Before I begin: I’ll announce the winner of my latest Battle of the Bands tomorrow, so if you haven’t voted and would like to, you have until noon tomorrow!
I first wrote about the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland in 2015. From that post:
Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland were songwriters who defined the Motown sound. They wrote over 200 songs together, mostly in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, for acts such as Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, and The Supremes, and their songs were covered by a number of non-Motown artists such as Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor. Dozier left the team in 1973, and the Holland brothers continued to write hits through the 1970’s and 1980’s. They had 25 #1 singles, including ten of the twelve #1’s by The Supremes. They’re members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Soul Music Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranks them at #15 on their list of the 100 Best Songwriters of All Time.
A full list of the songs they wrote together is available on Wikipedia…
Here are six songs by Brian, Lamont, and Eddie. The last two were written by “Edythe Wayne,” a pseudonym for the team, for contractual reasons.
- The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go”
- Martha and The Vandellas, “Heat Wave”
- The Four Tops, “Standing In The Shadows Of Love”
- The Supremes, “Reflections”
- Chairmen Of The Board, “Give Me Just A Little More Time”
- Freda Payne, “Band Of Gold”
Holland-Dozier-Holland, your Five For Friday, October 7, 2022.
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
This just goes to show how the writing geniueses get little credit while the singers/band get famous. I had no clue who they were hut look at what they created,!
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My favorite of those is Freda Payne’s Band of Gold…love that song.
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A couple of guys I knew were in love with Freda Payne, who was kind of gorgeous…
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She really was…the song is unique and I love her voice. I discovered the song when I was around 13 on AM radio and I went out and bought the single in 1980.
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I think if I were to build a record collection starting in the mid-’60’s I’d focus on singles rather than albums.
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Ah, memories…
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When music was music. I think next week I’ll do Gamble and Huff (the Philly equivalent) and maybe the week after that Isaac Hayes and his primary collaborator to cover Stax and the music out of Memphis (and Atlanta and Muscle Shoals, Alabama). There are so many great songwriters…
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Such wonderful songs!
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They were remarkable songwriters and producers. Berry Gordy let them get away; I’d’ve given them whatever it took to keep them.
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All such memorable songs. I did not realize they were from the same songwriters.
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There’s plenty more where those came from….
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wow, they were prolific writers
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They were, as well as producers.
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