- He first began playing drums as a student at Crane High School in Chicago, where he played in an ensemble with future collaborators Ramsey Lewis and Eldee Young.
- Studied music at the Chicago Musical College.
- Enlisted in the United States Army in 1955 and was stationed in Germany, where he played with a military band.
- Studied radio and television at Kennedy-King College.
- Founded the Gumption Artist Workshop which was active from 1980 to 1985.
- Parents are: Willie and Mary Gilliam Holt.
- Survived by his three sons, Reginald, Isaac, and Ivan, a brother Benjamin, eight grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren.
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