 While he did not achieve fame in his own life, he worked extensively with bands in and around Kansas City and was an important member of the city's musical life in the 1920s and 1930s.Holders played with Alphonse Trent in the early 1920s, and in the middle of the decade started his own ensemble, the Dark Clouds of Joy.However, he was unable to keep control of the group; late in the decade his bandmembers dropped him and had Andy Kirk take his place.