Holland-Dozier-Holland

holland-dozier-holland

An integral part of the Motown sound throughout the ’60s, the writing and production team of brothers Edward and Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier have jointly been responsible for creating a body of work that includes some of the most oft-recorded songs in contemporary popular music.  Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards from NARAS and the National Academy of Songwriters, Holland-Dozier-Holland have left an indelible mark on the global music scene with classics like “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “How Sweet It Is,” “This Old Heart Of Mine” and “Nowhere To Run.”

The Detroit-born Holland brothers started their musical journey in church; Eddie was the first of the pair to launch his own career as a recording artist for such labels as Mercury and United Artists and working with Berry Gordy Jr., he became a hitmaking Motown recording artist with “Jamie,” a 1962 Top 10 R&B and Top 30 pop hit.

Eddie had also introduced younger brother Brian to Gordy and as a songwriter, producer and engineer, he was responsible for The Marvelettes’ No. 1 hit “Please Mr. Postman.”  In 1962, Brian met fellow Detroiter Lamont Dozier, who had already been a recording artist at Anna Records and in the spring of 1963, the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland scored its first hit with “Come And Get These Memories” by Martha & The Vandellas. 

Subsequently, the team provided a string of hits as songwriters and producers for Motown’s burgeoning roster of artists including The Supremes, The Four Tops, Jr. Walker and many others.  In 1968, the trio formed Invictus and Hot Wax Records and immediately enjoyed success with artists such as Freda Payne, The Honeycone and Chairmen Of The Board, as well as recording such hits as “Why Can’t We Be Lovers” and “Don’t Leave Me Starvin’ For Your Love” as a recording trio in their own right.

In the early ’70s, Brian and Edward produced hits for Motown on The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross; while Lamont reactivated his solo recording career via albums for ABC, Warner Brothers, M&M, Columbia and Atlantic. 

As a team, Holland-Dozier-Holland’s music has been heard on countless soundtracks and commercials and their catalog includes over seventy Top 10 hits of which twenty have achieved No. 1 status, making the trio easily one of the most successful musical entities of all time.

Contributed by David Nathan, https://www.soulmusic.com/

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