Jools Holland

Jools Holland transformed his exceptional command of boogie-woogie piano into a platform for national renown as a television presenter, earning an OBE in recognition of the extraordinary popularity his broadcasting role achieved across Britain. This path proved unexpected for the keyboardist whose initial recognition came as a founding member of Squeeze, one of the prominent New Wave acts during the 1970s and 1980s. He departed the group shortly before its peak commercial period, moving into a co-presenting role on The Tube alongside Paula Yates. Holland rejoined Squeeze temporarily and assembled his jump blues ensemble the Jools Holland Big Band in the interim, yet broadcasting emerged as his primary vocation. The 1992 debut of Later…With Jools Holland established a live music series that evolved into a fixture of British culture, remaining on air through the 2020s. Throughout the program’s run, he sustained recording and touring commitments with the Jools Holland Big Band while pursuing additional ventures such as duet albums alongside Jose Feliciano, Marc Almond, and Rod Stewart.

Julian Miles Holland entered the world on January 24, 1958, in London. From childhood he displayed an aptitude for the piano, absorbing the fundamentals of boogie-woogie technique from an uncle at age eight. Though his singing voice lacked conventional polish, the youthful Jools cultivated a reedy, nasal delivery that he shaped into an energetic, cockney-inflected style perfectly suited to his buoyant, exuberant keyboard work. During adolescence he began earning payment for performances in clubs and pubs throughout South London and the East End. In 1974, at only sixteen, he took the keyboard position in Squeeze’s original formation, which issued its inaugural release, the EP Packet of Three, in 1977, followed by a full-length album the next year. The band swiftly ascended the upper tiers of the U.K. charts with the new wave singles “Take Me I’m Yours” and “Bang Bang,” both from 1978 and written by Squeeze principals Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook.

That same year Holland issued his first solo effort, the five-track 7-inch EP Boogie Woogie ’78, which highlighted his affinity for boogie-woogie, R&B, and jazz more directly than Squeeze’s pop-focused output. He remained with Squeeze until 1980, contributing keyboards to successive classic singles composed by Difford and Tilbrook, among them “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Another Nail in My Heart,” and “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell),” the last featuring a notable piano solo by Holland. His own compositional and frontman contributions to the band were confined to B-sides and album tracks.

In 1980 Holland departed Squeeze on cordial terms to pursue a solo path exclusively. He surfaced in 1981 fronting Jools Holland & His Millionaires, a six-piece guitar-less unit in which he handled lead vocals, keys, and conceptual direction, joined by Pino Palladino on bass, Martin T. Deegan on drums, Mike Paice on saxophone, and backing vocalists the Fabulous Wealthy Tarts (Kim Lesley and Maz Roberts). Their sole self-titled album, produced by Glyn Johns and incorporating lyrics from Difford, failed commercially despite the involvement of these figures. The Millionaires soon dissolved, though Holland maintained individual working relationships with each member for the remainder of his solo endeavors.

Over the ensuing years he engaged in session recordings for acts including the The and released a pair of U.K. solo singles later compiled on the U.S.-only Jools Holland Meets Rock-a-Boogie Billy (1984). Around this period he also secured the hosting position on the influential British music program The Tube, which weekly showcased both established and emerging artists. The series achieved immediate critical and popular acclaim, elevating the vivacious South Londoner to household-name status in Britain and exposing international audiences to substantial musical discoveries.

In 1985 Difford and Tilbrook elected to reconstitute Squeeze and invited Holland’s return after the band had persisted two years beyond his exit before disbanding at the close of 1982. He accepted, and by year’s end the album Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti appeared, credited with keyboards by “Julian Holland.” For the following five years the television personality functioned primarily as a sideman on Squeeze recordings, his piano nonetheless forming an essential element of the group’s mid-’80s pop sound with its subtle Beatlesque leanings. During this interval Squeeze attained its greatest American success with the Top 20 single “Hourglass,” and Holland performed with the band at Madison Square Garden. His concurrent U.S. profile assisted in securing a co-hosting role on NBC’s Night Music, a live-studio jazz, blues, and pop series that cultivated a devoted following during its brief run and later served as a model for programs such as Sessions at West 54th.

