Photos courtesy of Amy Holland
February 25, 1981, marked one of the most important dates in singer Amy Holland’s life and career.
Bolstered by the success of a Number 22 Billboard Hot 100 hit over the prior six months, Holland found herself in the running for a “Best New Artist” Grammy at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Other nominees included “Fame” chanteuse Irene Cara, Robbie Dupree (of “Steal Away” and “Hot Rod Hearts” success), some band called the Pretenders, and a Texas musician on his way to becoming one of the most unique success stories in the history of popular music. His name was Christopher Cross.
Accompanying Holland to the ceremony was her producer — and future husband — Steely Dan alumnus and then Doobie Brother Michael McDonald.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was blown away. It was so surreal to be there with all these people — half of them I had seen on TV the year before,” Holland told me. “Here I was sitting in an audience with them hearing my name announced and hearing my record being played. That was as good as it gets for me.”
Yet Holland’s moment in the spotlight was thwarted by an unexpected element of surprise: “It’s funny, somebody has us move our seats right before the category and they announced my name. I didn’t get shown on TV, so I was always really bummed about that because it looked like I didn’t show or something and I was there.”
Cross would win the trophy, becoming the first artist in Grammy history to win all four General Field awards in a single ceremony — “Best New Artist,” “Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” and “Album of the Year.” In a unique bit of irony, McDonald arguably had a hand in this success given his soulful vocals appear prominently on Cross’ debut album, especially on standout tracks “I Really Don’t Know Anymore” and the stellar “Ride Like The Wind.”
***
What seems like a somewhat meteoric rise for Holland actually took years to accomplish. This year marks the 40th anniversary of her breakout eponymous debut album — a terrific amalgam of hook and balladry seamlessly complementing the era’s powerful soft rock movement filtered through such artists and bands as Cross, Kenny Loggins, Ambrosia, and Pablo Cruise. The album even has tinges of country within it — sounding on a first impression like something recorded by the wholly underrated Nicolette Larson (“Lotta Love”).
As Holland told me: “I’ve done recording sessions — this was an experience.”
A professional singer since age 16, Holland first came to know McDonald when both set about making their own marks on the music scene in the early 1970s. They would then lose touch for five years. In that time, McDonald would send Steely Dan to the musical stratosphere and help helm the Doobies, filling the void left behind by the departure of singer and guitarist Tom Johnston. At a Doobies concert at the Los Angeles Forum, Holland would take a leap of fate, leaving a note for McDonald via the band’s light man with words of support and a phone number.
McDonald would call days later, after finding the slip of paper in his pocket. He and Holland, with McDonald’s songwriting collaborator Patrick Henderson, would unit and record demos. Henderson would serve as co-producer on Amy Holland.
“They did the demo on me and Capitol [Records] heard it and said, ‘Well, we’ll sign her if you [McDonald] produce it,” she said. “It couldn’t have been at a worse time in (Michael’s) career because his career was just exploding. The Doobies were on the road six months out of the year. It took us about three years to do the record because he was on the road all the time.”
While McDonald plays a crucial role on Amy Holland, co-producing, writing specific songs, singing background vocals, and playing keyboards, Holland and her honey-enriched voice deserve the spotlight and are the reason this work deserves a fresh listen all these years later. Standout songs include “Here In The Light,” a sultry cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I’m Wondering,” “Holding On To You,” and a beautiful cover of Dan Fogelberg’s 1972 Home Free track “Stars.”
“I had a big part in picking the material. People were submitting material for the album and certainly Mike and Patrick [Henderson] were trying to write things. Mike had some things that were already written that I did. He brought in a couple of old songs and things like that,” Holland told me. “It’s funny, the Dan Fogelberg song was one of my favorite songs on the record. I just loved the way that song turned out. I loved the production they did on that. I was a Dan Fogelberg fan but that didn’t draw me to the song…When I heard it I went, ‘I need to try that song.’ That was one of the favorite things I’ve ever done.”
Holland adds another key musical influence helped shape her debut album.
“I was very influenced by my mother actually. My mother [Esmereldy] was a singer back in the 40s and she had a certain style and she had a break in her voice and that’s where I got my style from,” she said. “Aside from being influenced by my contemporaries, which I definitely was, I had a lot of influence from my mom.”
And then there’s “How Do I Survive” — the song that put Holland on the charts and helped secure her a seat at the 1981 Grammys. Written by Paul Bliss, the tune is the album’s opener. Its instrumental bounce, in tandem with Holland’s powerful vocal, make for a winning combination.
“We heard that song and we went, ‘Oh we got to try that one. It just sounds like a lot of fun,” she told me. “The day we cut that track we knew we came away with something — it was just that much fun. There was so much magic in the room; there was so much laughter. The group of musicians were so great, and we had so much fun that day. It really felt like we walked away with something.”
She adds: “It was the obvious single off the whole record. Nobody disagreed.”
However, the song was not an immediate breakout hit. It would take the magic of maestro manager Irving Azorf to land “How Do I Survive” on radio airwaves.
“Irving Azorf was managing Michael at the time and Irving called Mike and said, ‘Hey, nobody’s doing anything with Amy’s record; do you want me to jump on it?’ And he said, ‘Yeah,’ Holland said. “Well the next thing I know I’m driving down the road and my record comes on in the car. I thought I was going to wreck the car. Pretty soon it was all over the radio. That was really, really cool to just be hearing my record everywhere. I never dreamed in my wildest that would happen.”
Leading up to the Grammys, Holland would bring “How Do I Survive” to the television masses, performing on several talk and music shows. Yet apart from a small promotional tour in Japan, Holland did not tour behind the song and album.
“Apparently, Capitol did not expect the record to do anything…As much noise as my record did make on its own, I didn’t get a lot of support from the label and certainly not touring. And being my first record, I didn’t know what to ask for. I just went along. All I knew was my record was on the radio so I wasn’t unhappy,” Holland said. “It wasn’t in the stores. It wasn’t distributed right. People would go to buy it and they couldn’t find it, so unfortunately sales didn’t reflect what was going on on the radio. It was really a shame.”
***
Holland would record just one more album for Capitol — 1983’s On Your Every Word, a work containing a harder instrumental sound but with its own set of standout tunes, including “Hurts a Little Bit,” “Anytime You Want Me,” “I Still Run To You” (a duet with David Pack), and a remake of the Four Tops classic “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)” straight out of the 1980s. McDonald and Henderson would helm production for this album as well. Her voice has also been showcased on soundtracks from some of the era’s greatest films — Scarface (“She’s On Fire”) and St. Elmo’s Fire (“For Just A Moment”) included.
In subsequent years, Holland has released two other albums on her and McDonald’s own label (Chonin Records) — The Journey to Miracle River (2008) and Light On My Path (2016). While she is not currently recording new music, she continues to assist with McDonald’s projects and finds herself in the “rumbling stage” of writing.
Oh, and as for Cross snagging the “Best New Artist” Grammy from Holland all those years ago — to this day, the occasion is still cause for celebration.
“Christopher Cross is a really good friend of ours, so I tell people today, ‘At least I lost to a friend,’” she told me. “I didn’t have the chart that he did but I was happy for him. There are no losers in that game.”
***
Share your feedback and suggestions for future columns with Ira at [email protected].
