Christopher Holland

Christopher Holland

Holland playing as support act to Jools Holland in Thetford Forest
Background information
Birth name Christopher William Holland
Born (1966-09-18) 18 September 1966
Greenwich, London, England
Genres Boogie-woogie, blues, R&B
Occupation(s) Musician, singer, songwriter
Instruments Piano, keyboards
Years active 1982–present
Associated acts Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

Christopher William Holland (born 18 September 1966, Greenwich, London, England) is an English keyboard player, singer and songwriter. He is the younger brother of Jools Holland and twin of Richard Edward Holland (drummer).

Career

Holland took up the piano at the age of seven. Recording his first song, "It's Getting Late", when he was just twelve, he used a vintage four-track reel to reel handed down from his elder brother Jools and his then band, Squeeze. By his early teens while still at school, Holland formed his own band, B Sharp, playing mainly organ and singing. The band made their first television debut when they were spotted by Mick Robinson for a new TV show at the BBC. Holland left school at the age of 16 to tour extensively around the country for a couple of years, before being signed to Miles Copeland III's I.R.S. Records label, releasing two singles: "While The Going's Good" (produced by Dennis Herring, who has produced Elvis Costello and Ben Folds), and "Tell Me Straight" (produced by Pascal Gabriel, the producer of S-Express, Inspiral Carpets and EMF).

In between working on his own music he has continued to tour, record and write with various other artists including Green On Red, Squeeze, Stereophonics, Paul Weller and Paul Carrack Tom Jones, Ethan Johns. Holland has also played electric organ, recorded and written for Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.[1]

1999 saw the release of his first solo album, Cosmic Harmony Companion (on Beautiful Records BT003CD), containing some of his earliest compositions and featuring various guest musicians including Pino Paladino, Gilson Lavis and Kim Lesley.

A follow-up studio album Hoopatasso was released in 2002 in a limited number, which served as a taster for Brother Sun Sister Moon (BT004CD), which was issued in the summer of 2003 to critical acclaim, featuring Ash Soan (ex Del Amitri, Faithless) Robbie Williams on drums, Lisa Covington and Ron Box on guitars, Dave Swift on bass and Sam Brown (background vocals); this was partly produced with Laurie Latham and Box.

Continuing to tour throughout 2004 with his band Cosmic Harmony, as well as playing solo shows, he released a one-off project with ex-B sharp member Lisa Covington, using a wide range of vintage keyboards, entitled Butterfly Effect was released in (2005).

During 2006 and 2007, Holland was in the recording studio, working on thirteen new songs featuring Edwina Hayes on vocals and Melvyn Duffy on lap–pedal steel guitar and Ash Soan on drums. The ensuing Everything You Can Imagine Is Real was released in 2007.

Between 2008 and 2012 while continuing to perform with the Rhythm and Blues orchestra Chris and sound engineer Ron Box have been working on a double album released on Holland's own Cosmic Harmony Records label it features singers Katy Shotter, Edwina Hayes and Siobhan Parr. Corner Green includes 24 original compositions a beach boys cover and one co written with Chris Difford it is set for release on 13 August 2012

June 2012 Holland performed with brother Jools and Ruby Turner and at the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II alongside Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Shirley Bassey, Cliff Richard, Annie Lennox, Madness and many other notable performers.

Discography

This is a list of the albums Holland has appeared on:

References

  1. ↑ "Jools Holland Band website: Christopher Holland". Archived from the original on 13 June 2008.

External links

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