Holland–Dozier–Holland
Holland-Dozier-Holland was a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. During their tenure at Motown Records from 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 the Four Tops and the Supremes, including 10 out of the Supremes' 12 US No. 1 singles, such as "Baby Love", "Stop! In the Name of Love", and "You Keep Me Hangin' On".
Due to a legal dispute with Motown, from 1969 through 1972 they did not write material under their own names, but instead used the collective pseudonym "Edythe Wayne". When the trio left Motown, they continued to work as a production team, and as a songwriting team until about 1974.
The trio was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. By popular vote, the group was inducted into the SoulMusic Hall of Fame in December 2012.
History
The trio came together at Motown in the early 1960s. Eddie Holland had been working with Motown founder Berry Gordy prior to that label being formed; his 1958 Mercury single "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 the Marvelettes' US No. 1 "Please Mr. Postman". Dozier had been a recording artist for several labels in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the Anna label and Motown subsidiary Mel-o-dy.The three eventually teamed up to create material for both themselves and other artists, but soon found they preferred being writers and producers to being performers. They would write and produce scores of songs for Motown artists, including 25 Number 1 hit singles, such as "Heat Wave" for Martha and the Vandellas and "How Sweet It Is " for Marvin Gaye.
Lawsuits and solo careers
In 1967, H-D-H, as they were familiarly called, entered into a dispute with Berry Gordy Jr. over profit-sharing and royalties. Eddie Holland had the others stage a work slowdown, and by early 1968 the trio had left the label. They started their own labels, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, which were modestly successful. 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; "Edythe Wayne" being a pseudonym, and Ronald Dunbar being an associate who was a songwriter and producer. The lawsuit was settled in 1977.Dozier left Holland–Dozier–Holland Productions, Inc. in 1973 and resumed his career as a solo performing artist. 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. 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 and Michael 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."
Holland–Dozier–Holland threatened to sue the band Aerosmith in 1989 due to the resemblance of parts of the song "The Other Side" 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
Dozier has his own production company and continues to work as a solo artist, producer and recording artist, while the Holland Brothers own HDH Records and Productions, which issues recordings from the Invictus and Hot Wax catalogs as well as new material.For a "one-time only reunion", the three composed the score for the musical production of The First Wives Club, based on the novel by Olivia Goldsmith and a later hit film. The musical included 22 new songs from the songwriting trio. The musical was produced by Paul Lambert and Jonas Neilson and premiered in July 2009 at The Old Globe Theater in San Diego. 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 prior to opening night. In June 2014, it was announced that The First Wives Club would be heading to Chicago for a premiere set at February 16, 2015. Following the Chicago run, the production was to head to Broadway for a fall 2015 arrival.
Legacy
Longtime BMI songwriters, 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. On May 13, 2003, Holland–Dozier–Holland were honored as BMI Icons at the 51st BMI Pop Awards.Holland–Dozier–Holland are mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Levi Stubbs' Tears" from the 1986 Billy Bragg album Talking with the Taxman about Poetry; and also in the lyrics of the Magnetic Fields' song "The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure", from their 1999 album 69 Love Songs.
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2010.
Discography
Songwriting
Production
| Year | Song title | Original artists | Covering artists |
| 1962 | "Dearest One" | Lamont Dozier | |
| 1962 | "Old Love " | Mary Wells | Martha and the Vandellas, Four Tops |
| 1962 | "Darling, I Hum Our Song" | Eddie Holland | Martha and the Vandellas, Four Tops |
| 1963 | "Leaving Here" | Eddie Holland | Motörhead, Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, Pearl Jam, The Birds, The Who, Brownsville Station, The Messengers, The Rationals, and The Volts |
| 1963 | "Locking Up My Heart" | The Marvelettes | |
| 1963 | "What Goes Up Must Come Down" / "Come on Home" | Holland & Dozier | |
| 1963 | "Tie a String Around Your Finger" | The Marvelettes | |
| 1963 | "Come and Get These Memories" / "Jealous Lover" | Martha and the Vandellas | Hattie Littles, Anna King, The Supremes |
