Jim Holvay

James Steven "Jimmy Soul" Holvay (born May 16, 1945) is an American songwriter and musician best known for writing "Kind of a Drag", a number one hit for The Buckinghams.

He is one of the founding members of The MOB, the first rock band to perform at a Presidential Inaugural Concert & Ball.

Holvay has co-written other songs for The Buckinghams, including "Don't You Care", "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)", and "Susan", and for other artists including The MOB ("I Dig Everything About You," "Give It To Me").

Before his teen years, while attending St. Barbara School in Brookfield, Jim's brother, Dennis, brought home the 78 rpm record of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley And His Comets, which accelerated Holvay's interest in music.

With money saved, Holvay bought his first guitar along with a Mel Bay chord book at the age of 12.

Dennis found out the frustrations about how hard it was to push the strings down to the fret board and had an idea.

When their father asked Dennis what he thought Jimmy would like for Christmas that year the answer was a better guitar.

That Christmas, he unwrapped the princely sum of $75, a Hofner archtop guitar.

That spring, Dennis suggested to his father that Jimmy would like a DeArmond pickup and a Supro amplifier for his birthday.

In 7th grade he formed The Rockin' Rebels.

His first paying gig was at the opening of a Go-Kart Shop in Lyons, IL.

A couple years of guitar lessons plus a recording session featuring two blues-progression instrumentals, Holvay entered Lyons Township High School as a freshman in 1959.

Then, he played in a group called Jimmy & The Jesters.

His father drove him to Record Row on the south side of Chicago.

Within a few blocks of each other were the labels Vee Jay, Constellation, King and Chess Records.

Holvay met Chess Records A&R Willie Dixon with his acetate tape in hand.

Even though Holvay was turned down, to his advantage, he received constructive criticism that would help him.

Holvay also met Leonard Chess and Curtis Mayfield who influenced Holvay's songwriting and guitar playing.

While in high school, he purchased a sunburst-finish Fender Stratocaster, played and recorded a couple of songs on Terry Records with an Aurora, Illinois band named The MayBees and met his longtime collaborator, Gary Beisbier.

During his junior and senior years, Holvay connected with Jim Lounsbury, the local TV dance show host, and played at the Lounsbury record hops in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Holvay graduated in 1963 and joined a band called The Chicagoans with Beisbier.

In mid-1963, the Chicagoans became the house band on Danceville, U.S.A. Lounsbury's weekly live TV show.

Later that year, the group moved to New York and played The Peppermint Lounge, The Metropole Cafe and Arthur's Tavern.

The Chicagoans went on tour traveling to countless venues across the U.S. and Canada.

One recording session yielded an instrumental written by Holvay and Beisbier titled "Beatle Time."

WLS Program Director Clark Weber suggested the group should be called The Livers (referring to Liverpool) and the record charted on the Silver Dollar Survey in early 1964.

After tours playing ballrooms throughout the Midwest backing up Terry Stafford, Chubby Checker, Nino Tempo & April Stevens - the group moved to San Francisco.

Then, they worked clubs in North Beach (pre-"Monterey") alongside Sly Stewart & his Mojo Men, The Beau Brummels, Pat & Lolly Vegas, The Gauchos, and The Nooney Rickett 4.

Afterwards, Holvay returned home and registered for Junior College.

While in college, Holvay wrote and produced various local artists, most notably, Ral Donner and Dee Clark.

Then Holvay was offered a gig as the guitarist for the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars.

Holvay worked as a permanent guitarist on the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars tour, criss-crossed the US and Canada in Greyhound buses and backed-up artists.

The Caravan Of Stars was a road show featuring some of the most popular stars and musical groups produced and presented by Dick Clark.

While on the Caravan Of Stars bus, Holvay and Brian Hyland wrote songs together.

Later, Holvay enrolled back in junior college.

One goal was to help finance school tuition by playing clubs with a "dream" band.

In November 1965, Sistak posed the question to Holvay.

"Jim. If you could wave a magic wand, what kind've [sic] a group would you put together?"

Holvay responded, "I'd put together an ass-kicking horn band with the best musicians I could find. We'd play soul music and have the greatest live show that ever existed. It's never been done before."

After seeing an old gangster movie on a late night movie TV channel on WGN, Holvay came up with the concept for the group.