Saul Holiff
Saul Holiff | |
---|---|
Born | (1925-06-22)June 22, 1925 London, Ontario |
Died | March 17, 2005(2005-03-17) (aged 79) Nanaimo, British Columbia |
Nationality | Canadian |
Alma mater | London Central Collegiate Institute |
Occupation | music manager |
Years active | 1950s – 1973 |
Spouse | Barbara Jean Robinson (m.1964) |
Children | Jonathan, Joshua |
Awards | Gold Leaf Award – 'Canadian Industry Music Industry Man of the Year' |
Saul Holiff (June 22, 1925 – March 17, 2005) was a Canadian music promoter and Johnny Cash's manager for thirteen years.
Saul Holiff was born in London, Ontario, on June 22, 1925. He dropped out of high school, the London Central Collegiate Institute, when he was fifteen, and worked a variety of jobs: delivered newspapers, ran a fruit and vegetable business, drove trucks, worked as a puddler at the Steel Company of Canada, a traveling salesman, and a self-employed clothing merchant. During World War II he trained as a rear air gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
In the 1950s he performed at London's Grand Theatre in a variety of roles before becoming a concert promoter and manager with offices in London, Los Angeles and Nashville. He promoted such acts as Bill Haley and the Comets, Paul Anka and Johnny Cash[1] through smaller venues such as his own restaurant, Sol's Square Boy.
Holiff managed Johnny Cash’s career from 1960 to 1973.[2] He also managed Tommy Hunter, Debbie Lori Kaye and The Statler Brothers. In 1961 Holiff was responsible for introducing singer June Carter into Cash's act.[3]
In 1970 Holiff won a Gold Leaf Award for 'Canadian Industry Music Industry Man of the Year'. These awards were the precursor to the Juno Awards.[4]
Cash and Holiff had a tumultuous relationship, which is highlighted in the 2012 film My Father and the Man in Black, an award-winning documentary created by Holiff's son Jonathan.
Holiff negotiated a $75,000 settlement agreement with Gordon Jenkins because of the similarity of Cash's hit "Folsom Prison Blues" to a Jenkins song.[5]
After Holiff quit as Cash's manager in 1973, he retired from show business. He enrolled at the University of Victoria, and earned a bachelor's degree in history.
Holiff died by suicide on March 17, 2005, in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Honours and legacy
In 2018 he was awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement award at the Forrest City London Music Awards.[6]
The Holiff family archives, which include materials related to Holiff's management of Johnny Cash and the documentary My Father and the Man in Black', are held at the University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections and University Archives.[7]
References
- ^ "The man behind Johnny Cash was Canadian — and Julie Chadwick's new book shares his story". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Volatile Attractions: Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash, and Managing a Music Legend". University of Victoria. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Hopper, Tristan (August 24, 2014). "The time Johnny Cash chose an Ontario hockey arena to propose to June Carter". National Post. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian Industry Music Industry Man of the Year – 1970". Canadian Academy or Arts and Science. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash and Making an American Icon, 07/07/2017, FYIMusic News, Canada
- ^ "Saul Holiff: Late Londoner who managed Johnny Cash honoured for lifetime achievement". The London Free Press. February 22, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Holiff family fonds - University of Victoria".
Further reading
- Chadwick, Julie (2017). The Man Who Carried Cash. Dundurn Group. ISBN 978-1-45973-723-5.
External Links
- Holiff Family fonds / Johnny Cash collection, University of Victoria Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives
- Volatile Attractions: Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash, and Managing a Music Legend digital exhibit, University of Victoria Libraries
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- At Folsom Prison
- At San Quentin
- The Johnny Cash Show
- På Österåker
- Strawberry Cake
- Koncert v Praze (In Prague – Live)
- VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson
- At Madison Square Garden
- A Concert Behind Prison Walls
- I Walk the Line
- Little Fauss and Big Halsy
- Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
- Greatest!
- Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams
- Now Here's Johnny Cash
- All Aboard the Blue Train with Johnny Cash
- Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash
- Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash
- Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
- Heart of Cash
- Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
- Sunday Morning Coming Down
- International Superstar
- Five Feet High and Rising
- Destination Victoria Station
- Greatest Hits, Vol. 3
- The Unissued Johnny Cash
- Johnny & June
- Tall Man
- Encore
- Biggest Hits
- The Man in Black 1954–1958
- The Man in Black 1959–1962
- Come Along and Ride This Train
- The Essential Johnny Cash (1992)
- Wanted Man
- The Man in Black 1963–1969
- The Man in Black – His Greatest Hits
- 16 Biggest Hits
- Love, God, Murder
- The Essential Johnny Cash (2002)
- Unearthed
- The Legend
- The Legend of Johnny Cash
- Patriot
- 16 Biggest Hits: Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash
- The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II
- The Complete Columbia Album Collection
- Johnny Cash and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- "25 Minutes to Go"
- "Seasons of My Heart"
- "Any Old Wind That Blows"
- "A Wonderful Time Up There"
- "The Ballad of Boot Hill"
- "The Ballad of Ira Hayes"
- "Ballad of a Teenage Queen"
- "Big River"
- "Blistered"
- "A Boy Named Sue"
- "Busted"
- "Cat's in the Cradle"
- "Cocaine Blues"
- "Cry! Cry! Cry!"
- "Daddy Sang Bass"
- "Dark as a Dungeon"
- "Don't Take Your Guns to Town"
- "Engine 143"
- "Flesh and Blood"
- "The Folk Singer"
- "Folsom Prison Blues"
- "Forty Shades of Green"
- "Get Rhythm"
- "Give My Love to Rose"
- "Goodnight, Irene"
- "Green, Green Grass of Home"
- "Greystone Chapel"
- "Guess Things Happen That Way"
- "Hey, Porter"
- "Home of the Blues"
- "Hurt"
- "I Couldn't Keep from Crying"
- "I Love You Because"
- "I Still Miss Someone"
- "I Walk the Line"
- "If I Had a Hammer"
- "If I Were a Carpenter"
- "In My Life"
- "In the Jailhouse Now"
- "It Ain't Me Babe"
- "Jackson"
- "Kate"
- "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream"
- "The Man Comes Around"
- "Man in Black"
- "The Matador"
- "Oh Lonesome Me"
- "One Piece at a Time"
- "Oney"
- "Orange Blossom Special"
- "The One on the Right Is on the Left"
- "Remember the Alamo"
- "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky"
- "Ring of Fire"
- "Rock Island Line"
- "So Doggone Lonesome"
- "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"
- "Tennessee Flat Top Box"
- "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang"
- "A Thing Called Love"
- "Understand Your Man"
- "What Is Truth"
- "What'd I Say"
- "Without Love"
- "You Are My Sunshine"
- Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words
- Cash: The Autobiography
- Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music
- My Father and the Man in Black
- Walk the Line
- Ring of Fire (musical)
- Ring of Fire (2013 film)
- The Sound Behind Johnny Cash
- Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash
- Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
- Johnny's Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
- Walk the Line: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Fade to Black: Memories of Johnny
- All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
- Johnny Cash Remixed
- We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash
- Forever Words