David (Dave) Holland (born on April 5, 1948 in
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
,
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock drummer, best remembered from his stint with
Judas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1969. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing. The band has gone through several drummers, though Scott Travis has held the position since...
between 1979 and 1989. He is currently in prison for attempted
rapeRape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or without sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
of a wheelchair-using 17-year-old boy. A jury found Holland guilty of one charge of attempted rape and five counts of indecent assault of a teenage boy who was taking drum lessons at Holland's house. Holland however, maintains that he is innocent and that the relationship with his pupil was not sexual.
Biography
At the age of six Holland began taking piano lessons, but soon developed a "mania for the drums", in his own words, and begged his parents to let him have a set. After his first appearance as a stand-in for a local band, Holland realised he wanted to be a musician. When he was 14 years old, he supplemented his pocket money by playing with another local pop band aptly titled The Drumbeats and selling furniture and carpets.
As a youngster, Holland listened to a lot of traditional jazz. He cited his first rock influence as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. Later, he became interested in
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
music in the vein of Booker T & the MG's, blues rock of
FreeFree were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968 and best known for their popular song "All Right Now". Lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums...
and progressive–psychedelic music of
TrafficTraffic were an English rock band formed in 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. They began as a psychedelic rock group influenced by The Beatles when releasing early pop singles , and diversified their sound through the use of instruments such as keyboards,like the...
.
Having moved to Rugby, Holland joined The Liberators (not the same band that
L.A. GunsL.A. Guns are an American glam metal band whose music is frequently associated with the L.A. glam metal scene which grew up around the Sunset Strip in the 1980s, in particular the sleaze rock subgenre. Guns N' Roses, which once featured three of the original L.A...
singer
Phil LewisPhil Lewis is a British born vocalist for the American Glam metal band named L.A. Guns. He was born on January 9, 1957 in London, England....
was once in), and continued playing with them after he left school. The Liberators soon evolved into
Pinkerton's Assorted ColoursPinkerton's Assorted Colours were a mid 1960s pop band from England.-Career:Formed in Rugby, Warwickshire as 'The Liberators', they became Pinkerton's Assorted Colours in 1965, and scored a Top 10 hit with their first single release, "Mirror, Mirror" written by Tony Newman. They were managed by...
, a folk pop band that put
autoharpThe autoharp is a musical stringed instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers which, when depressed, mute all the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither....
to good use, taking after The Loving Spoonful. In 1966 a single "Mirror Mirror" (released 15 January 1966 on Decca, produced by future
The Moody BluesThe Moody Blues are an English band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. Founding members Michael Pinder and Ray Thomas performed an initially rhythm and blues-based sound in Birmingham in 1964 along with Graeme Edge and others, and were later joined by John Lodge and Justin...
producer Tony Clarke) charted at #8 in the UK. Holland stayed with the band until August 1968, when he joined
Finders KeepersFinders Keepers were a band featuring then future Trapeze members Glenn Hughes, Mel Galley, and Dave Holland.Glenn Hughes later sang for Deep Purple and Black Sabbath . Mel Galley later played guitar for Whitesnake...
, a pop cover outfit. However, Holland continued doing studio session work although, contrary to rumour, he didn't play on a 1969 #5 hit single "Smile a Little Smile for Me" released by the band that used to be
Pinkerton's Assorted ColoursPinkerton's Assorted Colours were a mid 1960s pop band from England.-Career:Formed in Rugby, Warwickshire as 'The Liberators', they became Pinkerton's Assorted Colours in 1965, and scored a Top 10 hit with their first single release, "Mirror, Mirror" written by Tony Newman. They were managed by...
under the name of The Flying Machine.
Finders Keepers, who were soon joined by
Mel GalleyMel Galley was an English guitarist and a former member of the Hard rock bands Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena. He was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England...
(guitar) and Glenn Hughes (bass), recorded several singles, with some of the songs now available on various compilations. Soon afterwards the threesome joined forces with vocalist and winds player John Jones and multi-instrumentalist Terry Rowley of The Montanas fame to form a quintet called
TrapezeTrapeze were an English rock band formed in March 1969, by vocalist John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist Terry Rowley , with guitarist Mel Galley, singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, and drummer Dave Holland...