| 1963 | "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" | Mary Wells | Dusty Springfield |
| 1963 | "Heat Wave" / "A Love Like Yours " | Martha and the Vandellas | The Who, Linda Ronstadt and The Jam / Dusty Springfield, Juice Newton, Ike & Tina Turner and The Animals, Phil Collins, Joan Osborne |
| 1963 | " Little Girl Blue" | The Marvelettes | |
| 1963 | "Mickey's Monkey" | The Miracles | Martha and the Vandellas, The Hollies, The Young Rascals, John Mellencamp, Mother's Finest |
| 1963 | "Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye" / "Come on Home" | Gladys Horton & The Andantes | The Supremes |
| 1963 | "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" / "Standing at the Crossroads of Love" | The Supremes | Dusty Springfield, The Zombies, Bonnie Pointer |
| 1963 | "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying" | The Miracles | The High Numbers |
| 1963 | "Quicksand" / "Darling I Hum Our Song" | Martha and the Vandellas | |
| 1963 | "Live Wire" / "Old Love " | Martha and the Vandellas | |
| 1963 | "Run, Run, Run" / "I'm Giving You Your Freedom" | The Supremes | |
| 1963 | "Can I Get a Witness" | Marvin Gaye | Dusty Springfield, The Rolling Stones, Sam Brown, The Steampacket, Lee Michaels, The Temptations, The Supremes, Z. Z. Hill |
| 1964 | "A Tear from a Woman's Eyes" | The Temptations | |
| 1964 | "My Lady Bug Stay Away from That Beatle" | R. Dean Taylor | |
| 1964 | "Like a Nightmare" / "If You Were Mine" | The Andantes | |
| 1964 | "In My Lonely Room" | Martha and the Vandellas | The Supremes, The Action |
| 1964 | "Just Ain't Enough Love" | Eddie Holland | The Isley Brothers |
| 1964 | "Where Did Our Love Go" | The Supremes | Adam Ant, Soft Cell, Pussycat Dolls, Three Ounces of Love, The J. Geils Band, Donnie Elbert, The Manhattan Transfer |
| 1964 | "Baby Don't You Do It" | Marvin Gaye | Small Faces, The Who, The Black Crowes, The Band, The Poets |
| 1964 | "Guarantee " | Mary Wells | |
| 1964 | "Baby I Need Your Loving" / "Call on Me" | Four Tops | Johnny Rivers, Eric Carmen, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, and Joe Stubbs / Shorty Long |
| 1964 | "Candy to Me" / "If You Don't Want My Love" | Eddie Holland | Martha and the Vandellas, Four Tops |
| 1964 | "Whisper You Love Me Boy" | Mary Wells | The Supremes, Chris Clark |
| 1964 | "Baby Love" / "Ask Any Girl" | The Supremes | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tony Martin |
| 1964 | "Come See About Me" / " Always in My Heart" | The Supremes | The Afghan Whigs, Barbara Mason, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Choker Campbell and Pat Lewis, Bonnie Pointer, Yo La Tengo, Mark Farner & Don Brewer |
| 1964 | "Without the One You Love " / "Love has Gone" | Four Tops | The Supremes & Four Tops |
| 1964 | "You're a Wonderful One" | Marvin Gaye | Don Bryant, Art Garfunkel |
| 1964 | "How Sweet It Is " | Marvin Gaye | Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, The Elgins, James Taylor, Grateful Dead, Joan Osborne, Liz Lands, Ruby Turner, Michael Bublé |
| 1965 | "Where Did You Go" | Four Tops | |
| 1965 | "Stop! In the Name of Love" / "I'm in Love Again" | The Supremes | The Hollies, Talas, Kim Weston, Gloria Gaynor, Jonell Mosser |
| 1965 | "You've Been a Long Time Coming" | Marvin Gaye | |
| 1965 | "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love" | Brenda Holloway | The Supremes, The Isley Brothers |
| 1965 | "Nowhere to Run" | Martha and the Vandellas | Hattie Littles, The Messengers, Tower of Power, Bonnie Pointer, Ruby Turner, Laura Nyro & Labelle |
| 1965 | "Back in My Arms Again" / "Whisper You Love Me Boy" | The Supremes | Genya Ravan, High Inergy |
| 1965 | "I Can't Help Myself " | Four Tops | The Supremes, Gloria Lynne, Bonnie Pointer, Robert Parker, Johnny Rivers, and Axe |
| 1965 | "The Only Time I'm Happy" | The Supremes | |
| 1965 | "Mother Dear" / "He Holds His Own" | The Supremes | |
| 1965 | "Nothing but Heartaches" / "He Holds His Own" | The Supremes | |
| 1965 | "Love " | Martha and the Vandellas | The Supremes |
| 1965 | "It's the Same Old Song" / "Your Love Is Amazing" | Four Tops | The Supremes, KC and the Sunshine Band and Joe Stubbs |
| 1965 | "Mother Dear" / "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love" | The Supremes | |
| 1965 | "I Hear a Symphony" / "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love" | The Supremes | Stevie Wonder, The Isley Brothers and The Temptations, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| 1965 | "Something About You" | Four Tops | Sisters Love, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires |
| 1965 | "Take Me in Your Arms " | Eddie Holland | The Isley Brothers, Kim Weston, Mother Earth, Jermaine Jackson, The Doobie Brothers, and Blood, Sweat & Tears |
| 1965 | "Darling Baby" | The Elgins | Rose Banks |
| 1965 | "There's a Ghost in My House" | R. Dean Taylor | The Fall |
| 1966 | " Road Runner" | Jr. Walker & the All-Stars | Fleetwood Mac, Steppenwolf, Peter Frampton, James Taylor, and Jerry Garcia |
