Isaac Holt

Born May 16, 1932, jazz drummer Redd Holt first came to prominence in 1956 as part of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, with whom he recorded popular instrumentals for the next nine years, including the 1965 pop-jazz hits "Hang on Sloopy" and "The In Crowd." Shortly after this commercial success, Holt and bassist Eldee Young left Lewis' group to record for Brunswick as the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker. After minor success with the soul novelty of "Wack Wack," Young and Holt restructured their group once again, this time emerging with the moniker that yielded them their biggest hit, "Soulful Strut": Young-Holt Unlimited. Holt started his own group in the '70s, Redd Holt Unlimited, that continued with the soul-jazz style of his previous groups. In the early '80s he played with Ramsey Lewis again briefly before concentrating on touring and performing as a leader. He remained active as a bandleader and sideman well into the '90s, and new generations were introduced to his music through noted hip-hop artists sampling his work, including Kendrick Lamar, De La Soul, and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. Redd Holt died on May 23, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 91. ~ Wade Kergan