Holly Beth Vincent (born Holly Beth Cernuto in 1956) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumental musician. Her band Holly and the Italians was one of the first punk bands lead by a female and signed to a major label.
Vincent was born in Chicago. Her mother is of Swedish and French background; her father, Italian. She was raised in Lake Tahoe and then southern California, where she attended high school. She ran away from home in 1972, but later returned to Los Angeles and completed schooling. At age 18, she moved to London, where she lived with Chris Wood of the band Traffic and his wife. She spent time with many of their musician friends, including Steve Winwood and Keith Richards.
She had a brief stint with The Waitresses as a replacement for lead singer Patty Donahue.
In the early 1990s, she formed a band called The Oblivious and recorded for fan Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. She then released an album called Vowel Movement with Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde.
She dated Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. After she broke up with him, he wrote their hit single "Romeo and Juliet".
Links to Peel[]
Peel played Holly and the Italians' song, 'Tell That Girl to Shut Up' on his radio programmes between 1979 and 1980.
In March 1980, on his roadshow, Peel had Holly & The Italians perform in Retford, Nottingham.
Shows Played[]
- 18 December 1979: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (7") Oval (JP: "If they're not very careful you know, Oval Records are going to have a hit one of these days.")
- 1980
- 03 January 1980: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (7" Single) Oval Records
- 05 January 1980 (BFBS): Tell That Girl To Shut Up (7" Single) Oval Records
- 08 January 1980: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (7" single) Oval Records
- 09 January 1980: Tell That Girl To Shut Up (7" single) Oval Records
- 09 January 1980 (BFBS): Tell That Girl To Shut Up (7" single) Oval Records