Bill Holford
{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Bill Holford
| image = BillHolford-ACASudios.jpg
| caption = Bill Holford at ACA Studios, early 1960s
| image_size =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1919|06|12|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Bartlesville, Oklahoma, US
| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|03|22|1919|06|12|mf=y}}
| death_place = Houston, Texas, US
| instrument =
| genre = Cajun, country, hillbilly, rockabilly, R&B, gospel, humor
| occupation = Recording engineer, record producer
| years_active = 1948-1995
| label = Starday Records, Mercury Records, Bellaire Records, Sarg Records
| past_member_of = Audio Company of America
| website =
}}
William Dwight Holford, Sr. (June 12, 1919, Bartlesville, Oklahoma – March 22, 1999, Houston, Texas) was an American recording engineer and record producer. For 44 of those years, from 1948 to 1982, he was the affiliated with ACA Studios (Audio Company of America) in Houston as an owner, partner, and audio engineer.[http://www.alfordassociation.org/ACTION/a-act46.pdf Obituary: Holford, William Dwight "Bill"; 79], Houston Chronicle, March 24, 1999; reprinted in AAFA Action (genealogical journal), Alford American Family Association (Fall 1999), Vol 12, Issue 2, p. 45 {{ISSN|1082-3212}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=XsvWyg1u0UwC&pg=PA132 House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios], Andy Bradley and Charles Roger Wood, University of Texas Press (2010) {{OCLC|610030219}}[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ebr02 Recording Industry], by Gary S. Hickinbotham (born 1950), Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association
Holford also helped build studios for several labels, including Duke/Peacock, Starday, Sarg Records, and Trumpet Records.{{cite web|url=https://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:53ffdc9f-94be-4597-bc90-e1dcb10df5f3/Volume_4_No_1_The%20History%20of%20the%20Texas%20Recording%20Industy.pdf|title=A History of the Texas Recording Industry|website=Gato-docs.its.txstate.edu|access-date=21 March 2023}}
ACA Studios
ACA was one of the earliest multi-track analog recording studios in the country.
=ACA recording artists=
- Johnny Ace
- Chet Atkins[https://uhd.contentdm.oclc.org/collection/p16725coll5/id/25/] {{dead link|date=November 2021}}
- Bobby Bland
- Bill Blevins {{Cite web|url=http://www.bopping.org/record-labels/majestic/|title=Majestic ||website=Bopping.org|access-date=23 November 2021}}
- Juke Boy Bonner
- Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
- Jewel "Teasin'" Brown
- Goree Carter{{Cite web|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/roll-over-ike-turner/|title=Roll Over, Ike Turner|author=John Nova Lomax|date=6 November 2014|website=Texasmonthly.com|access-date=23 November 2021}}
- Harry Choates{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/4331194-Harry-Jole-Blon-Choates-And-His-Fiddle-Gra-Mamou-Big-Mamou-Catn-Around|title=Harry (Jole Blon) Choates And His Fiddle – Gra Mamou (Big Mamou) / Catn' Around (1950, Shellac)|access-date=23 November 2021|website=Discogs.com}}
- Arnett Cobb{{Cite web|url=https://www.valueyourmusic.com/items/391484900931-rare-tsu-jazz-band-funk-texas-southern-university-anita-moore-arnett-cobb|title = 49.99 USD: Rare Tsu Jazz Band Funk Texas Southern University Anita Moore &|website=Valueyourmusic.com}}
- Johnny Copeland
- David Honeyboy Edwards{{Cite web|url=https://www.wirz.de/music/edwardsh.htm|title = Illustrated David 'Honeyboy' Edwards discography|website=Wirz.de}}
- Five Blind Boys of Mississippi{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/15522570-Five-Blind-Boys-Of-Mississippi-Old-Ship-Of-Zion-In-This-World-Alone|title = Five Blind Boys of Mississippi – Old Ship of Zion / In This World Alone (Shellac)|website = Discogs}}
- Lefty Frizzell
- Clarence Garlow{{Cite web|url=http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/nc052896us|title=78 Record: Clarence Garlow - Bon Ton Roula (1950)|access-date=23 November 2021|website=45cat.com}}
- Mickey Gilley{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/nc669565us|title=Mickey Gilley - Slippin' And Slidin' (Peepin' And Hidin')|access-date=23 November 2021|website=45cat.com}}
- Rosco Gordon{{Cite web|url=https://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/record/114|title=78 Record: Rosco Gordon - Rosco's Mambo (1953)|accessdate=21 March 2023|website=45worlds.com}}
- Peppermint Harris
- Smokey Hogg{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/14774516-Smokey-Hogg-Worried-Blues-Misery-Blues|title=Smokey Hogg – Worried Blues / Misery Blues (1950, Vinyl)|website=Discogs|date=1950 }}
- Lightnin' Hopkins
- Ivory Joe Hunter
