From: Dik de Heer 
Date: Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:28am
Subject: Born To Be With You : Eddie Holland
 
EDDIE HOLLAND

Born 30 October 1939, Detroit, Michigan

Eddie Holland was part of the songwriting and production team
Holland / Dozier / Holland, with his brother Brian Holland (born 15
February 1941) and Lamont Dozier (born 16 June 1941), all from
Detroit. 
Eddie was active in the Detroit music scene from the mid-50s onwards,
leading the Fidelatones vocal group, and producing demo recordings for
Jackie Wilson. In 1958, he met Berry Gordy, who produced a series of 
solo singles for Holland on Mercury Records and United Artists Records.
Gordy signed Holland to his fledgling Motown Records concern in 1961,
and was rewarded when Holland's "Jamie" became a hit (# 6 R&B, # 30 
pop) in early 1962. Sung in a whining falsetto, "Jamie" owed a lot to the
style of Jackie Wilson. The disc got a UK release on Fontana and that's
when I first heard the name of Eddie Holland. I remember that I liked it at
the time, but haven't heard it since.
Holland achieved three further chart successes in 1964, among them 
"Leaving Here", which proved popular among British R&B bands. That
year he also helped to inaugurate the Holland / Dozier / Holland partner-
ship, Motown's most successful writing and production team of all time. 
Working mostly as the trio's lyricist, Holland was involved in a chain of 
hits, including twelve number ones (10 for the Supremes and two for the
Four Tops). But I must add that, although Eddie co-wrote all the hits by
the Supremes (at least until early 1968), the production was done by
Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, without Eddie. He was involved though
in the production / writing for several other Motown acts, such as The 
Four Tops (Baby I Need Your Lovin', I Can't Help Myself, It's the Same 
Old Song, Reach Out I'll Be There, Bernadette, a.o.), Martha and the 
Vandellas (Heat Wave, Quicksand, etc.), The Isley Brothers (This Old
Heart of Mine) and Marvin Gaye (Can I Get a Witness, How Sweet It Is).
Eddie also collaborated with writer/producer Norman Whitfield on a series
of singles by the Temptations, notably "I'm Losing You" and "Beauty Is
Only Skin Deep". The same pairing evolved "He Was Really Saying 
Something" and "Needle In A Haystack" for the Velvelettes, while Holland
also co-wrote Shorty Long's dancefloor classic, "Function At The Junction". 

Holland / Dozier / Holland created the sound of an era (1962-68). Their songs
are classics, covered countless times. But they had to fight with Berry Gordy 
for their royalties. They parted acrimoniously and formed their own labels 
Invictus and Hot Wax in 1968. The new labels had hits with The Chairmen 
of the Board (featuring General Norman Johnson, formerly of the Showmen, 
of "It Will Stand" fame), Freda Payne (whose "Band of Gold" topped the UK
charts for six weeks in 1970) and the Honey Cone (featuring Edna Wright, 
Darlene Love's younger sister). 
Lamont Dozier went solo in 1972 (first on Invictus, then ABC) and scored 
several Top 10 R&B hits as a singer, some of which crossed over to the pop
charts. The H-D-H trio made it up with Motown in 1983, returning with the
Four Tops to produce them there again, though this time with considerably 
less success.