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Mickey Holiday

Mickey Holiday and the Jaywalkers, Asbury Park, N.J. They played allot at the Shamrock Lounge on Bridge St. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Mickey Holiday is a musical artist with a rich heritage.   Born in a Christian family with musical parents, grew up in Benton Harbor, Michigan , began to play in Bands around the Grand Rapids area, (Truetones, Metros, Dick Cole Trio).  

In the 60’s he lit up the Jersey Shore singing with the Jaywalkers (Candy Cane, Dudley’s, Mrs Jay’s [Stone Pony], Groh’s, Steve Brody’s, Big Bill’s, Thunderbird, Colonel Cooper’s, Peppermint Lounge in NYC, etc.), working opposite groups like Johnny Maestro and the Crests, Levon and the Hawks who later became The Band, backing up Bob Dylan.  
Also, Conway Twitty on his last rock ‘n’ roll gig at the legendary Tony Mart’s in Somers Point, New Jersey.  In Chicago at the Club Laurel.   Also, at the Whiskey a-go-go on Rush street and the Action a-go-go on the south side in the Bobby Dee band with Guitarist Harvey Mandel, Organist Barry Goldberg and Drummer Eddie Hoh.

Following his Conversion to Christ in 1967, he brought his singing and songwriting skills to the church.  
John W. Peterson has said, “Those who have discovered the music of Mickey Holiday know it rings with the sincerity and conviction of a life fully dedicated to the Lord, and has the warmth that is born out of deep concern for those who have never tasted the grace of God.”

In 1968, the first of his gospel Songs was published and soon many others followed including: “I Know Where I’m Goin'”, “Who Killed Jesus?”, and “Christ Is The King Of All Kings”, just to to name a few.   His song “Happy Am I” has been immortalized in the Singspiration Hymnal “PRAISE” …an example of his talent and testimony.

Sometimes heritage can be interpreted by the modern church as a synonym for staleness.   Not so in the case of Mickey Holiday.   His album “POWERHOUSE” produced for Good Life Records is evidence of an ongoing, ever-increasing understanding of his Christian Faith.

In 1972 he began traveling across the United States, singing and sharing his faith, crossing denominational lines with a passion for the unity of the Body of Christ, as expressed in his album: “WE ARE ONE”.

Mickey Holiday is not simply a performer.   He writes, records, arranges, orchestrates, and shares the Word.   His personal blend of humor and worship has brought that special touch to many believers.  

After coming off the road in 1997, Mickey worked with a group called God’s Country every Saturday night through 2004.  

Currently, He continues in the ministry of praise & worship on the west coast of Florida with his new band, MICKEY HOLIDAY & COMPANY.With Mickey Holiday, you have years of Ministry and Music Production experience at your service.
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Please come back and visit again…                                                                            and bring a friend.                                                            

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© 2011 Mickey Holiday

Growing Up In
Benton Harbor, Michigan
(Click on any photo to see enlargement)
  
 School Daze 

Hey Baby!
May 18,
1941
 
 
I'm getting ready for the movie...
Dad, Mom,
Me &
Big Brother
 
The Scene of the Crime
Sterne
Brunson
 
 
Ten More To Go
2nd Grade
1949
 
 
I didn't have a clue
Baptizm
1949
 
 
Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy
1950
 
 
 
Oh Boy! - School In Summer.
DVBS
1950
 
 
Miss Tuttle was delightful
3rd Grade
1950
 
 
Where's the teacher?
4th Grade
1951
 
 
I caught a cisco... Biggest catch of the day
Fishing on
the Pier
1952
 
Mr. Storey sure could tell those stories
6th Grade
1953
 
 
Riding in style
Dad’s First
New Car
1953
 
All that's missing was the organ grinder
Jr. High
Band
1956
 
I Helped Dad Build It
Our New
House
1957
 
I Made the Shirt
1957
 
 
 
