Dave Hollister

Long before teaming with Teddy Riley's Blackstreet, Chicago native Dave Hollister had already logged years as a seasoned contemporary R&B vocalist grounded in gospel and soul. In 1989 he supplied the lead vocal for Blakk Society's "Just Another Lonely Day," a mournful yet purifying house track produced by Larry Heard. Over the ensuing two years he contributed background vocals to sessions for Father MC and Hi-Five. As part of Force One Network he appeared on the Boyz N the Hood soundtrack; soon afterward he was featured, credited simply as Dave, on 2Pac's Top Ten R&B/hip-hop single "Brenda's Got a Baby." Following an album with Force One Network, he joined Blackstreet for the group's platinum-certified debut.

He left shortly afterward to launch a solo career that encompassed singing, songwriting, and production. His earliest solo recording, the Erick Sermon/Redman collaboration "Weekend," surfaced on the soundtrack for The Ride and was issued as a single in 1998. Dreamworks released his solo debut, Ghetto Hymns, in 1999, followed a year later by the autobiographical Chicago '85...The Movie. Both albums earned gold status, propelled by the Top Ten R&B/hip-hop singles "My Favorite Girl" and "One Woman Man." In 2002 Hollister transferred to Motown for Things in the Game Done Changed, an album that underperformed relative to its predecessors. He returned to Dreamworks the next year for Real Talk. Gospo Centric then issued 2006's The Book of David, Vol. 1: The Transition and 2008's Witness Protection, releases that reached or approached the summit of Billboard's gospel chart. Over the subsequent decade he shifted back to secular material, recording intermittently while cycling through additional labels. Chicago Winds...The Saga Continues appeared on eOne in 2014, and Shanachie released The MANuscript two years later.