Remembering Lamont Dozier
• Songwriter Lamont Dozier, who, along with Brian and Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland) wrote co-wrote dozens of iconic hits for The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and so many others, died Monday, August 8 at the age of 81, as reported by NPR.
Dozier’s passing was announced by his son, Lamont Dozier, Jr. on Instagram.
The prolific trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland was instrumental in helping to make Motown “The home of Hitsville, U.S.A.” penning such timeless classics as “Heat Wave,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Baby, I Need Your Loving,” “How Sweet It Is,” “Stop! In The Name of Love,” “Come See About Me,” “I Hear A Symphony,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Nowhere To Run,” “It’s The Same Old Song,” “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,” and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” to name just a few.
In the 1960s, the Motor City’s most talented artists found their way to Berry Gordy‘s Motown Records. Gordy had modeled his label after a Ford assembly line, with Holland-Dozier-Holland quickly becoming one of its finest song designers.
In a statement, Gordy said, “We’ve lost a member of one of the great songwriting and producing teams of our time — Lamont Dozier, of the iconic team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. ‘HDH,’ as we called them, gave The Supremes not only their first No. 1 record, ‘Where Did Our Love Go,’ but they followed that with multiple Numbers Ones over the next 3 years. Unheard of. They propelled the Supremes into super-stardom and also worked their magic with artists like the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye and Martha and the Vandellas. In the 1960s their sound became synonymous with the “Motown Sound.’ Lamont was a brilliant arranger and producer who balanced the talents of the great Eddie and Brian Holland, helping to pull it all together. Lamont was a good friend and will be missed by the entire Motown Family. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.”
Earlier this year the Library of Congress named Holland-Dozier-Holland’s composition, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” recorded by The Four Tops in 1966, to its National Recording Registry.
Dozier parted ways with the Holland brothers in the early 1970s but his creative output continued over the next several decades. He released a solo album and also penned songs for Alison Moyet, Simply Red and Phil Collins. In 2019, Dozier published his memoir, How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter’s Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse.
Pictured, (l-r): Berry Gordy, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, the Four Tops’ Obie Benson, Duke Fakir, Lawrence Payton & Obie Benson, and Edward Holland Jr. [Photos courtesy of the Motown Archives]