One Dogpower
Go-cart
1958
 
 
2nd Chair Cornet (From the End)
Playing
Cornet in
HS Band
1958
It had a picture of a cowboy riding a horse on the front... so I painted over it
My First
Guitar –
a gift from
Ron Burr
Entertaining Fellow Band Members
Train Ride
to
Muskegon
1958
We All Played on the Boy's Brigade Basketball Team
My
Clay St.
Buddies
 
Charcoal Crewneck Sweater &      Trenchcoat...
Senior
Picture
1959
 
I Made the Grade
Graduation
Portrait
1959
 
What a Crew
30th
Reunion
Class of
’59

 

© 2011 Mickey Holiday

 TRY TO SING THIS  

BANDS


TRU-TONES at the CANOPY When I came to Grand Rapids I answered an ad in the paper to play in a band being formed. I played guitar at the time but they already had 2 guitarists and they asked me if I could play bass. I said yes, but didn't have a bass or the money to buy one. So I made a bass from scratch (the one in this picture) and made a living with it for a couple years.   We played at: The Show Bar, The Canopy, Oscar's Red Mill, Lena Lou's - With a variety of styles including: Pop, Rock, Country, R&B - Emulating artists like the Ventures, Les Paul, Ray Charles, and many more.

Rod Bowman – Mickey Holiday – Bill RidleyChester LeeSome of our fans put up the money to make this record, but eventually they also were singing 'Darling I'm Sorry'... and probably still have boxes full of records to prove it. 

Our “BIG” hit record


METROS

Listen to that tall skinny guy WAIL! We played the Canopy in Grand Rapids,Michigan - Whitey Lou's in Fort Wayne, Indiana - We followed Count Basie in the Club Laurel in Chicago, Illinois and made a lot of music for just 3 guys.

Ted Balanger – Mickey Holiday – Miles Long
Click here for a taste


 The TIMES Were NOT that GOOD

HOLIDAY MOTEL 

 66 & 33

 


My First and Last Gig on Tenor Sax I needed one of those CONSOLI  LIGATURES                    www.consolims.com

Chief Cooknbottlewasher    Gary Cubberly – Wild Bill Hickup – Mickey Holiday – John Wrubel                                                                                  Billy Ryan


Sammy Pugh Trio at BIG BILL’S
 BIG BILL'S was located on Springwood Ave. in Neptune, New Jersey and was THE place for Soul/R&B/Jazz music. The building in this picture burned down, and the one they rebuilt was one of the nicest clubs on the Jersey Shore. Big Bill was one of the nicest people there also. I played there eventually with the Jaywalkers and they packed the place to hear us white boys.

Sammy Pugh – Mickey Holiday – Dave Clark
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© 2011 Mickey Holiday

  


JAYWALKERS

 


 

The early days at DUDLEY’S BY THE SEA in Belmar 

Here's a complete personnel list of the JAYWALKERS:  John 'Super Sound' Shaw Jr. - Standup Drums/Vocals Buzzy Lubinsky* - Drums John 'Cos' Consoli - Tenor Sax  Jim 'Jack Valentine' Cattanach - Guitar/Vocals  Richard 'Fletch' Hetherton* - Guitar Alan 'Frog' Gordon* - Organ Joe Torchia - Guitar David Whitaker - Sax Bob Carlson - Bass  Mickey Holiday 'For Governor' - Bass/Vocals/  Keyboard Bass/Organ  David Heth* - Keyboard Bass/Organ Steve 'The Mole' Wells* - Bass/Vocals  Albie Kessel - Bass Bill 'Cherry Bomb' Lucia - Tenor Sax/Vocals  Larry 'The Great' Gadsby - Tenor Sax/Vocals  Mike Moses - Vocals Billy 'Tom on guitar' Ryan - Guitar/Vocals  'Fast' Eddie Wohanka - Vocals Gary 'U.S.' Arntz - Guitar  Steven Van Zandt  Garry Tallent - Bass  Donnie Lubitz - Keyboard  Jay Pilling - Keyboard Bass/Organ WOW! 

