Edwin Holt

Edwin Holt is an East Texas native on the verge of a breakthrough, a man who became immersed in the blues at 18 after attending a blues festival in Mississippi and who has been a mainstay in South Dallas' juke joints, opening for legends like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Johnnie Taylor and the Rev. Al Green himself. He may be white, but he's definitely got soul. "Let me start from the beginning, so you have a good understanding of what I'm trying to do." Mr.

He may be white, but he's definitely got soul. "Let me start from the beginning, so you have a good understanding of what I'm trying to do." Mr. Holt, 38, states by phone in his straightforward Texas twang. "My goal is to be the first white man to cross over into the black blues market. I don't play the white bars; I've spent the last 15 years learning and playing with blacks. I also sing gospel at the Bon-Air Baptist Church in Oak Cliff." White blues players usually sing to a white crowd. A black blues player will sing for both since they're able to cross over from market to market. As far as I know, a white blues player has never crossed over; it's very difficult to do." All indications are that Mr. Holt is on the right path. His warm vocals carry all of the raw passion of the blues, intertwined with that inescapable East Texas twang.

Cuts from his upcoming TopCat Records debut, Second Time Around, features players from the late Johnnie Taylor's backup band and have also earned the stamp of approval from his loyal fan base. "I have so much support coming from South Dallas that it's incredible. It was, like, 'OK, Edwin's on the move; let's get behind him and make it happen.

' It's just as much their album as it is mine." He wrote the songs closest to his heart: "I wrote about my wife, Jennifer, in 'Red Clay Back Road Mama,' and then there's one about R.L. Griffin called 'The Right Reverend of the Blues.

' "Mr. Holt says the local blues club owner, singer and former drummer for the 1960s era Big Bo Thomas combo is "a legend here in Dallas, very underrated and he's been like a mentor for me."

Second Time Around also impressed the folks with The Blue Shoe Project, an organization focused on developing an education-based blues music curriculum for schools. "Some people think that blues musicians are just bar acts, but Edwin conducts himself like a true showman. He dresses the part," says Michael Dyson, vice president of The Blue Shoe project. "His music tells a story and he's got more soul than a tennis shoe. I thought it was time to let Dallas and the world know that Edwin has arrived. All I can say is that the music moves ya, it'll hook ya."