This gentleman was the singer with Rick Wakeman at the concert that I attended on Sunday August 19th, 2007 at the Danforth Music Hall. He was a short and portly man with a full bodied voice. An average looking guy with average attire. His stage presence was like a common guy with regular looking attire.
I was told by the guy who bought my ticket not to be too judgmental by his appearance.
Yet at the end of the show, he seemed like just an average guy off the street. I am now aware of his resume of the bands that he played with and how important he is to Rock & Roll but I guess that I was looking forward to the music and not the singing.
This legendary singer was a mainstay with Rick during 19 of his solo albums. Now that’s nothing to sneeze at is it? Just being in a band with the caped crusader speaks volumes but for some reason I was not all that impressed.
I hope that the Ashley Holt fan club with be lenient with me on this one!
Keep on jammin’
great bashing..
i hope i dont stumble with this not so good singer anytime as i visit too many parties..
Woo, I’m A NOT BASHING AT ALL!!! I am a person who dislikes bashing in all forms. In my mind people who bash just want to hear their own voice. In this reply I want to set the record straight!
Imagine if all new forms of art or music was just given a once over and then tossed to the side as garbage. Sometimes things must be looked at or listened to by many angles. Better yet, some perspectives should be viewed as an acquired taste.
An example of this for me was new age jazz. You may have come across this form by chance while just turning the old dials on the radio. You more then likely persevered it as being people just banging pots and pans around and anything else that they can get their hands on and calling it music. That is what I thought at first take.
It took me many, many years to get a grasp at this new form of jazz. No matter how many times I tried to take it apart and analyze it, the less it made sense to me.
Then one day driving somewhere and deciding to give it another go. It finally hit me like a ton of bricks. I was looking for the traditional toe tapping beat with a ketchy phrase thrown in but that never happened.
What I had to do was to listen for each hit/bang or tone of the instrument that was in the forefront and let it lead, everything else was just counterpoint. Just give it a while if you are interested, it does take a lot of time though to get the understanding of this genre of jazz.
I suppose I should just give Mr Ashley Holt another listen to. Maybe he was just the flavor of the times back then I just don’t know.
While watching him and the band live I must have been missing something, anything! I guess I’ll have to listen a little harder this time around.
Keep on Jammin’
Wow, this was posted like three years ago, but I’ll go ahead and revive this just to say: listen to Ashley Holt as the singer for Warhorse. You probably already have, but just in case, give it a go. Their self titled first album didn’t make the charts and their second one (Red Sea) flopped. Chart success though, of all things, is extremely unimportant (to me).
I thoroughly enjoy Warhorse and was really happy to discover them whilst listening to some Cactus. It may just be my taste, but I love Ashley’s 1970s wails and such the same way I love Rusty Day, Aryn Schwartz, and Cedric Bixler.
I hear what you mean Brittany. Warhorse was an excellent band, thanx. Now that you got my attention, maybe this band will be a source for a post in the future?! Castus, the band, I’ll check out right now.
Thanx for your input into great bands that I’ve never heard of before, cheers Brittany!
Haha, you’re welcome!
I guess I’ll go ahead and expand more on my post.
Rusty Day was the singer (until his quite tragic death) for Cactus.
Cedric Bixler is the singer for The Mars Volta.
Aryn Schwartz is the singer for Scorpion Child, a local Austin, TX band.
Along the same line as Cactus and Warhorse, here’s some pretty good 70s era rock bands (though not as well known) to check into if you’ve never heard them:
Detroit, Jamul, Doctor Downtrip, Peter Kaukonen, Tin House, and Ashkan.
By the way, this blog is really fun to read! Cheers!
Ah, Brittany, your just saying that to make me feel better about my very boring blog ;)!!!!!
Just came across this after looking up ‘Ashley Holt’ in Google. I’m a huge Rick Wakeman fan and Ashley Holt sang on the very first Wakeman album I heard as a kid (‘Journey To Centre Of The Earth’) and I’ve heard his vocal talents on many a Wakeman album since. Probably doesn’t make me very objective, but I really like his earthy, gravelly vocals. He really understands the lyrics he’s called upon to perform and he’s very heartfelt in his delivery. Try the album ‘African Bach’ and see what you think.
I certainly didn’t think you were bashing, just stating your personal opinion. Music is very personal – it either works for you or it doesn’t, and there’s no right or wrong.
He sang on that Album, really? I’ve got to check that one out, thanx Ben.
I just youtube African Bach and his voice is perfect, some people have all the luck or should I say talk box!!!