Eddie Holland - Limited Edition Print #/100

This print of the original artwork is individually numbered and limited to 100.  Each one is signed by the artist and tastefully framed and ready to hang.

Eddie Holland

Birth name     Edward Holland Jr.

Born   October 30, 1939

Detroit, Michigan

Perhaps most well known as a member of the Holland, Dozier, Holland song writing team Eddie Holland actually cut one of the first two Motown singles - Merry-Go-Round c/w It Moves Me (Tamla 102). This wasn’t his first experience of recording though as he had released singles for Kudo and both Mercury - Little Miss Ruby c/w You (You You You You) (Mercury 71290X45) and United Artists - Because I Love Her c/w Everybody's Going (UA 191).  Both sides of the United Artists 45 were written by Berry Gordy and featured backing by the Rayber Voices; Merry-Go-Round followed in the same year (1959).  The Kudo 45 - (Where's The Joy?) In Nature Boy c/w Shock had been a commercial for a wine called ‘Nature Boy’ and not wanting to have his name associated with it he had recorded it under the pseudonym Briant Holland, its not known how his younger brother Brian felt about that.

Along with Marv Johnson; who had cut the very first Motown single; Eddie left the fledgling Motown for the perceived security of the established United Artists.  Unlike Marv Johnson though Eddie’s output at UA had limited sales and he re-joined Motown and immediately had his best-selling single Jamie c/w Take A Chance On Me (Motown – M1021) which went as high as #6 in the R&B Chart.

Despite Eddie’s well-documented struggles with stage-fright there were another nine Motown 45’s and a self-titled album. His career as recording artist ran alongside his more lucrative signwriting.  His partnerships with brother Brian and Lamont Dozier; creating the “Symphonic Soul” style; and his work with Norman Whitfield saw him sell millions of singles.  He replaced Mickey Stevenson as Motown’s head of A&R in 1966 but soon after, a financial dispute with Berry Gordy, led to the HDH team leaving to set out on their own.  They formed the Hot Wax and Invictus labels and later the short-lived Music Merchant imprint.

The ongoing legal battle with Berry Gordy led to the trio using the song writing pseudonyms Edith Wayne and Edythe Craighead.  Whilst both Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier had spells behind the mike for Invictus; sometimes together; Eddie remained firmly in the writer’s chair.

Eddie was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.