Music / Business & brands
Eddie Holland
born 1939 · lyricist, songwriter, record producer, singer
Detroit-born lyricist of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the team that wrote much of the Supremes, Four Tops and Martha and the Vandellas catalogue at Motown.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 86- Birth name
- Edward James Holland Jr.
- Also known as
- Holland–Dozier–Holland
- Detroit years
- 1939–1970s
- Field
- Music, Business & brands
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Eddie Holland was born and raised in Detroit and first worked with Berry Gordy as a singer in 1958, before Motown existed. He recorded for the young label and had a minor hit with "Jamie" in 1961, but disliked performing and joined his younger brother Brian and Lamont Dozier as the lyricist of Holland–Dozier–Holland. Working out of Hitsville U.S.A. on West Grand Boulevard, the trio wrote and produced a run of hits for the Supremes, the Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas and others that defined the Motown sound of the mid-1960s. Holland also wrote lyrics for Norman Whitfield's productions, including "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep". In 1968 the three left Motown and founded their own Detroit labels, Invictus and Hot Wax, where Eddie was finally credited as a producer as well.
Highlights
- Lyricist of Holland–Dozier–Holland, Motown's leading 1960s writing team
- Wrote or co-wrote 143 US chart hits
- Early Motown single "Jamie" (1961)
- Co-founded Invictus and Hot Wax Records in Detroit in 1968
- Co-author of the memoir Come and Get These Memories (2019)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1959–1968
Motown Museum
Holland–Dozier–Holland wrote and produced their Motown hits here.