Almost overnight, Tommy Holloway went from having no brothers and sisters to seven siblings.

Born 60 years ago to Norma Jean Clay, a 13-year-old mother in Sioux City, Iowa, Holloway recently told the story of finding a family that he never knew existed. He met them with his adopted parents, James and Delphia Holloway, in late June. The reunion was held in LaGrange, Missouri.

Holloway is an accomplished vocal performer. His genre of music crosses jazz and blues, pop, country and rock. His five octave range adds a distinct dimension to his performances with Patsy Cline, Natalie Cole and Diana Ross renditions.

“It was a bit overwhelming,” said Holloway. “I mean it’s a happy feeling. Just a lot of good stuff.”

Three of the surviving Clay children have the same father. A sister, Dawn, was delivered stillborn. The five younger brothers and sisters have a different father whose surname is Tasco.

When Holloway was born, the practice was to seal closed birth and adoption records, effectively preventing the adopted infant and biological parents from finding or knowing anything about each other in the future.

“My son, Sevan, did a DNA test on Ancestry.com. and my sister’s daughter, Heather, did a DNA test and they cross-referenced each other on Facebook in January,” said Holloway.

Holloway’s niece called him and said “I think you are my long-lost uncle that my family has been looking to find for over 40 years.”

She provided dates and sibling names and “everything matched up,” he said.

Holloway is the oldest of the children. The youngest is 49 years old. The five youngest have a different father. “We are all from the same mother,” said Holloway.

Holloway said he cherishes a formal studio photograph of his mother that he is restoring because of water damage and paper creases.

“It’s my face,” he remarked. Once he met his siblings, he saw similar resemblances between them and her.

Holloway believes he inherited his musical talent from his mother. “It’s strange that the rest of my brothers and sisters do not sing or dance.”

Holloway’s website is TommyHolloway.com or he can be reached at 480-255-2980.

He also learned that the Clay siblings are second cousins to the Clay family in Kentucky that included Mohammed Ali (Cassius Clay).

Holloway was adopted when he was one-and-a-half years old. He began singing as a gospel soloist at the age of seven in church. By nine years old, he was performing “pretty much at everybody’s funeral to weddings.”

His father’s political interests involved Holloway as an entertainer in campaigns for mayors, senators and governors. “Every politician in the state of Iowa knew who I was,” he said.

In his early career, he toured the country with a quartet. He first visited Arizona and Phoenix Baptist Church in 1970, never thinking that he would return in 1983 to make the state his home.

Now that they have met, the siblings plan to stay in touch. Holloway and his sister, Greta, who is two years younger, talk daily on the phone. Their strong familial connection makes them feel like they have never been separated.

Holloway’s biological family shared his mother’s dying request to find Timothy Dwayne Clay; his birth name. They granted her wish.