Lamont Dozier | |
|---|---|
 Dozier in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Herbert Lamont Dozier[1][2][3] |
| Born | Lamont Herbert Dozier (1941-06-16)June 16, 1941 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 2022(2022-08-08) (aged 81) nearScottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B,soul,funk |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1962–2022 |
| Labels | Motown,Invictus/Hot Wax,Warner Bros.,ABC Records |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
Lamont Herbert Dozier (/ləˈmɒntˈdoʊʒər/;[4] June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer fromDetroit.[5] He co-wrote and produced 14Billboard#1 hits in the US and 4 #4 in the UK.
Born inDetroit in 1941, Dozier was best known as a member ofHolland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team responsible for much of theMotown sound and for numerous hit records by artists such asMartha and the Vandellas,the Supremes, theFour Tops, andthe Isley Brothers.[5] Along withBrian Holland, Dozier served as the team's musical arranger and producer, whileEddie Holland concentrated mainly on lyrics and vocal production.[5] Along with the Holland Brothers, Dozier followed his work forMotown Records as founder and owner ofInvictus Records andHot Wax Records, producing top-charting hits for acts such asFreda Payne,Honey Cone,Chairmen of the Board, and100 Proof Aged in Soul.[5]
Dozier recorded a few unsuccessful records for various Detroit labels before the trio started working together as a songwriting and production team for Motown in 1962.[5] They first made their mark the following year withMartha and the Vandellas' early hits, including "Come and Get These Memories" (no. 6 R&B), "Heat Wave" (no. 1 R&B, no. 4 Pop), and "Quicksand" (no. 8 Pop).[citation needed]
In 1964, "Where Did Our Love Go" became the first of 10 no. 1 Pop hits which the trio would write and produce for the Supremes over the next three years or so. After Holland–Dozier–Holland left Motown in 1968 to form the Invictus and Hot Wax labels, Dozier began recording as an artist on these ones.[5] The most successful song was "Why Can't We Be Lovers" (no. 9 in theBillboard R&B charts).[5] Dozier departed from the trio in 1973,[5] and was succeeded by new arranger-producer Harold Beatty.[citation needed]
Dozier went on to record a number of albums as a performing artist in his own right, also writing much of the material. The 1973 LPOut Here On My Own (byProbe Records) featured the single "Fish Ain't Bitin'" (no. 4 R&B, no. 26 Pop).[6] The 1977 albumPeddlin' Music on the Side (forWarner Bros. Records) contained "Going Back to My Roots", which was later recorded byOdyssey.[5]
He had his biggest hit in 1974 with "Trying to Hold on to My Woman" (throughABC Records),[5] which reached no. 15 on the Pop chart and no. 4 on the R&B charts. For the second season of the TV sitcomThat's My Mama (ABC, 1975), Dozier wrote and sang the theme song, replacing the first season's instrumental only theme music. In 1981, he scored abeach music hit with "Cool Me Out" and also in that year released the single "Shout About It" from hisLamont LP. This track had considerable airplay on UKsoul radio stations as well as being promoted by UK DJRobbie Vincent in the early 1980s to a British audience.[citation needed]
Dozier had another no. 1 hit as a songwriter in the 1980s, joining withPhil Collins to write the song "Two Hearts" for themovie soundtrack of the 1988 filmBuster.[7] "Two Hearts" received aGolden Globe Award forBest Original Song, tying with "Let the River Run" fromWorking Girl byCarly Simon; anAcademy Award nomination forBest Original Song; and aGrammy Award forBest Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television.[6] Collins and Dozier also co-wrote "Loco in Acapulco" for theFour Tops, which is also featured on theBuster soundtrack.[8]
Earlier in 1984 inEssex,England-born singerAlison Moyet scored a U.S. top-40 hit with the Dozier-penned "Invisible".[8] Three years later, Dozier co-wrote "Infidelity" and "Suffer" withSimply Red frontmanMick Hucknall for the 1987 British pop/soul band's second album,Men and Women. In 1989, they teamed again to write "You've Got It" and "Turn It Up" for Simply Red's following LP,A New Flame.[citation needed]
Also in 1987, Dozier composed alone a song for the soundtrack of another film, "Without You", which was recorded as a duet by theR&B singersPeabo Bryson andRegina Belle,[9] for the love theme of thecomedy filmLeonard Part 6, released the same year.[10] The song was released as a single the next year and entered the U.S. and U.K. music charts, peaked at no. 8 on theAdult Contemporary Tracks,[11] no. 14 on theR&B chart,[12] no. 85 on theUK Singles,[13] and no. 89 on theBillboard Hot 100 (1987–88).
