Dick Holler

Richard Lewis “Dick” Holler (b. Indianapolis, October 16, 1934 - ) – Singer, songwriter, and pianist. Indianapolis-born Dick Holler moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his family in 1951. There, he attended University High School and Louisiana State University, where he began forming bands and writing songs. During his college years, he played for two years on a local TV teen show Hit or Miss, which incidentally provided an acting outlet for a young actress named Donna Douglas (“Ellie Mae” of The Beverly Hillbillies). While working for television, Holler made the acquaintance of teen idol Jimmy Clanton in 1956, and a couple years later the two of them played in a four-piece band together called Dick Holler and the Carousel Rockets, which was later became known as the Rockets. Although they lost Jimmy Clanton to a solo career early on, the band lasted a little over ten years and went by the name Dick Holler and Holidays after 1956. Sometimes including future stars Dr. John and Johnny Rivers, the Rockets recorded several songs written by Holler and were based in Columbia, South Carolina, from 1962 to 1965. In spite of the group’s failure to produce national hits, some of Holler’s songs for the band struck gold for other artists. His hits include “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love” (The Medallions, #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966), “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” (The Royal Guardsman, #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966), and the poignant classic “Abraham, Martin, and John” (Dion, #5 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1968). In addition, Holler has charted several songs in Europe. Currently, he spends most of time split between Switzerland and Georgia, and he annually performs in Baton Rouge, where he was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 2007.