Renowned Motown songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier has died, as confirmed by his son Lamont Dozier Jr. Born on June 16, 1941 in Detroit, Lamont Dozier was 81 years old.
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As part of the legendary songwriting trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the Detroit native composed and produced some of Motown’s biggest hits in the 1960s including songs recorded by the Four Tops, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and more. Among Dozier’s credits are beloved classics like “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Baby Love,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” to name a few. Dozier also had a successful solo career in the 1970s and continued to influence and foster new generations of artists for decades.
Born and raised in Detroit, Dozier soaked in his father’s pop and jazz record collection and sang in the Baptist gospel choir. In 1962, Lamont signed with Motown founder Berry Gordy’s the Sound of Young America as a triple-threat artist, producer and songwriter. At Sound of Young America, Lamont teamed up with brothers Brian and Eddie Holland and would go on to form the legendary songwriting/producing trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland who clocked many of the aforementioned Motown hits and more.
Leaving Motown in 1968, Holland-Dozier-Holland created their own Invictus and Hot Wax labels. Lamont embarked on a solo career in the early 1970s. A regional hit single, “Why Can’t We Be Lovers,” led to a deal with ABC Dunhill for solo records Out Here on My Own and Black Bach. More hits including “Trying to Hold On To My Woman” and “Fish Ain’t Bitin’” led to a nod for Best New Artist from Billboard.
After stints with renowned labels like Warner Bros. and Columbia, Dozier crossed the pond and began working with British artists including Eric Clapton, Alison Moyet and Boy George among others. A late 1980s collaboration with Phil Collins on the soundtrack to the latter’s 1988 film, Buster, garnered Dozier another No. 1 hit for “Two Hearts” as well as a Grammy, Award, a Brit Award, a Golden Globe, an Oscar nomination and Britain’s esteemed Ivor Novello honor. In 1988, Holland-Dozier-Holland were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame before entering the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990. Lamont continued to clock accolades into the 21st century with a Grammy nomination for his 2002 LP, Lamont Dozier…An American Original.
Dozier also continued to influence music, having been sampled by an eclectic group of artists including Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Three 6 Mafia, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Usher and Linkin Park. Lamont also worked with additional contemporary artists like Kanye West, Joss Stone, Solange Knowles, Mark Ronson and more.
But perhaps some of Lamont’s most rewarding work came from his time with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the organization responsible for the Grammys now simply called the Recording Academy. As a trustee and governor, Dozier spoke at Grammy camps and career days in schools imparting his vast knowledge of the recording industry on younger generations.
A decorated artist, one of the accomplishments Dozier was most proud of came from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music where Lamont was an Artist In Residence Professor for the first of its kind Popular Music Major. In 2007 he received the Thornton Legacy Award. The institution also established the Lamont Dozier Scholarship in perpetuity for its students, ensuring the master songwriter and producer’s legacy will continue to foster new generations of musicians for years to come.
