"…an exceptional vocalist and an emotionally vivid songwriter … known for bringing funky passion to roots-rock … think Jackson Browne with more swagger.” – Michael McCall/ Nashville Scene There's something about Ericson Holt's body language that is immediately striking. His lanky frame, chiseled features, big smile and fedora seem to indicate a rather easy going, languid sort of character; just as comfortable in front of a movie camera as behind his piano or Hammond. There's a quirky beauty in his demeanor and his voice; especially when he starts talking about his remarkable career and being raised on music and books. "When I was a kid we had everyone from Ray Charles, B.B.Kng, The Beatles, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams, to Beethoven spinning on our turntable. Lot’s of New Orleans music, too. We loved to read and talk about books," he chuckles and shakes his head. "It's all my mom's fault. She was the first songwriter in the family. My older brother, C.S. Holt and I took her example to heart. She taught us to be curious and to enjoy the work of learning and creating." Ericson's mom is the novelist A.H. Holt, who earned her masters and Ph.D from Florida State University in her sixties. She has 6 published western novels to her credit. Dr. Holt now lives in Monticello, Florida and writes grants in support of Main Street Monticello’s goals of revitalizing Monticello and Jefferson County, while protecting and preserving its history and culture. She is a photographer, community organizer and public speaker. "She published two books last month,”says her son proudly. "I'm just trying to keep up. She's making me look bad." In search of the true, soulful self Ericson has had much success of his own. His debut CD, “The Blue Side,” released in 2005, reached the Top 30 of the Americana Music Chart and #4 on The Roots Rock Report.  He has toured the world and recorded with hundreds of artists including The Mavericks, Mike Farris, Phil Lee, Jim Lauderdale and The Coal Men, to name just a few. “When I was living in Nashville, playing on recording sessions and with all those great acts, it was a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow as a musician, as well as take care of my family. But, I never abandoned my own solo career," says Ericson. “While I continued to work on my own music, I was featured every week on Billy Block's Western Beat Radio Show and opened a lot of shows for the acts I was touring with. I was obsessed with great writing and I listened to and read everything I could find to try and bring me closer to that ideal. I never wanted to write specifically for the Nashville market, or any market for that matter. I was trying to dig down to my most authentic, soulful, self. To find my true voice, if you will." What Ericson found was a kind of hybrid combination of blues, rock, soul, country, and even classical roots. "When the right songs came together to form "The Blue Side", I knew it was time to focus on my own thing. But, when I was asked to play on Mike Farris' great CD, "Salvation In Lights", I was pulled into back that world for a few years. It was a fun ride, but by the fall of 2010, I knew it was time to move on." Key West and the 250 gig a year routine Ericson soon made Key West, Florida his home base and joined the remarkable community of musicians who perform and record on the island. It is a community in which he has thrived and built life long friendships. “I had actually played at The Hog’s Breath Saloon before I moved to Nashville. I soon found that many Nashville musicians and songwriters play in Key West on a regular basis, so I joined them in making frequent trips to down to paradise. I already had roots there, so it was a very comfortable move to make.” Ericson is a featured performer in the Ralph DePalma book, “The Soul Of Key West - Volume One,” a collection of photographs and profiles of musicians who make up the unique fabric of the Key West music scene. Since 2013, Ericson has also toured with “The Shoe Burnin’”. Based on a story telling tradition that began decades ago in Fairhope, Alabama, “The Shoe Burnin’” is a unique night of theater created by author Shari Smith which combines readings by an ever changing group of southern writers with songs performed by an all-star band. In the summer of 2015, Holt was commissioned to write a song for “Trio”, also created by Shari Smith, a project where a visual artist and a songwriter are asked to create an original work inspired by a particular book. Rodney Crowell and Mac MacAnally were also among the songwriters asked to participate. Ericson’s book was “Thelonious Rising” written by Judith Richards. “It’s a beautiful story of a talented nine year old boy growing up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans who is determined to find his missing father. He’s living with his grandmother and dancing for tips in Jackson Square, when along comes Hurricane Katrina.” Ericson found many emotional and personal connections to his own life in the story and delivered the haunting, “Help Us Now”. In November 2015 Ericson was a featured performer at the Riverhawk festival in central Florida and The Mesa Music Festival in Arizona. “In the past four or five years, between playing in Key West and touring, I've been singing 250 nights a year," says Ericson, when asked about the differences between "The Blue Side" and his upcoming release "Broken Beauty". First, let me say that I'm very proud of The Blue Side and my fans enjoy the record. It still gets a lot of spins. I do think there are a few songs on that CD where my voice could have been captured better and that's on me. It was meant to be a bluesy, live sounding, Americana record and we didn't want to over think it." "I'm more comfortable singing in the studio now than I was then; much more knowledgeable about microphones, microphone technique and how to get myself into the right headspace," he explains. "There's no substitute for singing lead vocals. Like any athlete, you have to stay in training. I decided to play all the acoustic guitar parts myself for “Broken Beauty”, and, since I wrote most of the songs on guitar, that kept the songs close to the original inspiration, which helped me tremendously when it came time to sing. And, and this is very important, I am blessed with a very good team of friends and colleagues, old and new, who share my passion and vision for the music. “ All of the life experiences that I've gone through in the last years; the loss of my grandmother and one of my brothers, moving to the one of a kind artist’s community that is Key West, and the friendships that I've formed there, show in my voice and my songwriting. And I'm thankful for that." #gratefulistheword