This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2022) |
Holland–Dozier–Hollandwas asongwritingandproductionteam consisting ofLamont Dozierand brothersBrianandEddie Holland.[1]The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define theMotown soundin the 1960s.[1]During their tenure atMotown Recordsfrom 1962 to 1967, Dozier and Brian Holland were the composers and producers for each song, and Eddie Holland wrote the lyrics and arranged the vocals. Their most celebrated productions were singles for theFour Topsandthe Supremes,including 10 of the Supremes' 12 US No. 1 singles, including "Baby Love","Stop! In the Name of Love",and"You Keep Me Hangin' On".
Holland-Dozier-Holland | |
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| Origin | Detroit,Michigan,U.S. |
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From 1969 to 1972, due to a legal dispute with Motown, they did not write material under their own names, but instead used the collectivepseudonym"Edythe Wayne". When the trio left Motown, they continued to work as a production team (with Eddie Holland being added to the producer credits), and as a songwriting team, until about 1974.
The trio was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Famein 1988[2]and theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1990.[3]
History
editThe trio came together at Motown in the early 1960s.[1]Eddie Holland had been working with Motown founderBerry Gordyprior to that label being formed; his 1958Mercurysingle "You" was one of Gordy's earliest productions. Later, Eddie Holland had a career as a Motown recording artist, scoring a US Top 30 hit in 1961 with "Jamie". Eddie's brother Brian Holland was a Motown staff songwriter who also tasted success in 1961, being a co-composer of theMarvelettes' US No. 1 "Please Mr. Postman".[1]Dozier had been a recording artist for several labels in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including theAnna label(owned by Berry Gordy's sister) and Motown subsidiary Mel-o-dy.
The three men eventually teamed up to create material for both themselves and other artists, but soon found they preferred being writers and producers to being performers (especially Eddie, who suffered from stage fright and retired from performing in 1964). They would write and produce scores of songs for Motown artists, including 25Number 1hit singles, such as "Heat Wave"forMartha and the Vandellas[4]and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"forMarvin Gaye.
Lawsuits and solo careers
editIn 1967, H-D-H, as they were familiarly called, entered into a dispute with Berry Gordy Jr. over profit-sharing and royalties.[1]Eddie Holland had the others stage a work slowdown and, by early 1968, the trio had left the label.[1]They started their own labels,Invictus RecordsandHot Wax Records,which were modestly successful.[1]When Motown sued for breach of contract, H-D-H countersued. The subsequent litigation was one of the longest legal battles in music industry history. Because they were legally contracted to Motown's publishing arm, Jobete, they could not use their own names on songs they wrote, and their material was credited to Wayne-Dunbar. Edith Wayne was a friend of the Holland family, andRon Dunbarwas an associate who was a songwriter and producer.[5]The lawsuit was settled in 1977.
Dozier left Holland–Dozier–Holland Productions, Inc. (HDHP) in 1973 and resumed his career as a solo performing artist.[1]In 1975, HDHP and Invictus Records sued Dozier and 31 others, claiming conspiracy to restrain trade and other charges. The suit was dismissed by a federal judge in 1982.[6]From the mid-1970s onwards, HDHP, with Harold Beatty replacing Dozier, wrote and produced songs for a number of artists. HDHP even worked on material for Motown artists in the 1970s, including The Supremes andMichael Jackson,while its litigation against the company was still pending. Dozier commented in 2008, "The lawsuit was just our way of taking care of business that needed to be taken care of—just like Berry Gordy had to take care of his business which resulted in the lawsuit. Business is business, love is love."[7]
Holland–Dozier–Holland threatened to sue the bandAerosmithin 1989 due to the resemblance of parts of the song "The Other Side"(from the albumPump) to the Holland–Dozier–Holland song "Standing in the Shadows of Love".To forestall litigation, Aerosmith agreed to add Holland–Dozier–Holland to the songwriting credits in the album's liner notes.
