American singer Nancy Holloway was born Nancy Brown in Cleveland, Ohio in 1932. She was married for a brief period in her teens and for the rest of her life retained her husband's surname. Holloway began her performing career as a dancer appearing with the 'Beige Beauties' troupe in New York and at the age of 18 during a trip to France was persuaded to appear on stage as a singer at the Mars Club in Paris. It was the start of a professional singing career which eventually led to her becoming a regular on stage at the Moulin Rouge.
In 1961 she released her debut single 'Le Boogie du bébé' and also made her first French TV appearance. Success as a singer prompted Holloway to open her own nightclub and her popularity amongst French audiences began to grow. During the 1960s she became part of the yé-yé pop style which swept France in the wake of the world wide popularity of bands such as The Beatles.
Alongside her career as a singer she was also an accomplished actor and appeared in a series of French films during the 1960s. Although unmistakably American, Holloway's career as a singer will always be inextricably linked with her adopted home of France. She died in Paris on 28th August 2019 at the age of 86.
