on the 1970 TV show Josie and the Pussycats. She was the singing voice for the character Valerie Brown. Valerie was the first African-American female cartoon character to be a regular on a TV series.

Some TV executives were worried about having Valerie on the show. But record producer Danny Janssen insisted that Patrice and Valerie stay. He felt her voice was perfect for the bubblegum pop music they wanted. This music style was similar to what The Jackson 5 sang. Patrice's voice is the main voice on the show's theme song, "Josie and The Pussycats," and many other songs from the series.

After the first season of Josie, Patrice recorded a few more solo songs. These were also for Capitol Records. However, she did not sing for the second season of the show, which was called Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space.

Patrice Holloway passed away on October 3, 2006, at the age of 55.

Patrice Holloway's Music Records

Here are some of the songs Patrice Holloway recorded or helped with:

Singles

• 1963: "Stevie" b/w "(He Is) The Boy of My Dreams" (V.I.P. 25001)
• 1966: "Stolen Hours" b/w "Lucky, My Boy" (Capitol)
• 1967: "Love and Desire" b/w "Ecstasy" (Capitol)
• 1967: "Stay with Your Own Kind" b/w "That's All You Got To Do" (Capitol 5985)
• 1971: "That's The Chance You Gotta Take" b/w "Evidence" (Capitol)
• 1972: "Black Mother Goose" b/w "That's The Chance You Gotta Take" (Capitol)

Backing Vocal Credits

• 1968: Joe Cocker – "With a Little Help from My Friends"
• 1969: Diana Ross & the Supremes – "Someday We'll Be Together"
• 1969: Thelma Houston – Sunshower
• 1969: Joe Cocker – Joe Cocker!
• 1970: Kim Weston - Kim Kim Kim
• 1970: Diana Ross – "Reach Out and Touch"
• 1971: Beaver & Krause – Gandharva
• 1972: Buffy Sainte-Marie – Moonshot