(the band name was Terry Rowley's idea).
The band appeared in the British TV show
Colour Me Pop and soon was swamped with offers of recording contracts, including one from
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...
'
AppleApple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
. Trapeze however settled for the newly formed Threshold label, belonging to The Moody Blues members. The band would soon open for The Moodies and other well-known acts. On Threshold, the band released three records, the debut as a quintet and the rest as a power trio.
Holland's experience as a session player helped him forge an instantly identifiable style, its eminent assets being power, taste and precision. Indeed, Holland's timekeeping earned him a nickname of "Mr Time" from his bandmates. His playing was the rock-solid foundation that allowed Galley and Hughes to experiment with melodic and riff structures.
Trapeze were gaining momentum at the time, especially in the southern United States, but lost a major contributor as Glenn Hughes decided to leave the band and join
Deep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorise themselves as any one genre. The band...
for the recording of their Burn album.
Galley and Holland didn't give up and carried on, having added a bass player and a second guitarist. Holland and Galley also toured as part of John Lodge –
Justin HaywardDavid Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as a singer, guitarist and composer in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward attended The Commonweal School, in Swindon, Wiltshire.-Career:...
(of The Moody Blues fame) band
The Blue JaysThe Blue Jays were a short-lived American doo wop ensemble from Venice, California.The Blue Jays formed in 1961, and after performing at an amateur's night at the Fox Theatre, they were asked by Werly Fairburn to sign to his Milestone Records...
.
In 1978 Trapeze recorded their last studio LP,
Hold On.
Earlier on, both Mel and Holland lent a hand in the recording of Glenn Hughes' first solo album,
Play Me OutPlay Me Out is the first solo record by former Deep Purple and Trapeze bassist/ vocalist Glenn Hughes. It was first released in July 1977. The album marked a definite change in style to Hughes’ hard rock albums with Deep Purple, moving into a funk and soul inspired direction.-History:Hughes had...
, offering a unique blend of psychedelic jazz funk. Holland was assisted by Mark Nauseef on percussion.
1979 and 1980 saw Holland record some drum parts for Justin Hayward's solo albums,
Songwriter and
Night FlightNight Flight was a studio album by Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward, released on Decca Records in 1980. It was reissued on CD in September 1989....
. In 1979 Holland finally made a tough decision to leave Trapeze and join
Judas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1969. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing. The band has gone through several drummers, though Scott Travis has held the position since...
, a British metal band who were quickly gaining in popularity, while Trapeze was unable to achieve considerable commercial success after Glenn Hughes left in 1973.
Joining the band in August 1979 and having played drums on genre-defining platinum albums such as
British SteelBritish Steel is the sixth album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. British Steel was recorded at Tittenhurst Park, home of former Beatle Ringo Starr, after a false start at Startling Studios, a recording studio located on Tittenhurst's grounds...
,
Screaming for VengeanceScreaming for Vengeance is the 8th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The album was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain and mixed at Beejay Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Florida. It was first released on July 17, 1982. A re-mastered CD was...
,
Defenders of the FaithDefenders of the Faith is the 9th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The album was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain and mixed from September to November 1983 at DB Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Miami, Florida. The LP & cassette tape were...
,
TurboTurbo is the 10th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest.The album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas and mixed January - February 1986 at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California. This album was first released on April 15, 1986. A remastered CD was...
, and
Ram It DownRam It Down was the 11th studio album recorded and released by Judas Priest, which was released in 1988. Ram It Down was remastered in 2001, with two live tracks added....
, Holland witnessed the peak in popularity and commercial success for the Birmingham heavy rock institution.
During the 1980s, Holland also collaborated with guitarist Robin George, as part of his band Life and on George's solo project titled
Dangerous Music.
In 1989, personal problems (health and family issues) and musical differences forced Holland to leave Judas Priest. He was replaced by original Saints Or Sinners drummer
Scott TravisScott Travis is the drummer for British heavy metal band Judas Priest and American heavy metal band Racer X.- Biography :...
