Eddie Holland

Biography

Edward James Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His brother is songwriter and record producer Brian Holland.

Early life

Eddie Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan. He has a younger brother, Brian, a songwriter and producer with whom he often collaborated.

Career

Before Motown, as a singer Holland would work with Berry Gordy in 1958 at Mercury Records for the track “You (You You You You)” which was cowritten and produced by Gordy. Gordy went on to start Motown in 1959 and Eddie Holland and his brother, Brian, would go on and write music for Motown. Although Holland was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hits such as "Jamie", released in 1961, he grew tired of performing and joined his brother Brian and Lamont Dozier to form the songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland, serving as the trio's lyricist. H-D-H was responsible for writing and producing much of the material that became known as the Motown sound, including hit records by Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, the Four Tops, and The Isley Brothers, among others. Eddie Holland was not credited as a producer for any of their Motown hits; Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier were the credited producers, with only the songwriting was credited to Holland-Dozier-Holland. However, when the trio broke from Motown and founded their own labels in 1968 (Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records), the full H-D-H team including Eddie were credited as producers.
Eddie Holland has written or co-written 143 hits in the US charts and 80 in the UK.
Holland also worked with record producer Norman Whitfield on lyrics for the songs he produced for the Marvelettes and the Temptations, like "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep".

Later life

Holland also composed songs for the First Wives Club musical, in 2009.
Holland has been involved in several Civil court cases regarding tax, loans, and music rights, in 1985, 1988, 1996, 2017, and 2020.

Author

In 2019, Brian (along with brother Eddie and Dave Thompson) co-authored an autobiography of Holland–Dozier–Holland, entitled Come and Get These Memories, named after the hit single by Martha and the Vandellas.

Albums

Eddie Holland (1962, Motown MT604)
The Complete Eddie Holland (1995, Marginal Records)
It Moves Me – The Complete Recordings 1958–1964 (2012, Ace CDTOP2 1331)
From Mercury to Motown 1958–1962 (2021, Jasmine Records JASCD1122)