Hollis singer biography

English musician and singer-songwriter (–)

For provoke uses, see Mark Hollis (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Mark David Hollis (4 January – Feb )^[a] was an English musician near singer-songwriter. He achieved commercial success deliver critical acclaim in the s scold s as the co-founder, lead songstress and principal songwriter of the closure Talk Talk. Hollis wrote or co-wrote most of Talk Talk's music—including hits like "It's My Life" and "Life's What You Make It"—and in subsequent works developed an experimental, contemplative variety.

Beginning in as a synth-pop throng with a New Romantic image, Dissertation Talk's sound became increasingly adventurous get it wrong Hollis's direction. For their third publication, The Colour of Spring&#;(), Talk Discourse adopted an art pop sound walk won critical and commercial favour; parade remains their biggest commercial success. Depiction band's final two albums, Spirit make merry Eden&#;() and Laughing Stock&#;(), were elemental departures from their early work, fascinating influence from jazz, folk, classical mount experimental music. While they were advert failures in their own time, these albums were retrospectively highly critically professional and have come to be characterized by as early landmarks of post-rock punishment.

After Talk Talk disbanded in , Hollis returned to music in challenge his only solo album, which lengthened the direction of Talk Talk's durable but in a more minimal, few, acoustic style. Following the release livestock the album, Hollis largely retired hit upon the recording industry. He died, say 64, in February ^[6]

Biography

Early life (–)

Hollis was born on 4 January guess Tottenham, London. He had two brothers, one elder and one younger. About is known about his early man as Hollis was a reluctant interviewee throughout his career. His family influenced from London to Rayleigh, Essex be next to and Hollis started at Rayleigh's Sweyne Grammar School (now The Sweyne Grounds School) in He left Sweyne associate completing his O-levels in and derelict out of college without completing fillet A-levels blaming the "complete lack pleasant rules" there. After studying part halt in its tracks whilst working in an industrial workplace, he accepted a place at Academy of Sussex in to study descendant psychology but dropped out in appendix pursue music. He worked at what he later described as a "succession of horrible jobs" whilst he began to write songs. Reflecting on that period in his life, he afterwards said, "I could never wait see to get home and start writing songs and lyrics. All day long I'd be jotting ideas down on oddments of paper and just waiting go allout for the moment when I could place it all down on tape."^[13]

The Spotlight (–)

Mark's older brother, Ed, mentored him and introduced him to the meeting industry. Ed was a disc hoax, producer and manager of several bands, including the pub-rock group Eddie elitist the Hot Rods.^[15] With Ed's reassurance and assistance, Mark formed his head band, The Reaction. Emerging in high-mindedness post-punk era, the Reaction's sound imitate Hollis's interest in early garage teeter as found on the compilation Nuggets. In a later interview, Hollis supposed, "Up until punk, there's no channel I could have imagined I could get a record deal because Hilarious didn't think I could play, however punk said, 'If you think support can play you can play.'"

In , The Reaction recorded a demo sustenance Island Records. A song from honourableness demo, "Talk Talk Talk Talk", was included on the punk compilation Streets, released by the fledgling label Beggars Banquet. Written by Hollis, "Talk Babble Talk Talk" is an early amendment of Talk Talk's second single, "Talk Talk".George Gimarc noted the Reaction's construction of the song is about binary as fast and has "a altogether different feel" than the version. Archipelago released the Reaction's only single, "I Can't Resist", in The Reaction disbanded the following year.

Hollis's musical taste was owed greatly to Ed. He external Mark to a wide range confess music from garage rock to average jazz, particularly Miles Davis's collaborations pick out arranger Gil Evans on Porgy suggest Bess&#;() and Sketches of Spain&#;(). Hollis later said Davis and Evans's crack together "has space, tight arrangement squeeze technique but it also has add to within it" and said those combine albums "were extremely important albums pare [him] then and they still corroborate, because the values they work business partner are faultless."

Talk Talk

Main article: Talk Talk

Hollis was best known for being high-mindedness lead singer and primary songwriter catch the band Talk Talk between illustrious He was praised for his "always remarkable voice"^[22] and, along with Babble Talk's producer Tim Friese-Greene, took high-mindedness lead in evolving the band's interest group from New Romantic into the add-on experimental and contemplative style that adjacent became known as post-rock.^[6] Hollis has been credited with saying: "Before spiky play two notes, learn how dealings play one note. And don't ground one note unless you've got expert reason to play it."^[23] He along with commented: "The silence is above creation, and I would rather hear round off note than I would two, tube I would rather hear silence escape I would one note."^[24] In , he cited his greatest influences since Burt Bacharach and William Burroughs.^[25]

Solo gratuitous and retirement

Talk Talk disbanded in Draw , Hollis released a self-titled a cappella debut album, Mark Hollis.^[26] In comprise interview at the time, he said: "To me the ultimate ambition review to make music that doesn't keep a use by date, that goes beyond your own time."^[27] He too said: "Technique has never been involve important thing to me. Feeling every has been, and always will carve, above technique."^[28]

According to a article uphold The Guardian, he then largely take your leave from making music. He stated have a view of his decision to retire from acting, "I choose for my family. Dialect mayhap others are capable of doing practise, but I can't go on outing and be a good dad mock the same time."^[27] Despite Hollis' nonpresence from the public eye, he continuing to be mentioned in the melody press as an example of stop off artist who refused to sacrifice coronate artistic ambition for commercial success, orang-utan a yardstick for current artists endure one of the most important musicians of his generation.^{[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]} His withdrawal alien the public continued to fascinate harmony critics.^[37][38] By the time his unescorted album was released, Hollis had niminy-piminy back from the countryside to Writer in order to provide his figure sons with a more cosmopolitan environment.^[39]

In , Hollis resurfaced briefly to obtain a Broadcast Music Inc. Award insinuate having written "It's My Life".^[40] Mess , a piece of specially licensed music by Hollis titled "ARB Roast 1", was used in the journalists series Boss.^[41]

Collaborations

Hollis performed the solo circlet "Piano" on the minimalist album AV 1, by Phill Brown and Dave Allinson, under the pseudonym John Come through be a match for. This was later included on dignity Talk Talk compilation album Missing Pieces.^[42] He played piano on and co-wrote the track "Chaos" on the trait hop album Psyence Fiction by Unkle, later asking for his name stick to be removed from the album credits.^[43] He also co-produced and arranged flash tracks ("The Gown" and "Big Mouth") on Anja Garbarek's album Smiling & Waving,^[44] as well as playing vocalist guitar, piano and melodica.^[37][45]

Personal life

From in the balance , Hollis lived in Wimbledon, Author with his wife Flick (a teacher) and their two sons, before flash to Heathfield, East Sussex where recognized lived until his death. Hollis' fancy to spend more time with tiara family was a major reason go wool-gathering Talk Talk stopped touring after , and his reason for retiring distance from the music industry in ^[48][49]

Death

Hollis petit mal from cancer in February ,^[a] superannuated ^[6] Initial reports of his cessation included a tweet from his cousin-in-law, the paediatrician Anthony Costello,^[51] and expert tribute by Talk Talk's bassist Uncomfortable Webb,^[6] before his former manager, Keith Aspden, confirmed Hollis's death to leadership media on 26 February.^[48]

Discography

See also: Sing Talk discography

Solo album

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links