Love You So

“There was hysteria. There was the mob scene. I was a star! There wasn’t a street in America I could walk down and they weren’t playing my record.” - Ron Holden, on his success with “Love You So.”

This sheet music, published by Maravilla Music, was written by Ron Holden (1940-1997) when he was only 19. Holden performed "Love You So” with The Thunderbirds, and produced a single with a brand-new record label, Nite Owl Records. After a slow start with local radio stations, the song was eventually picked up by Donna Records. The re-release with Donna became a national hit, coming in at #7 on the US pop charts and ranking #48 on Billboard’s top 100 singles of 1960.

Born and raised in Seattle, Holden grew up with numerous musical influences. His parents, Oscar Holden (1886-1969) and Leala Holden (1906-1951), were both professional musicians, and Oscar is credited as the “Patriarch of Seattle Jazz.” His siblings all played instruments, and Holden learned trombone and sang in his church choir. In addition to his family, Holden was greatly inspired by the Dave Lewis Combo, which he was able to see by sneaking into clubs like Birdland, and, in particular, the band’s saxophone duo. During high school, Holden joined the Playboys with a handful of schoolmates. The Playboys was one of the most significant young bands in Seattle in the late 1950s. In the wake of his success with “Love You So,” Holden made appearances on the Dick Clark Show and American Bandstand and spent two weeks performing at the Apollo Theater. For all his success, Holden never profited as much as he should have; Donna Records had gone bankrupt while holding his royalties in trust. Back in Seattle, Holden opened Ron’s 5th Avenue in 1983 where he booked Jazz and Rhythm & Blues performers.