Lamont Dozier

As part of the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting/production team responsible for an enormous amount of hits for Motown artists, Lamont Dozier was one of the most esteemed architects of American pop and R&B. He was born on June 16, 1941 in Detroit, Michigan, and in the late '50s/early '60s he recorded several singles both solo and as part of such groups as The Romeos and The Voice Masters before becoming part of the Motown hit machine in 1962. The first big hit he wrote and produced with brothers Brian and Eddie Holland was Martha and The Vandellas' "Heat Wave" in 1963. Pretty soon the floodgates opened and an astonishing number of Holland-Dozier-Holland hits came pouring out, including The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go," The Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Loving," Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," and countless others. But in 1968 the trio left Motown, starting the labels Invictus and Hot Wax in order to maintain more control over their output. They scored major hits straight out of the gate with The Chairmen of the Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time" and Freda Payne's "Band of Gold," but they struggled to reproduce that success thereafter, and both labels folded in 1977. Dozier also pursued his solo career in the '70s, releasing his debut LP, Out Here on My Own, in 1973, scoring a hit with "Trying to Hold on to My Woman." He recorded steadily through the early '80s. Dozier continued to write hits for other artists in the '80s. including Phil Collins' "Two Hearts," Alison Moyet's "Invisible," and Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle's "Without You." Thereafter he recorded only sporadically, releasing just three albums in as many decades. Lamont Dozier died at his home near Scottsdale, Arizona, on August 8, 2022. He was 81.