John Shaw, John “Coz” Consoli, Mickey Holiday, Jack Cattanach 


 

Our First Record On The Jukebox 

  I Thought I Was Ray Charles   

  


 

Armed And Dangerous 

  I'D LIKE TO HAVE THAT 'STRAT' NOW   

  


  I GUESS I COULD


  THIS WAS AS CLOSE AS WE CAME TO A HIT RECORD


 

Check Out #19 

 

  WE'RE ON OUR WAY NOW   

  


 

Thanks To Michael Jay – The #1 Deejay In Grand Rapids 

  SO HE'S MY BIG BROTHER   

  


 

1967 

  IN A CAGE WHERE WE BELONG   

Billy “Cherry Bomb” Lucia – Billy Ryan – Mickey Holiday – John Shaw 


 

  At the time of this picture I had already received the Lord Jesus Christ and was seeking His direction for my life.  Shortly after this we were playing at Groh’s in Belmar and I was singing “Georgia On My Mind”, a song I’d sung many times, for many years.   A verse in the song says: “Georgia, Georgia, No peace I find.”  At that moment God spoke to me, right on the bandstand of Groh’s, and said, “Why are you singing about that, when you ought to be singing about the peace that you’ve found.”   That night I told the band that I was quitting.

   The problem was that we had a big engagement coming up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  If I quit now that would hang everybody up and I didn’t want to do that but I didn’t want to hang God up either and I knew He wanted me to quit.  So I decided to make the Grand Rapids trip and then quit.  That decision made me very uneasy and I prayed all the way to Michigan.  Just outside of Grand Rapids a cloud began to form on the horizon in front of the van and out of it Jesus appeared to me, beckoning me with his hands to come closer.  I couldn’t stand it any longer.

   When I arrived in Grand Rapids I called the Shamrock Lounge and told them I wasn’t coming to the gig.  They could come and get my equipment and use it but I wasn’t going to set foot in that place.  I knew I had to obey the Lord even though it meant letting my friends down.

   It was at this time, David Heth was at the Shamrock to see the Jaywalkers, and when they discovered that he played the organ they asked him to fill in for me.

 

   Some months later I received a phone call from my good friend Ray Dahrouge telling me of the tragic news.

 


 

David Heth 

 

“There But For The Grace Of God” 


 

Asbury Park Press Article – October 26, 1997  

Local Band Shared A Goal With Danelectro:Hitting It Big 

 

“I Finally Made It Big – Thanks Lord.” 


CONVERSION TO CHRISTWhen: 1967

Where: Asbury Park, New Jersey

  God, in His mercy, reached way down to Abury Park, and that was WAY down there.
Through: The gracious and compasionate ministry of
Pastor John “Jack” Ludlam of First Baptist Church
  I grew up in church and I had been around a lot of preachers,  but this preacher was like no other preacher I'd known.  He had no condemnation in him. When he walked into a  room it would light up with the Grace and Love of God.  I wanted to have what he had. He had JESUS!
Pastor Ludlam writes:

Mickey Holiday had something that drew “rock-lovers’ night after night. The JAYWALKERS and Mickey Holiday — this was the group that captivated the “now” crowd along the Jersey Shore. They had everything going for them — EVERYTHING but LIFE! The action was there — every kind, at any time. But not LIFE. And no one knew it better than Mickey himself. LIFE finally came when Mickey Holiday and Jesus Christ met on a person to person footing. When that happened, everything blasted loose. The endless groping for the “kick that counted” was jettisoned . . . New LIFE took over. Music and Mickey are as natural as breathing and air. There’d be no life apart from song . . . God had just made him that way. It had always been that way . . . as long as Mickey could remember. Only now that he has LIFE . . . Christ’s Life . . . the song is real! Just as real as all of living came to be. Mickey put it this way: “Hold on to Jesus — this world has proven untrue.” Those aren’t untried poetical jibberish . . . Mickey is crying out from way down deep, deep in the center of his new self: “One day I was wonderin’ ‘What’s it all about?’ ” In his new song . . . that splashes searching years: “I know where I’m goin’, and who I’m gonna see. I HAVE A FRIEND NAMED JESUS waiting there for me!” Here we have Mickey’s soul.