Later years
editDozier had his own production company and continued to work as a solo artist, producer and recording artist, while the Holland Brothers own HDH Records and Productions (without any participation from Dozier), which issues recordings from the Invictus and Hot Wax catalogs as well as new material.[1]
For a "one-time only reunion", the three composed the score forthe musical production ofThe First Wives Club,based on the novel byOlivia Goldsmithand a laterhit film.The musical included 22 new songs from the songwriting trio, with a book byRupert Holmes.Themusicalwas produced by Paul Lambert and Jonas Neilson and premiered in July 2009 at The Old Globe Theater in San Diego.[8]The San Diego production sold approximately 29,000 tickets in its five-week run. Ticket demand was so strong early on that The Old Globe extended its run (originally four weeks) prior to opening night. However, reviews were mixed to negative, and the producers opted to rework the book.
In June 2014, it was announced thatThe First Wives Club(with an entirely new book written byLinda Bloodworth-Thomason) would be heading to Chicago premiering on February 16, 2015. The play now included a sprinkling of classic H-D-H songs (including "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "My World Is Empty Without You" ), interspersed with the new material. Following the Chicago run, the production was to head to Broadway for a fall 2015 arrival,[9]but the critical reception to the play was lukewarm to negative, and the production quietly closed after its Chicago run.
Legacy
editLongtimeBMIsongwriters, Brian Holland affiliated with the performing rights organization in 1960, followed by Lamont Dozier in 1961 and Eddie Holland in 1963. They have won many BMI Awards, including BMI Pop Awards and Million-Air citations.[10]On May 13, 2003, Holland–Dozier–Holland were honored as BMI Icons at the 51st BMI Pop Awards.
Holland–Dozier–Holland are mentioned (along with the Four Tops and their vocalistLevi Stubbs,as well asNorman WhitfieldandBarrett Strong) in the lyrics of the song "Levi Stubbs' Tears" from the 1986Billy BraggalbumTalking with the Taxman about Poetry;and also in the lyrics of theMagnetic Fields' song "The Death ofFerdinand de Saussure",from their 1999 album69 Love Songs.
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2010.[11]
Discography
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2014) |
Songwriting
editProduction
editHolland brothers without Dozier
edit| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "We're Almost There" | Michael Jackson |
| "Just a Little Bit of You" | Michael Jackson | |
| "Early Morning Love" | The Supremes | |
| "Where Do I Go from Here" | The Supremes | |
| 1976 | "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking" | The Supremes |
| "High Energy" | The Supremes | |
| "Let Yourself Go" | The Supremes | |
| 1982 | "We Can Never Light That Old Flame Again" | Diana Ross |
BillboardTop Ten hit songs (US pop chart)
editReferences
edit- ^abcdefghiColin Larkin,ed. (1997).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music(Concise ed.).Virgin Books.p. 610.ISBN1-85227-745-9.
- ^"1988 Award and Induction Ceremony".Songwriters Hall of Fame. 1987-01-01. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-08.Retrieved2013-04-01.
- ^"Holland, Dozier and Holland".Rockhall.com.Archived fromthe originalon 16 October 2012.Retrieved27 September2014.
- ^abcGilliland, John(1969)."Show 26 - The Soul Reformation: Phase two, the Motown story. [Part 5]"(audio).Pop Chronicles.University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^Ribowsky, Mark (23 October 2008).Mark Ribowsky,The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal,Da Capo Press, 2008, chapter 21.Hachette Books.ISBN9780786726912.Retrieved27 September2014.
- ^"Federal judge dismisses Invictus Records lawsuit",Billboard,October 2, 1982, p. 52.
- ^Quoted in Lisa Robinson, "It Happened in Hitsville",Vanity Fairmagazine, December 2008, p. 327.
- ^"First Wives Club".First Wives Club.Retrieved2013-04-01.
- ^Hetrick, Adam."First Wives ClubMusical Eyes Broadway Run "Archived2014-06-08 at theWayback MachinePlaybill.com, June 4, 2014
- ^"Holland-Dozier-Holland To Be Honored As Icons At BMI Pop Awards".Bmi.com.20 April 2003.Retrieved2010-10-01.
- ^"Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - BRIAN HOLLAND-LAMONT DOZIER-EDDIE HOLLAND".Michiganrockandrolllegends.com.RetrievedOctober 10,2019.
- ^Whitburn, Joel(2007).Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006.Record Research.
External links
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