Clint Holmes

Clinton Raymond Holmes (born 9 May 1946) is a British-born singer-songwriter and Las Vegas entertainer, and TV announcer. He had a hit single in the US with "Playground in My Mind".

He was born in Bournemouth, England, the son of an African-American jazz musician and an English opera singer. He was raised in Farnham, New York, a small village southwest of Buffalo.

Initially a vocal music student at Fredonia State College, Holmes left school for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He spent his three-year enlistment (1967–1969) with the United States Army Chorus, and then remained in the Washington, D.C. area to launch his civilian career, singing in nightclubs.

In June 1972, Holmes released his only hit record, "Playground in My Mind". It didn't reach the Hot 100 chart until 24 March 1973, whereupon it rose to #2 on 16–23 June 1973. It became one of the biggest hits of the year internationally. A later single, "Shiddle-ee-dee", reached number 74 on the Canadian AC charts later in 1973. The album Playground in My Mind reached number 20 in Canada.

On July 3, 1973, Holmes was awarded a Gold Record for "Playground in My Mind" by the R.I.A.A.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.