, who had also previously played in the band
Racer XRacer X is an American heavy metal band formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by guitarist Paul Gilbert—who later went on to achieve great success with the multi platinum-selling hard rock band Mr...
.
Throughout the 1990s besides touring with briefly reformed Trapeze and filling in for various bands like
The Screaming JetsThe Screaming Jets is a hard rock band from Newcastle, Australia that was inspired by the likes of AC/DC, Dirty Deeds and KISS.The band was formed by three former members of Aspect, singer Dave Gleeson, bass player Paul Woseen and guitarist Grant Walmsley, in 1989...
during their European tours, David Holland gave drum clinics and private lessons, managed and produced bands, and played on various recordings of his former mates. In 1996, he participated in sessions that involved Glenn Hughes,
Tony IommiFrank Anthony "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and the sole constant band member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists...
of
Black SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members...
fame, and keyboardist
Don AireyDon Airey has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, succeeding Jon Lord. He has had a long and productive career, playing with such acts as Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Whitesnake, Colosseum II, Sinner, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon...
. In 1998, a collaboration with
Al AtkinsAlan John "Al" Atkins is a hard rock vocalist, perhaps best known for his association with Judas Priest. He began his musical career in 1964, singing in a succession of blues-rock outfits before forming a band in September 1969, named Judas Priest...
, Judas Priest's original singer, was released, featuring a few covers of early Priest songs that Holland didn't originally play on. Bearing in mind that all the musicians mentioned hail from Midlands, it is no wonder they knew each other from way back; Judas Priest with Atkins at the helm actually supported Trapeze in 1971.
In 2004, Holland was found guilty of attempted rape and several indecent assaults against a mentally ill 17-year-old male to whom he had been giving drum lessons. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison, where he remains. Due to this, Tony Iommi chose to replace his drum parts on
The 1996 DEP SessionsThe 1996 DEP Sessions is a Tony Iommi album released in 2004. Material for this album was originally recorded in 1996, and was circulated among fans as a bootleg recording dubbed Eighth star...
because he didn't want the convicted criminal appearing on this album.
With Trapeze
- Trapeze
Trapeze is the 1970 debut rock album by the band Trapeze. The album was produced by John Lodge, of Moody Blues fame.The band released another album also named Trapeze in 1976; see Trapeze .-Track listing:...
(1970)
- Medusa
-Track listing:# "Black Cloud" 6:13# "Jury" 8:10# "Your Love Is Alright" 4:54# "Touch My Life" 4:06# "Seafull" 6:34# "Makes You Wanna Cry" 4:41...
(1970)
- You Are the Music...We're Just the Band
You Are the Music...We're Just the Band is an album by the rock band Trapeze.-Track listing:#"Keepin' Time"#"Coast To Coast"#"What Is A Woman's Role"#"Way Back To The Bone"#"Feelin' So Much Better Now"#"Will Our Love End"#"Loser"...
(1972)
- The Final Swing
The Final Swing is a compilation album by the rock band Trapeze released in 1974. It features songs from the original line-up of Mel Galley, Glenn Hughes, and Dave Holland.-Track listing:# Send Me No More Letters# Your Love Is Alright# Black Cloud...
(1974)
- Hot Wire
For the album of the same title released by the band Kix, see Hot Wire. For the article about starting cars without the keys, see Hotwiring.Hot Wire is an album by the band Trapeze released in 1974.-Track listing:# Back Street Love...
(1974)
- Live At The Boat Club
Live At The Boat Club is an album by the rock band Trapeze.Recorded live at the Boat Club in Nottingham for a UK live radio broadcast features 70 minutes of high energy classic rock and riffs including tracks from their four mid-70's albums Medusa, You Are The Music We're Just The Band, Hot Wire,...
(1975)
- Trapeze
Trapeze is the 1976 self-titled album by Trapeze. It is also the title of their 1970 debut album; see Trapeze .- Track listing :# "Star Breaker"# "It's Alright"# "Chances"# "The Raid"# "On the Sunny Side of the Street"...
(1976)
- Hold On
Hold on is an album by the band Trapeze made in 1978 and was also released under the name Running and has a different album cover.-Side one:# "Don't Ask Me How I Know" – 2:48# "Take Good Care" – 3:34...
a.k.a. RunningRunning is an album by the band Trapeze released only for the Germany market in 1979 and is also called Hold On that was released in 1978...