 

Where: Asbury Park, New Jersey
  God, in His mercy, reached way down to Abury Park, and that was WAY down there.
Through: The gracious and compasionate ministry of
Pastor John “Jack” Ludlam of First Baptist Church
  I grew up in church and I had been around a lot of preachers,  but this preacher was like no other preacher I'd known.  He had no condemnation in him. When he walked into a  room it would light up with the Grace and Love of God.  I wanted to have what he had. He had JESUS!
Pastor Ludlam writes:

Mickey Holiday had something that drew “rock-lovers’ night after night. The JAYWALKERS and Mickey Holiday — this was the group that captivated the “now” crowd along the Jersey Shore. They had everything going for them — EVERYTHING but LIFE! The action was there — every kind, at any time. But not LIFE. And no one knew it better than Mickey himself. LIFE finally came when Mickey Holiday and Jesus Christ met on a person to person footing. When that happened, everything blasted loose. The endless groping for the “kick that counted” was jettisoned . . . New LIFE took over. Music and Mickey are as natural as breathing and air. There’d be no life apart from song . . . God had just made him that way. It had always been that way . . . as long as Mickey could remember. Only now that he has LIFE . . . Christ’s Life . . . the song is real! Just as real as all of living came to be. Mickey put it this way: “Hold on to Jesus — this world has proven untrue.” Those aren’t untried poetical jibberish . . . Mickey is crying out from way down deep, deep in the center of his new self: “One day I was wonderin’ ‘What’s it all about?’ ” In his new song . . . that splashes searching years: “I know where I’m goin’, and who I’m gonna see. I HAVE A FRIEND NAMED JESUS waiting there for me!” Here we have Mickey’s soul.

 
 

The Grand Rapids Press, Saturday, June 24, 1972
 Best Deal I Ever Made


Why:
The Human Condition –
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)The Reason –
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)The Cause –
By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned. (Romans 5:12)The Penalty –
For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23a)

The Remedy –
…But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23b)

God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)


How:
The Connection –
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-11)The Result –
Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. (Romans 10:13)

By HIS Grace – Thru HIS Faith – On HIS Word – With HIS Power – For HIS Glory


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ORIGINAL SONGS BY MICKEY HOLIDAY
ALL I NEED I KNOW WHERE I’M GOIN’ * PRAISE THE LORD
AS I WALK ALONG I THANK THE LORD SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM
AT THE TOUCH OF JESUS I WAS GLAD SING-ALONG
BELIEVE IT LIKE IT IS I’LL WALK WITH HIM STRAIGHT AHEAD
CHRIST IS THE KING OF ALL KINGS I’M DEAD AND YET ALIVE TAKE THE LONG LOOK
COME, COME IT’S YOURS FOR THE ASKING TELL THE TRUTH
DOIN’ WHAT COMES SUPERNAT’RALLY    JESUS CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND THANK YOU JESUS
ETERNAL SOUL JUST A SINGER SAVED BY GRACE THE SECOND TIME YOU’RE BORN
EVERYWHERE AND ALWAYS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS    THEN CHRIST WILL RULE AND REIGN
HALLELUJAH LET HIM SAVE YOU TODAY THEN JESUS CAME INTO MY LIFE
HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME LIFE UNLIMITED THIS COULD BE THE DAY
HANG UP YOUR HANG-UPS LIVING SACRIFICE ** THIS IS THE DAY
HAPPY AM I LOVE IS IN THE AIR UNITED IN SPIRIT
HIS GREAT LOVE MY PRAYER WE ARE ONE **
HOLD ON TO JESUS MY SINS ARE GONE WHO KILLED JESUS?
I FOUND THE ANSWER NOW THAT I KNOW WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM
I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD POWERHOUSE WORK FOR PEACE

*Denotes collaboration with Ray Dahrouge
** Denotes collaboration with Ed Drake       

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