Queen of Tangiers
Legendary performer David de Alba has a large network of people who appreciate the art of female impersonation, and from time to time they send him items of interest to devotees of drag. Oftentimes David is kind enough to share the things he gets. Today he shared photos sent to him by a gentleman named Karl-Heinz Barr who performed (in drab) with a female impersonator named Holly White. Miss White worked at Finocchio’s during the time David performed there.
As David said in his email to us:
After Finocchio’s, then Holly went to a Cuban plastic surgeon (I believe in New York) who, as she told me once in a cute, smiling manner when I met with her in person in Hawaii where Holly has been retired for many years: “David, he gave me a Cuban pussy.”
She was one of the rare few that worked at Finocchio’s who became a woman later on in life, because at Finocchio’s practically all of the entertainers remained as men to the day they died. Just a little bit of trivia for you for whatever it is worth, because this is part of the Finocchio history that I try to convey to the new generation who has no idea who any of us were or are.
Here are the photos of Holly White performing with Karl-Heinz Barr in Tangiers, Morocco around 196-65. You can read an interview with Holly (and more photos) on David de Alba’s website. Many thanks to David for passing the photos along. (Click the photo for a larger view.)
Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment, Transgender History
About the Author (Author Profile)
Angela Gardner is a founding member of The Renaissance Transgender Assoc., Inc., former editor of its newsletter and magazine, Transgender Community News. She was the Diva of Dish for TGF in the late 1990s and Editor of LadyLike magazine until its untimely demise. She has appeared in film and television shows portraying TG characters, as well as representing Renaissance on numerous talk shows.Subscribe
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Does any one have any info on my favorite Female Impersonator of that era – Randy Taylor?
Hugs
Diane
Does any one have any info on my favorite Female Impersonator of that era – Randy Taylor?
Hugs Diane
Hello:
Holly White was one of the prettiest guys in drag that I had the honor of working with at Finocchio Club.
But better yet, Holly was very sweet inside (in her soul, I mean.)
Holly, unalike a few other FIs at Finocchio’s who liked to instigate to get others in trouble with one of the owners ‘Eve Finocchio’, Holly never did that.
Also Holly being so lovely in drag, when Holly had her sex re-assignment surgery, it was no wonder she was a real knock out then as a woman!
I always kept and still keep in touch with Holly throughout all these years after Finocchio’s either via phone calls and cards that we send each other via the snail mail.
Holly added to the world of female impersonation when he was an FI a great amount of glamour and also with her talent and then after her final surgery she continued performing but this time as the real woman she had become and always Holly left lots of glamour at any stages she performed at..that’s something that I miss seeing nowadays!
Hope you all enjoy these two photos of Holly that I had never seen before and I wanted to share now with you all at this TG Forum.
God bless,
Finocchio’s David de Alba.