| 1966 | "This Old Heart of Mine " | The Isley Brothers | The Supremes, Ronald Isley, Rod Stewart, Tammi Terrell, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires and The Contours |
| 1966 | "Ask Any Man" | Tony Martin | |
| 1966 | "My World Is Empty Without You" | The Supremes | Mary Wilson, Della Reese, Diamanda Galás, The Afghan Whigs, Blackjack |
| 1966 | "Put Yourself in My Place" | The Elgins | The Supremes, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires |
| 1966 | "There's No Love Left" | The Isley Brothers | |
| 1966 | "Shake Me, Wake Me " / "Just as Long as You Need Me" | Four Tops | The Hollies, Barbra Streisand |
| 1966 | "Helpless" / "A Love Like Yours " | Kim Weston | |
| 1966 | "Call on Me" | Shorty Long | |
| 1966 | "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" / "He's All I Got" | The Supremes | |
| 1966 | "Who Could Ever Doubt My Love" | The Isley Brothers | |
| 1966 | "I Like Everything About You" | Four Tops | |
| 1966 | "I Guess I'll Always Love You" | The Isley Brothers | The Supremes |
| 1966 | "Nothing but Soul" | Jr. Walker & the All-Stars | |
| 1966 | "Love's Gone Bad" / "Put Yourself in My Place" | Chris Clark | |
| 1966 | "You Can't Hurry Love" / "Put Yourself in My Place" | The Supremes | Phil Collins, Stray Cats, Dixie Chicks |
| 1966 | "Little Darling " | Marvin Gaye | The Doobie Brothers |
| 1966 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" / "Until You Love Someone" | Four Tops | Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, Michael Bolton, Gloria Gaynor, Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers and Snuff |
| 1966 | "Stay in My Lonely Arms" | The Elgins | Diana Ross & the Supremes, Four Tops |
| 1966 | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" / "I Wanna Mother You, Smother You with Love" | The Supremes | |
| 1966 | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" / "Remove This Doubt" | The Supremes | Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, Kim Wilde, Rose Banks, Wilson Pickett, Reba McEntire, Mary Wilson |
| 1966 | "Standing in the Shadows of Love" / "Since You've Been Gone" | Four Tops | The Jackson 5, Joe Stubbs, Rod Stewart, Barry White and Snuff |
| 1966 | "I'm Ready for Love" | Martha and the Vandellas | The Temptations, June Pointer, High Inergy |
| 1966 | " I'm the One You Need" | The Miracles | The Jackson 5, The Cowsills, The GP's |
| 1966 | "Heaven Must Have Sent You" | The Elgins | Diana Ross & the Supremes, Bonnie Pointer |
| 1967 | "Just One Last Look" | Four Tops | The Temptations |
| 1967 | "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" / "There's No Stopping Us Now" | The Supremes | Michael Jackson |
| 1967 | "Your Love Is Amazing" | Shorty Long | Byron Lee and the Dragonaires |
| 1967 | "Jimmy Mack" / "Third Finger, Left Hand" | Martha and the Vandellas | James Brown, Laura Nyro & Labelle, Bettye LaVette, Sheena Easton, Lani Hall, Bonnie Pointer |
| 1967 | "Bernadette" / "I Got a Feeling " | Four Tops | |
| 1967 | "My World Is Empty Without You" | Barbara McNair | |
| 1967 | "The Happening" / "All I Know About You" | The Supremes | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass |
| 1967 | "Just Ain't Enough Love" | The Isley Brothers | |
| 1967 | "7-Rooms of Gloom" / "I'll Turn to Stone" | Four Tops | Blondie, Pat Benatar |
| 1967 | "I Understand My Man" | The Elgins | |
| 1967 | "Your Unchanging Love" / "I'll Take Care of You" | Marvin Gaye | |
| 1967 | "Reflections" / "Going Down for the Third Time" | Diana Ross & the Supremes | Syreeta, Four Tops, The Temptations, Michael McDonald, Sweet, Luther Vandross |
| 1967 | "One Way Out" | Martha and the Vandellas | |
| 1967 | "You Keep Me Running Away" / "If You Don't Want My Love" | Four Tops | |
| 1967 | "I Got a Feeling" | Barbara Randolph | |
| 1967 | "In and Out of Love" / "I Guess I'll Always Love You" | Diana Ross & the Supremes | |
| 1968 | "Whisper You Love Me Boy" | Chris Clark | |
| 1968 | "Forever Came Today" | Diana Ross & the Supremes | The Jackson 5, Commodores |
| 1968 | "I'm in a Different World" | Four Tops | |
| 1969 | "We've Got a Way Out Love" | The Originals | |
| 1969 | "Crumbs off the Table" | The Glass House | Laura Lee |
| 1969 | "While You're Out Looking For Sugar" | Honey Cone | |
| 1969 | "Girls It Ain't Easy | Honey Cone | |
| 1970 | "Give Me Just a Little More Time" | Chairmen of the Board | Kylie Minogue |
| 1970 | " Dangling on a String" | Chairmen of the Board | |
| 1970 | "Band of Gold" | Freda Payne | Sylvester, Charly McClain, Belinda Carlisle, Bonnie Tyler and Kimberley Locke |
| 1970 | "Westbound #9" | The Flaming Ember | |
| 1972 | "The Day I Found Myself" | Honey Cone | |
| 1972 | "Don't Leave Me Starvin' For Your Love" | Holland–Dozier–Holland | Laura Lee |
| 1972 | "Why Can't We Be Lovers" | Holland–Dozier–Holland | |
| 1973 | "You're Gonna Need Me" | Dionne Warwick |