Jools Holland

About Jools Holland

Jools Holland OBE DL was born Julian Miles Holland on 24th January 1958 in Blackheath, South East London.

By the age of eight, he could play the piano fluently by ear, and by his early teens, he was proficient and confident enough to perform regularly in pubs across South East London and the East End Docks.

At 15, Jools was introduced to Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, joining Squeeze shortly afterward, followed by Gilson Lavis, who had previously played with B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Max Wall. Lavis remains Jools’ drummer to this day. With hits like Up The Junction and Cool For Cats, Squeeze achieved meteoric success, extending their popularity to America, where they performed at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

In 1987, Jools formed The Jools Holland Big Band, originally comprising himself and Gilson Lavis. Over time, this evolved into the 19-piece Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, featuring a pianist, organist, drummer, three female vocalists, guitar, bass guitar, two tenor saxophones, two alto saxophones, a baritone saxophone, three trumpets, and three trombones. The band has been touring annually for over three decades.

Alongside their formidable live performances, Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra have maintained a prolific recording career since signing with Warner Music in 1996. The multimillion-selling Jools Holland and Friends series has featured collaborations with Sting, Chrissie Hynde, George Harrison, Norah Jones, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Bono, Joe Strummer, KT Tunstall, Robert Plant, Smokey Robinson, Kylie Minogue, Marc Almond, Ringo Starr, Peter Gabriel, Solomon Burke, and many more. Additional collaborations include full albums with Tom Jones, Marc Almond, José Feliciano, Ruby Turner, and projects such as Golden Age Of Song and Sirens Of Song. In 2023, Jools celebrated a No. 1 album with Swing Fever, a collaboration with Sir Rod Stewart.

Jools’ television career has run parallel to his musical success. He began in the early 1980s, interviewing The Police for a documentary filmed at George Martin’s Montserrat studio. He later auditioned to co-present The Tube with Paula Yates, a show that achieved cult status from 1981 to 1986, introducing a new generation of musicians and comedians. During this time, Jools secured a rare interview with Miles Davis, broadcast on 14th November 1986.

In two subsequent documentaries—Walking to New Orleans (1985) and Mr Roadrunner (1991)—Jools explored the roots of American music, playing alongside his heroes, including Fats Domino, Dr. John, and Lee Dorsey.

Between 1988 and 1990, Jools co-hosted (with David Sanborn) two seasons of the critically acclaimed NBC music show Night Music. He later presented two series of Juke Box Jury in 1989 and hosted 26 episodes of The Happening in 1990. In 1992, Jools was invited to host a new music programme for BBC Two that would combine his musicianship with his presenting skills. The result was Later… with Jools Holland, which has rekindled the innovative spirit of The Tube and recently completed its 65th series. His annual Hootenanny has now been a New Year's Eve staple for 32 years.

A personal career highlight was winning a Sony Radio Academy Silver Award for Best Specialist Music Programme in 2010 for his acclaimed BBC Radio 2 show, which ran for 20 years. This was followed by the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Music Broadcaster of the Year in 2012.

In 2024, Jools launched a new collaborative broadcasting venture with BBC Radio 3: Earlier with… Jools Holland, where he shares his love and knowledge of classical music.

Book now and see Jools Holland's live performance at The Runnymede on Thames.