(1978/1979)
- Welcome to the Real World
Welcome to the real world is an album by the band Trapeze released in 1993. This album is from the reunion tour of 1991 of the original line-up of Trapeze of Mel Galley, Glenn Hughes & Dave Holland with the addition of Asia's and Yes's keyboard player, Geoff Downes.-Track listing:# You Are The...
(1993)
- High Flyers: The Best of Trapeze
High Flyers is a compilation album by the band Trapeze with the original line up of Galley, Holland, and Hughes.-Track listing:# Send Me No More Letters# Your Love Is Alright# Black Cloud# Medusa# Coast To Coast# Will Our Love End...
(1996)
- Way Back to the Bone
Way Back to the Bone is an album by the band Trapeze of previously unreleased live material from 1970-1992. It features only songs from the original line-up of Mel Galley, Glenn Hughes & Dave Holland.-Track listing:# Coast To Coast# Loser...
(1998)
- On the Highwire
On The Highwire is a live/studio compilation album by the 1970s English rock band Trapeze. Featuring songs spanning the bands entire history from 1970 - 1994.The CD has 9 Studio tracks and 14 Live tracks giving the biggest collection of song by Trapeze on one album, it was released in...
(2003)
With Justin Hayward
- Songwriter
Songwriter is an album by Justin Hayward released in February 1977. Hayward wrote all of the songs and played all of the instruments on the songs "Raised On Love" and "Nostradamus." The album also features musicians Hayward had worked with on his previous project, Blue Jays recorded with John Lodge...
(1977)
- Night Flight
Night Flight was a studio album by Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward, released on Decca Records in 1980. It was reissued on CD in September 1989....
(1980)
With Judas Priest
- British Steel
British Steel is the sixth album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. British Steel was recorded at Tittenhurst Park, home of former Beatle Ringo Starr, after a false start at Startling Studios, a recording studio located on Tittenhurst's grounds...
(1980)
- Point of Entry
Point of Entry is a heavy metal album from the British band Judas Priest. Their seventh album was released on February 26, 1981.In 1980 Judas Priest garnered some airplay with "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" from their album British Steel...
(1981)
- Screaming for Vengeance
Screaming for Vengeance is the 8th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The album was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain and mixed at Beejay Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Florida. It was first released on July 17, 1982. A re-mastered CD was...
(1982)
- Defenders of the Faith
Defenders of the Faith is the 9th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The album was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain and mixed from September to November 1983 at DB Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Miami, Florida. The LP & cassette tape were...
(1984)
- Turbo
Turbo is the 10th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest.The album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas and mixed January - February 1986 at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California. This album was first released on April 15, 1986. A remastered CD was...
(1986)
- Priest...Live!
Priest...Live! is the second live album by Judas Priest, recorded at The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia on 15 June 1986 and the Reunion Arena,Dallas, Texas on 27 June 1986....
(1987)
- Ram It Down
Ram It Down was the 11th studio album recorded and released by Judas Priest, which was released in 1988. Ram It Down was remastered in 2001, with two live tracks added....
(1988)
- Metal Works '73-'93
Metal Works is a compilation album by Judas Priest, released in 1993. A remastered edition was released in 2001, with the same tracklisting. All material was previously available. All albums to that date are represented with the exception of debut Rocka Rolla, although a live version of "Victim of...
(1993)
- The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight
The Best Of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight is a compilation album of Judas Priest's hits, dating from their 1979 album Hell Bent for Leather to 1990's Painkiller...
(1996)
- Metalogy
Metalogy is a five-disc CD boxed set released by heavy metal band Judas Priest in 2004. The CDs come in card sleeves and are housed in a faux-leather box, which has studs around the centre. There is also a booklet with the box.-Track listing:...
(2004)
- The Essential Judas Priest
The Essential Judas Priest is a 2006 2-disc compilation album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. It contains 34 songs from throughout their career right up to their then-most recent album , but excludes the Tim "Ripper" Owens era. It was re-released in 2008 as a limited-edition 3-disc...
(2006)