- Elmore James{{Cite web|url=https://digitalcollections.lib.uh.edu/concern/texts/1z40kt165?locale=en#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=6&xywh=-1,-136,3659,4878|title=Audio Company of America, Master Book, 1953-1954|first=Audio Company of|last=America|website=Digitalcollections.lib.uh.edu|accessdate=21 March 2023}}
- B.B. King
- The Kingston Trio{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XsvWyg1u0UwC|title = House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios|isbn = 9780292783249|last1 = Bradley|first1 = Andy|last2 = Wood|first2 = Roger|date = March 2010| publisher=University of Texas Press }}
- Willie Love
- Frankie Miller {{Cite web |url=http://www.ponderosastomp.com/music_more/20161013185703/Frankie+Miller |title=Frankie Miller |access-date=2021-11-23 |archive-date=2021-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123104505/http://www.ponderosastomp.com/music_more/20161013185703/Frankie+Miller |url-status=dead }}
- Willie Nelson{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/b45107|title=Willie Nelson - Night Life|access-date=23 November 2021|website=45cat.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunsetblvdrecords.com/blog/2021/3/23/willie-nelson-texas-willie-extended-liner-notes|title=Willie Nelson - Texas Willie - Extended Liner Notes by Bill Dahl|website=Sunsetblvrecords.com|date=23 March 2021 |access-date=23 November 2021}}
- Eddie Noack{{Cite web|url=http://www.bopping.org/eddie-noack-wanderin-oakie/|title = Eddie Noack "Wanderin' Oakie"|website=Bopping.org|date = 11 October 2010}}
- Junior Parker{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/nc628751us|title=Little Junior Parker - Driving Me Mad|access-date=23 November 2021|website=45cat.com}}
- Webb Pierce
- Really Red
- Little Richard
- Buster Pickens
- Jimmy Swan
- B.J. Thomas
- Big Mama Thornton{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/6928683-Willie-Mae-Big-Mama-Thornton-Hound-Dog|title=Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton – Hound Dog (1964, Vinyl)|access-date=23 November 2021|website=Discogs.com|date=1964 }}
- Mitchell Torok
- Ernest Tubb and His Texas Troubadours
- Big Joe Turner
- T-Bone Walker{{cite web|url=https://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:53ffdc9f-94be-4597-bc90-e1dcb10df5f3/Volume_4_No_1_The%20History%20of%20the%20Texas%20Recording%20Industy.pdf|title=A History of the Texas Recording Industry|website=Gato-docs.its.txstate.edu|access-date=November 23, 2021}}
- Tag Williams
- Sonny Boy Williamson (aka Alex Miller)
- Hop Wilson{{cite web|url=https://sundayblues.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/hop-wilson.pdf|title=Hop Wilson liner notes|website=Sundayblues.org|access-date=November 23, 2021}}
- Johnny Winter
- Justin Wilson
=Labels that recorded at ACA=
- Starday Records[https://books.google.com/books?id=4Py71WEZ1FYC&pg=PA44 The Starday Story: The House that Country Music Built], by Nathan D. Gibson & Don Pierce, University Press of Mississippi (2011), pg. 44 {{OCLC|729969854|713030310|816834818}}
- Mercury Records
- Peacock Records
- D Records
- Macy's Recordings
- ACA Records
- Arcadia
- Arhoolie
- Ayo
- Bellaire Records
- Columbia
- Cullum
- Decca
- De Luxe
- Delta Records
- Duke
- Excelsior
- FBC
- Freedom
- Herald
- H.M. Crowe
- Humble
- Imperial
- Kessler
- Martin
- MGM
- Natural
- Opera Record Company
- Paula Records
- Phamous
- RCA
- Revel
- Royalty
- Sarg Records
- Special Edition
- Trumpet
Filmography
- Killing Fields (1984)
ACA audio engineers and staff
- Kay Holford (Kathleen Assaf Holford, Bill's wife) had significant managerial responsibilities for the entire life of ACA Studios.
- Hank Lam: 1968–1972; engineer
- George Holsomback; born 1947, engineer from 1973 – 1974, chief engineer 1974–1978.
- Andy Bradley (born Andrew M. Bradley; 1951), audio engineer
- Sonny Ray Stolz (born Rae Roy Stolz; 1946), audio engineer and editor, among other things, helped Holford move from ACA's temporary location at Savoy Drive in Houston into the acquired defunct studios of Jimmy Duncan's Soundville at 8208 Westpark, Houston. Soundville Studios was a division of Jimmy Duncan Productions, Inc. Stolz worked for ACA from the summer of 1972 until early 1973.Oral History snippet, ACA, Sonny Ray Stolz (né Rae Roy Stolz; born 1946), self-published, Houston, August 21, 2013
- Bill Holford, jr.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.shroomangel.com/shroom/acastudio.htm Tribute to Bill Holford], Shroom Productions Online, Houston, Richard S. Patz (owner)
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holford, Bill}}
Category:American audio engineers
Category:Record producers from Texas
Category:American country rock singers
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters
Category:Singer-songwriters from Texas