Rick Holmes: Remember to Remember + The Unknowledgeable One
From 12″ (Gold Mink, 1981)
Picked this up at Record Jungle the other week: a really strange 12″ produced by Roy Ayers, featuring L.A. radio DJ Rick Holmes. Some of you might already be familiar with Holmes since his voice graces the Cannonball Adderley Love, Sex, and the Zodiac album but I didn’t realize he went onto record something with Ayers, a decade later.
Musically, this is vintage post-disco Ayers; very groovy and soulful. Holmes though… He’s ok in small nuggets, like on that Love, Sex and the Zodiac album but for a nearly 10 minute song? It’s a bit much to take even if I do like what Holmes is trying to do on “Remember to Remember” especially with his roll-call of great artists and historical figures.
I completely agree that the intent on “Remember to Remember” is an honorable one, though 10 minutes does make it a tough listen. “The Unknowledgeable One”, however, does certainly hold its own as an upstanding example of early “spoken word”- a spoken word that is now quite common in the “underground” neo-soul and conscious hip hop circles across the country. For this alone it is an interesting artifact in the lineage of underground musics. Though truly, both are a tough listen for anyone not deep into poetry.
Rick Holmes is my father. He passed on August 21st 2015. Adding a bit about his life online so that people can know more about him as an artist.
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Rich Holmes was a radio personality. He began his career at KBCA where he enjoyed his job from 1967 until 1976. He had the privilege of working with amazing personalities such as Jamin Jai Rich, Tolly Strode, Jim Gosa, Dennis Smith, Chuck Niles, Sam Fields, Rod McGrew, Stevo and many others. He was a mentor to James Janice and many young DJ in the 70's. On his show "Rick's Affair," he soothed our souls in the prime time evening slot with the captivating jazz music of current and historical greats such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Herbie Hancock, Oliver Nelson, Les McCann, Dave Brubeck, Grover Washington, Nancy Wilson, and Gerald Wilson. The list of jazz musicians he exhibited and interviewed on the air are too numerous to mention. He played Latin Jazz, Afro Cuban Jazz and African influence by Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba. Each night Rick ended his show with a word-to-the wise: "Red, yellow, black or white, you decide which is right, or which is an illusion." An avid amateur Astrologer of the times, he could pinpoint an exact Zodiac sign under any given situation. Intuitive about music, he could pick a hit after listening to a couple of bars. Rick was passionate about life, was a true psychic who could see beyond the obvious. As an actor, Rick appeared in a cameo shot on the highly acclaimed television show, " I Spy" with Robert Culp on the back of a motorcycle. He also performed a segment with Bill Cosby. As a Master of Ceremonies he entertained at venues around Los Angeles such as the Lighthouse, Concerts-by-the Sea, Marla Gibbs Memory Lane, Freddie Jet's Pied Piper, The Troubadour, and wowed crowds at Jazz Festivals around Southern California. Rick recorded three albums with the great Cannonball Adderley. The first (ahead of its time) he wrote and narrated called "Soul Zodiac" for which he was honored with a Grammy nomination for best Spoken Word Album. The second was Love, Sex and the Zodiac, a steamy discourse about the intimate nature of each astrological sign. The third album in 1972, "Soul of the Bible" was produced by Cannonball and David Axelrod, with the Nat Adderley Sextet. This work underscored their growing spiritual faith. It also included Olga James, George Duke, Walter Booker and other artists.Rick wrote and narrated an album with Roy Ayers in 1981 on Gold Mink Records. It is an anthology to the great men and women past and current speaking of their contributions to humanity. The title "Remember to Remember" reminds us of the struggle and sacrifices our ancestors made for the freedoms we share today. In 1981, Rick recorded a very compassionate spoken word rendition for his daughter Amber, entitled "The Unknowledgeable Ones." Roy Ayers re-recorded Rick's timeless recording, "Remember to Remember" on his album, " Uno Melodic Story – A Roy Ayers Production." This heartfelt musical endeavor may be found on http://www.royayersproject.com/2011/03/rick-holmes-remember-remember-produced-arranged-roy-ayers-1981/. Performing as Master of Ceremonies and/or artist of the Spoken Word, in 1968 Rick enjoyed the pleasure of touring with various Jazz groups travelling to Dubrovnik and London, England; Ghana and Ethiopia 1971, and to Tele Aviv Israel in the early 70's. He especially enjoyed his musical in Africa with the award winning vocalist, Roberta Flack. One of his favorite quotes was "Procrastination is aThief of Time." Rick was a renaissance man, an enigmatic man who believed in loving humankind and living life to the fullest..
Amber. You father was my mentor and your mother was like my sister!!
I was there when you came home from the hospital when you were born !
Chesapeake Apartments
Give your mother my love and tell her my mom asked about her!!
Leon
Clarissa, please accept my sincere condolences. Enjoyed listening to and meeting your Dad. You said he “was a true psychic who could see beyond the obvious.” And boy how! Rick was right about Cosby. Few if any believed him. Thought it was envy, as did I. But it appears your Dad lived long enough to see his insight justified. Cosby from all that has happened is not a good person. Rick had his number. This was before “The Cosby Show”. Don’t understand how but he did. How he could see in Cosby what the masses could not still baffles me. Of course he knew Cosby personally and they tried to work together on some proposed projects that would benefit black people.
Stay strong, but never lose compassion.
“Remember to Remember” – a bit much to take? You obviously are too young to have enjoyed this tune that is still played at Chicago Style Stepping events and on any “Back in the Day” radio show worth their weight in gold. Youngins – sometimes it’s hard to love’em. And if you are of a certain age, your taste in music doesn’t run deep because this was the jam. Does anybody remember the long sing/12 inch record/disco version? Besides, how can you complain about a song giving power to the people? And giving Black people self-esteem? If you don’t know your R&B…sit.
KBCA was the station to listen to for JAZZ. We would gather and listen to jazz daily.
In Los Angels during the 60s and early 70s that was the thing you did. Brothers were Brothers. Afros flowed the streets of Los Angels
.PEACE