User:Marvaholiday

Marva Holiday was born in San Jose, California and raised in South Los Angeles/Compton, CA. Her half-sister Yonnine was the daughter of jazz bassistl Charles Mingus. Holiday is mentioned in a Mingus biography, “Myself When I Am Real.” As a teenager Holiday sang with Compton's Double Rock Baptist Church Junior Choir. At age 20, she toured with girl group Bonnie & the Treasures and the following year recorded "It's Written All Over My Face," for GNP Crescendo Records. The following year, she pop group "Black Magic," where she learned the craft of lyric writing from lyricist Anita Poree, one of the group members. Holiday contributed lyrics to three songs on their Atco LP entitled, "Where Love Is." After leaving Black Magic, Holiday sung briefly with jazz group, The Don Cunningham Quartet. After the birth of her first child, she relocated to the Bay area where she studied music at Oakland’s Merritt College She returned to Los Angeles, enrolling as a music major at Los Angeles City College, in 1971. A few months later she signed with Motown’s publishing arm, Jobete Music, as a staff songwriter. While with Motown, she collaborated on an album for The Blackberries, contributed a song for the Jackson Five and Martha & The Vandellas (uncredited). She also contributed songs to an album by Stacie Johnson from which a single, "Woman in My Eyes” was eventually released. After leaving Motown, Holiday sang with  R&B band “Burn” and, after leaving the group, worked L.A. clubs as a solo performer.  In 1977, she chose to focus on writing gospel/messages songs with composer, Tony J. Williams.  She and Williams co-founded publishing company, Scrunch Music. In 1981, Holiday returned to secular music and studied performance as part of Phil Moore’s “Get Your Act Together” workshop.  In 1984, she returned to the Bay area where she later owned and operated her own Oakland-based gospel label, Zipporah.  She concentrated on raising children coupled with part-time gospel music performance from 1984 to 1994.  While living in Montana, Holiday started singing pop music again, tried out some country songs and even learned to yodel, as a member of “The Northern Lights.” - In 2005 Holiday appeared with Jim Gilstrap and Sherlie Matthews at a Cleethorpes, England weekender, as part of the Mirwood Revue, where she performed "It's Written All Over My Face”as well as a number of compositions penned by Matthews. Holiday currently mentors aspiring lyricists, is trying her hand at other types of writing and sings part-time.