JAMES HOLVAY IS BACK
James Holvay made his mark in Chicago during the 1960s, when he founded the city’s pioneering “horn rock” band the MOB and authored a national No. 1 hit, the Buckinghams’ 1966 smash “Kind of a Drag.” After several decades off the scene, he was inspired by the rise of neo-soul. He returned in the Roaring 2020s with a trio of widely praised EPs that recaptured the solid-sending soul sounds of the Windy City that were the bedrock of his sound: Sweet Soul Song (2021), This Girl (2022), and Working Man (2025). The latter release marked his British debut, and was succeeded by the 45 rpm re-release of the songs “Sweet Soul Song”/“This Girl” by UK Northern soul specialist LRK Records. Aaron Cohen, author of author of Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power, called the single “a sheer joy.”
