GWEN HOLT
Photo by Danielle Shields
Gwen is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist who grew up in a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles would often jam until the sun came up! Her mom, Sylvia Holt, sang and played with such soulful depth, power, and sheer joy, that Gwen couldn’t help but devote her life to the magical mystery tour of music. She started playing professionally at the age of 16 in bar bands and went on to graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
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In 1988, she moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada performing in blues, pop/rock, and country bands for a decade (bass guitar, guitar, vocals, harmonica, sax, keyboards). She worked with artists like Kathi McDonald (backup singer for The Rolling Stones and Ike & Tina Turner) and Kelli Brock (BCCMA Female Vocalist of the Year). She co-wrote the national Canadian TV theme song for “Powerplay” with Tony Robertson and The Vaqueros and was runner up for the multi-instrumentalist/background singer for Sara McLachlan's "Solace" Tour. She was featured in an award-winning TV commercial for Larrivee Guitars, won the KISS FM Lyric Writing Contest, recorded an album of (unreleased) original songs, and was the assistant recording engineer on punk albums by DOA and Skinny Puppy.
After relocating to Nashville in the '90s, she toured with Americana artists, including The Rhythm Angels, Colleen McFarland, opening for acts like Jessi Colter, Bush, and Candlebox. She toured the Southeast as bassist/vocalist with '80s cover band, Kung Pow, and played sax and sang backups with award-winning blues artists, including Markey Blue, Nick Nixon (ex-Platters), and Eight-o-Five Jive. She fronted a country duo with ex-Charlie Pride steel guitarist, Bill Poe, and performed in Mystery School’s “Mental Warfare” video, which has over 233,000 views.
Photo by Michael Weintrob
Photo by Michael Weintrob
Her radio jingles for AccountNet received heavy rotation on Lightning 100 and over a dozen of her songs have been recorded by independent artists, with "She Ain’t Got Jack" reaching #7 on the Roots Music Chart and #21 on the Top 30 Indie Chart. Gwen co-wrote, sang, and played guitar/keys on the Sister Gypsy & The Pirates’ “Illuminate the Game” YouTube video, which has over 40,000 views. She had endorsements with Fritter Gig Bags and MikTek and was featured in the Lee Oskar “Harmonicas For Life” ad campaign. Gwen's song “Mama Drove the Getaway Car” was picked up as the theme song for an online TV show about female race car drivers called "EmPowered Women.”
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Photo by ArtnMotion Images
Photo by Michael Weintrob
In the '20s, Gwen has produced and written music for herself and others, including in 2020, lending her sax skills to Dirty Lenny and Natasha Blaine. She also wrote and produced and single for Mimi Tran. Gwen recorded her second album "Gotta Good Feelin'" in 2018, releasing the singles "Extraordinary People" and "Better Keep Your Boots On." In 2023 she recorded a live EP with her band "Gwen Holt & The Blue Souls." It's scheduled to be released later this year., along with 5 live music videos. Gwen performs actively in and around Nashville.