Lonnie Holley was born on February 10, 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama. From the age of five, Holley worked various jobs: picking up trash at a drive-in movie theater, washing dishes, and cooking. He lived in a whiskey house on the state fairgrounds, and in several foster homes. His early life was chaotic and Holley was never afforded the pleasure of a real childhood.
Since 1979, Holley has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. His art and music, born out of struggle, hardship, but perhaps more importantly, out of furious curiosity and the need for healing, has manifested itself in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, video, performance, music, and sound.
INTERVIEWS & FEATURE ARTICLES:
New Yorker | Lonnie Holley’s Glorious Improvisations
The Bitter Southerner | One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Salvation
Fader | Listen to a New Fader Mix by Lonnie Holley
Afropunk | The Art of Trauma: Lonnie Holley’s Modern Folklore
NYT Arts Section | Lonnie Holley
MUSIC REVIEWS
Pitchfork: 100 Best Songs of 2018
New Yorker: 10 Best Albums of 2018
PopMatters: The 20 Best Avant-Garde and Experimental Albums of 2018
Spin: The 51 Best Albums of 2018
Aquarium Drunkard: 2018 Year In Review