Home Boy And The C.O.L. - Home Boy And The C.O.L. [RSD 2022]

+ Out 18th June 2022.  

Cecil Johnson Lyde Holden aka “Home Boy” (born 1948) is an artist whose musical talent has been unmistakable since his days as a young boy. Growing up listening to his parents 78 RPM Doo-wop, Blues, Jazz and Gospel records, he started signing in church when he was 6 years old. At the age of 10, his mother took him to the famous Club DeLisa (Chicago’s celebrated night spot) and entered him in a talent contest where he won first price singing “Only You” by The Platters. This key-event had sparked a burning desire and a love for music in Cecil that would never leave him…it created an opportunity for him to become an entertainer and recording artist.

Flash forward to the 1960’s when he met Mr. Otis Leavill who was one of the leading figures in the Chicago Soul scene. Leavill was already a well-established recording artist, producer, recording studio co-owner and talent scout (he discovered Yvette Stevens aka ‘Chaka Khan’). Guided by his now mentor, Cecil was exposed to professional studio recording work and productions. He began to work with Otis’ roster of artists, developing his own songwriting skills and musical style in the process. Later he started working with many of Chicago's great musical talents of the time: Curtis Mayfield, The Chi-Lites, Major Lance, Gene Chandler, Barbara Acklin…and countless others. Cecil Lyde helped recording songs for Chess, Brunswick and St. Lawrence Records. Sadly, by the early 1970’s Chicago’s famous “Record Row” (the area where all the independent record companies were located) started to close down and as a result many bands broke up.