By 1990, however, Holland continued to receive only sporadic opportunities to display his abilities on album tracks, prompting another amicable exit from Squeeze to revive his solo work. Reassuming the name “Jools,” he released World of His Own, blending boogie-woogie with contemporary textures and drawing contributions from his Squeeze colleagues, the former Millionaires, and acquaintance Sting. The more explicitly swing- and R&B-oriented The Full Complement followed in 1991. These efforts achieved modest sales without generating hit singles, marking the point at which Holland increasingly registered in Britain as a television figure who also recorded rather than a recording artist who occasionally appeared on screen. Although his discography remained active, his broadcasting prominence accelerated markedly with the 1992 launch of Later with Jools Holland, a long-running late-night showcase that hosted an extensive roster of performers including Tori Amos, David Bowie, Rickie Lee Jones, B.B. King, and the Verve, becoming essential viewing for musically inclined British audiences.

To manage his commitments, Holland subsequently concentrated several releases on keyboard performance alone, issuing The A to Z Geographer’s Guide to the Piano (1992) and Solo Piano (1994). He also assembled three compilations surveying piano traditions—Boogie Woogie Piano, Ragtime Piano, and Solo Piano—all from 1995—and maintained an active session schedule throughout the decade, appearing on recordings by Dr. John, Eddi Reader, Marcella Detroit, and additional artists.

By the mid-’90s his stature as a presenter, extensive network of celebrity contacts, and established musical reputation enabled him to assemble and tour with a full-scale 1940s-style big band. Subsequent albums, credited to Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and spanning swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and jazz, frequently incorporated prominent guest vocalists; these included Live Performance (1994), Sex & Jazz & Rock & Roll (1996), and Lift the Lid (1997), the last featuring Sam Brown on several vocals. A 1998 compilation, Best of Jools Holland, gathered selections from these ’90s projects.

Entering the new century without slackening his pace—still averaging two big-band performances weekly across the U.K. while continuing to host Later—Holland issued Sunset Over London in 1999, with appearances by Jamiroquai and actor Robbie Coltrane, followed by Hop the Wag in 2000. In 2001 the Valley label released The Swing Album, a U.S. compilation drawn from his big-band swing material and his first stateside issue in more than ten years.

Later that year he directed his ensemble through an all-star project featuring Steve Winwood, Paul Weller, Sting, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, and numerous others. Released in the U.K. as Small World Big Band and in the U.S. as Jools Holland’s Big Band Rhythm & Blues, the album drew notice for including George Harrison’s final recorded song and performance, delivered shortly before the musician’s death after the U.K. release. The U.S. edition arrived in early 2002 to favorable notices, though initial commentary centered chiefly on Harrison. Holland spent the remainder of the year touring Britain and making frequent radio and television appearances.

The 2000s saw Holland deliver at least one notable album annually while extending the collaborative series. Small World Big Band, Vol. 2: More Friends appeared in 2002, followed by Small World Big Band Friends, Vol. 3: Jack o the Green in 2003. In 2004 he partnered with Tom Jones on Tom Jones & Jools Holland, then resumed the expansive big-band format with Beatroute and Swinging the Blues Dancing the Ska in 2005. For 2006 he explored classic country material on Moving Out to the Country, which incorporated an array of guests from Mark Knopfler to Marc Almond. Best of Friends arrived in 2007, succeeded in 2008 by The Informer, a further collaboration with British soul singer Ruby Turner, alongside the anthology The Collection.

Holland maintained his central position in British music through his BBC program and regular recording. Rockinghorse emerged in 2010; two years later the star-studded Golden Age of Song appeared in time for the holiday season. In 2014 he released Sirens of Song, an album pairing him with a different female vocalist on each track, among them Kylie Minogue, Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, and Eartha Kitt. Ruby Turner, a member of the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra since its early-’90s origins, also appeared and reunited with Holland in 2015 for Jools & Ruby, which additionally marked the twentieth anniversary of his association with Warner Music. In 2016 he issued Piano, a project reflecting his enduring connection to the instrument through eight original pieces and ten selections by admired composers, including a Brian Eno contribution on backing vocals for the closing track. Collaborative work continued with As You See Me Now alongside Jose Feliciano in 2017 and A Lovely Life to Live with Marc Almond in 2018.

Holland returned in 2022 with the star-studded Pianola. Piano & Friends, featuring Trombone Shorty, David Gilmour, Dhani Harrison, Tom Jones, and David Sanborn. Two years afterward he joined Rod Stewart for Swing Fever, a set of jump blues and boogie-woogie recorded live in the studio with the Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.