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Alabama Music Hall of Fame Achiever
MARY HOLLADAY-PEDERSON
Date of Birth:
April 30, 1946
Place of Birth:
Birmingham, AL
In 1967, during their Jr. year at Auburn University, Mary and one of the members of the quartet, Susan Coleman Pilkington, were asked to sing backup on a recording session in Muscle Shoals AL. There they teamed with Jeanie Greene and Donna Thatcher at Quin Ivy’s Studio. It wasn’t long before they were hired to sing backup by all the Muscle Shoals Studios, Quinvy, Fame, Broadway Sound and Muscle Shoals Sound as well as American Sound in Memphis, and Atlantic Records in New York. During this time, Mary can be herd with artists; Ella Washington, Percy Sledge, Joe Simon, Joe Tex, The Boxtops, Clarence Carter, Sam Baker, Roosevelt Greer, Bobby Womack, Merrilee Rush, James Purify, Etta James, B. J. Thomas, Ben E. King, and Dionne Warwick.
In 1968, after graduating from Auburn University, Mary moved to Memphis where their group continued singing backup on hit recordings such as Neil Diamond’s “Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show,” “Cry like A Baby” by the Boxtops, and “Hooked On A Feeling” by B.J. Thomas.
In January of 1969, Jeannie Greene, Donna Thacther, Mary Holladay and Ginger Holiday (Mary’s sister) were hired to sing backup on the legendary American Studio recordings by Elvis Presley, “In the Ghetto”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Cold Kentucky Rain” and others. Mary and Ginger continued to do Elvis’s backup vocals until 1977. That same year Ginger and Mary started singing with Ronnie Milsap at a club in Memphis and had been back to Muscle Shoals, AL to sing background on the Sonny and Cher and R.B. Greaves recording sessions.
In the summer of 1970 Mary and Ginger moved to Nashville with Ronnie Milsap and his band. Ginger and Mary sang with Ronnie at the “King of The Road Hotel” and on the road for about a year.
During their Nashville years Mary and Ginger sang in recording studios with Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Rich, Charlie Pride, Ronnie Milsaps, Linda Ronstadt, Jerry Reed, Ray Stevens, Billie Swan, Joan Baez and Dave Loggins.
Other hit recording Mary can be heard on: Nine Pound Steel - Joe Simon, Take Time To Know Her - Percy Sledge, Always Something There to Remind Me - R.B. Greaves, The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down - Joan Boaz, The Streak - Ray Stevens, I Can Help- Billy Swan, and When Your Hot Your Hot- Jerry Reed.