"Without You" was also included in the Peabo Bryson albumPositive, released in 1988,[citation needed] and also received two adaptations: the first intoPortuguese[14] and the second intoSpanish,[14] in 1989 and 1990 respectively.[14] Both adaptations received the title "Amor Dividido"[14] and the Portuguese version was recorded by theBrazilian singerRosanah Fienngo (also knownmononymously as "Rosana"),[14] while the Spanish one was recorded as a duet by Fienngo withMexican singerEmmanuel.[14]
Dozier is one of the many writers ofMotown: The Musical, in 2013.[3]
Dozier was married three times and had six children. His first marriage, to Elizabeth Ann Brown, and his second, to Daphne Dumas, both ended in divorce. His third marriage, to Barbara Ullman, lasted from 1980 until her death in 2021; they had three children. Dozier died at his home nearScottsdale, Arizona, on August 8, 2022, at the age of 81.[8][15]
Dozier and the Holland brothers were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.[16]
In 2009, he worked on the music for themusical stage version of the 1996 movieThe First Wives Club.[citation needed] He also taught credit courses on popular music as an Artist-in-Residence Professor on the faculty at theUniversity of Southern California "Thornton School of Music" in 2008.[citation needed]
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [6] | US R&B [6] | ||||
| 1973 | Out Here on My Own | 136 | 11 | ABC | |
| 1974 | Black Bach | 186 | 27 | ||
| Love and Beauty | — | — | Invictus | ||
| 1976 | Right There | — | 59 | Warner Bros. | |
| 1977 | Peddlin' Music on the Side | — | 59 | ||
| 1979 | Bittersweet | — | — | ||
| 1981 | Working on You | — | — | Columbia | |
| Lamont | — | — | M&M | ||
| 1983 | Bigger Than Life | — | — | Demon Records | |
| 1991 | Inside Seduction | — | 28 | Atlantic | |
| 2004 | Reflections of Lamont Dozier | — | 74 | Jam Right/Zebra | |
| 2018 | Reimagination | — | — | V2 Benelux (H'Art)[17] | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
As a member of the Romeos
As a member of the Voice Masters:
As a member of Ty Hunter and the Voice Masters:
As La Mont Anthony:
As Lamont Dozier and a member of Holland-Dozier (Lamont Dozier andBrian Holland):
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [6] | US R&B [6] | US Dance [6] | CAN [18] | UK [19] | ||
| 1962 | "Dearest One" | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― |
| 1972 | "Why Can't We Be Lovers"(as Holland-Dozier) | 57 | 9 | ― | 90 | 29 |
| "Don't Leave Me Starvin' for Your Love"(as Holland-Dozier) | 52 | 13 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1973 | "New Breed Kinda Woman"(as Holland-Dozier) | ― | 61 | ― | ― | ― |
| "Trying to Hold on to My Woman" | 15 | 4 | ― | 43 | ― | |
| "Fish Ain't Bitin'" | 26 | 4 | ― | 45 | ― | |
| 1974 | "Let Me Start Tonite" | 87 | 4 | ― | ― | ― |
| "All Cried Out" | ― | 41 | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1976 | "Can't Get Off Until the Feeling Stops" | ― | 89 | ― | ― | ― |
| 1977 | "Going Back to My Roots" | ― | ― | 35 | ― | ― |
| 1979 | "Boogie Business" | ― | ― | 47 | ― | ― |
| 1981 | "Shout About It" | ― | 61 | ― | ― | ― |
| 1991 | "Love in the Rain" | ― | 60 | ― | ― | ― |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
