A HOLDER BROTHER BY ANY OTHER NAME!

Family lore has it that one of my diva aunt's five husbands was a man named Carl Holder.  That much we know to be true!  She had already been married twice before she left Kentucky and moved to Brooklyn in the 1950's, but after she moved to New York the family lost track of the various husbands.  It was my grandmother who told me that Carl Holder came from Trinidad and was the brother of Broadway star, Tony Award-winner, choreographer, dancer, costume designer, painter, photographer, singer, author and cola-nut man GEOFFREY HOLDER! 

She said so because she knew him!

In this self-portrait from 1957, you will recognize Geoffrey Holder on the left.  The gentleman perched lovingly at his shoulder is his brother. His name is not Carl! THIS brother's name is Boscoe! And he is younger while Carl would certainly have been an older brother IF he was a Holder brother AT ALL! 

We also know that Carl was a thug and not quite the idea relative a rising black star in the 50's would want the press to know about - especially after he was gunned down in broad daylight as he sat with my aunt in their new Caddy.  Obviously, Holder was definitely the bulls-eye target while my aunt was NOT!  Immediately after the massacre, still with blood splattered on her silver-blue mink, my aunt called home screaming THEY SHOT HIM! THEY SHOT HIM!

SHOT WHO?  Who was Carl Holder?  Was he a Holder brother?  Or wasn't he?

I cannot find any personal information, biographical sketch or any such thing to suggest that Geoffrey Holder ever had a brother named Carl.  I am told that my aunt could tell some doozies in her day, like having folk believe that she was a schooteacher when in fact she worked at the Baby Grand - a nightclub in Brooklyn & Harlem!

Maybe my grandmother got the story wrong?  Maybe Carl was a cousin or an uncle?  Some years ago, in my quest to learn the truth, I actually wrote to Geoffrey Holder fully expecting to get a reply.  I did not! 

In time, my aunt married another gangsta'-like brother with a reputation either named or nicknamed Sam Booty - yeah right!  She passed away in Brookly in 1967.  I don't know what ever happened to Boscoe Holder but we all know that Geoffrey Holder went on to become a BROADWAY ICON!  And whether any of what my aunt & her husband Carl told my family is true or not, I couldn't have made up the real life facts that sometimes make the truth more strange than fiction.

Regardless, this tender portrait from 1957 suggest a brotherly love and affection that not all of us get to experience.  It suggests a Holder brother is still a brother no matter what!

*This post exemplifies the type of blog posts that I want to do on my new "family blog", Diary Of A Mad Genealogist!  I want to take the flava of Corey @ I'll Keep You Posted and present it to my extended family with material that would appeal specifically to US!  I started out very excited about the prospect, but so far, the feedback has been less than enthusiastic.  Hump!

 

Comments

[Jim]

Corey, I can’t help you with your long-lost uncle, but Boscoe Holder had an illustrious career as a painter, costumer designer, dancer, and choreographer, among other things, and died in 2007 at the age of 85. His obituary in the UK Independent is here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/boscoe-holder-445863.html

While there are probably people reading your blog who knew him better than I, I can tell you what little I know personally.

I met Boscoe at a party in Port-of-Spain in 1990. Afterwards, he invited me to his home for drinks, where I met his wife as well. Besides having some of his paintings on display, his house, in an older, mixed-income section of the city, struck me as a treasure trove of memorabilia.

Boscoe was pretty openly bisexual (if you met him, you would assume he was gay), and we had lunch a few days later, at which he offered to procure for me as a favor whatever I wished in the way of a male Trinidadian. (I refused, of course.) His attitude towards gayness was what I would call “old school”: It was a recreation, a pleasure, but the idea of a committed gay couple seemed an absurdity to him.

He was clearly a prankster who delighted in being outrageous, and that seemed to be what he was best known for socially.

[Corey]

Wow, Jim, I am AMAZED!

First off, you say "While there are probably people reading your blog who knew him better than I" and I say "I HIGHLY DOUBT IT!."

Therefore, THANK YOU for sharing Boscoe's obituary - as well as your personal memories. I honestly wished I could have met some of the people I write about but YOU KNOW THAT ALREADY! Boscoe sounds like a hoot that I would have LOVED! Both he and Geoffrey - just FABULOUS MEN!

Now, from the obituary, we find that Boscoe was the OLDEST and besides he and Geoffrey, there were THREE OTHER SIBLINGS! I see that he was born in 1921 - the same year as my aunt so that suggests if there was a Carl - and if he was a brother - he would have been a bit younger than she was. Hmm!

[Jim]

Yes, Boscoe was a hoot, but I believe he was someone who saw himself as wise, or at least privy to the secrets of life.

And maybe he was wise. At the very least, he led a life a thousand times more interesting than mine.

Corey, there are hundreds of people around who knew Boscoe Holder well, and I’d be surprised if at least one of them wasn’t a regular reader of your blog. And for sure, someone in Trinidad knows if the Holder brothers included a Carl.

[Windell]

Corey your blogs keep your/our history alive!!!!!! Keep up the good work. I'm spreading the word here in Chicago about you and the things that you write about. Such rich family history whether true or not, still keeps us fascinated about that talked about family memeber. We still talk about Aunt this or Uncle that and maybe throw in a few cousins. Who wants a boring family history!!!!

[Corey]

THANK YOU for your support, Windell! I appreciate it!