Jools Holland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jools Holland OBE DL
Holland at the British Academy Television Awards 2009
Born	Julian Miles Holland (1958-01-24) 24 January 1958 (age 67) Blackheath, London, England
Occupation	Musician composer television presenter bandleader
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	Christabel McEwen ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	3
Musical career
Genres	Boogie-woogie jazz blues R&B punk rock new wave ska
Instruments	Piano keyboards vocals
Labels	EastWest, I.R.S. Records
YouTube information
Genre	Music
Subscribers	33.9K
Total views	6,889,544

Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is a famous English pianist, bandleader, singer, and television presenter. He was one of the first members of the band Squeeze. Jools has worked with many well-known artists. These include Marc Almond, Tom Jones, Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, David Gilmour, Ringo Starr, Bono, Rod Stewart, and Amy Winehouse.

From 1982 to 1987, Holland helped present a music TV show called The Tube. Since 1992, he has hosted Later... with Jools Holland on BBC2. This popular music show also features his yearly special, Hootenanny. Jools Holland has also written books and appears on other TV shows. He used to host a show on BBC Radio 2.

In 2004, he made an album of traditional R&B music with Welsh singer Tom Jones. In 2024, he achieved his first UK number one album. This album, Swing Fever, was a collaboration with Rod Stewart.

About Jools Holland

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Jools Holland was born on 24 January 1958 in Blackheath, southeast London. He showed musical talent from a young age. By the time he was eight, he could play the piano very well just by listening. In his early teenage years, he often performed in pubs around southeast London and the East End Docks.

Holland went to Shooters Hill Grammar School. He was asked to leave the school after damaging a teacher's car.

Starting a Music Career

Jools Holland began his career as a session musician. This means he played music for recordings without being a permanent band member.

He was a founding member of the British pop band Squeeze, which started in March 1974. He played keyboards for the band until 1980. He played on their first three albums: Squeeze, Cool for Cats, and Argybargy. After this, he started his own solo music career.

Holland began releasing his own music in 1978. His first record was an EP called Boogie Woogie '78. He continued his solo work in the early 1980s, releasing an album and several singles.

Jools Holland on Television

Jools Holland also started working in television. He co-presented the TV music show The Tube from Newcastle with Paula Yates. He was briefly suspended from the show for using a strong phrase in a TV advertisement. He later mentioned this in his comedy show The Groovy Fellers.

In 1985, the band Squeeze got back together, and Jools Holland rejoined them as their keyboard player. He stayed with the band until 1990. Then, he left again to focus on his solo music and TV hosting career.

Since 1992, Jools Holland has hosted the music show Later... with Jools Holland. He also hosts the yearly New Year's Eve special, Hootenanny.

Holland and his R&B Orchestra performing at GuilFest 2012

Jools Holland's Orchestra

In 1987, Holland formed the Jools Holland Big Band. This group grew over time and was renamed Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. By May 2022, it was a 17-piece orchestra. It includes singers Louise Marshall, Ruby Turner, and Holland's daughter Mabel Ray. His younger brother, Christopher Holland, also plays keyboards and sings.

In 1996, Holland signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. His music is now sold through Rhino Records.

Collaborations and Recent Music

On 29 November 2002, Holland was part of a group of musicians who performed at the Concert for George. This concert celebrated the music of George Harrison. In January 2005, Holland and his band performed with Eric Clapton at the Tsunami Relief Cardiff event.

In 2004, he worked with Welsh singer Tom Jones on an album of traditional R&B music.

Jools Holland used to host a show on BBC Radio 2 called Jools Holland. It featured live and recorded music, chats, and studio guests. He currently hosts Earlier with Jools Holland on BBC Radio 3 on Saturdays.

In March 2023, a new supergroup called The Barnestormers was formed. It includes Jools Holland, Jimmy Barnes, Chris Cheney, Slim Jim Phantom, and Kevin Shirley. They released a self-titled album on 26 May 2023.

In 2024, he achieved his first UK number one album with Swing Fever, a collaboration with Rod Stewart.

Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra at Guilfest 2012

Jools Holland's Life Outside Music

Family and Home

As a teenager, Jools Holland lived with his grandparents. He has a son, George, and a daughter, Rose, from a previous relationship. On 30 August 2005, Holland married Christabel McEwen. They had been together for 15 years. Christabel is the daughter of artist Rory McEwen. They have a daughter named Mabel.

Holland lives in Westcombe Park, southeast London. He built his studio, Helicon Mountain, there. Its design was inspired by Portmeirion, a village used in the 1960s TV series The Prisoner. He also owns a manor house near Cooling Castle in Kent.

Hobbies and Interests

Jools Holland has a fascinating hobby: building a large model railway in his attic. It is about 100-foot (30 m) long. He spent ten years creating miniature buildings and landscapes that stretch from Berlin to London. He used old photographs and paintings of London from the early 1960s as inspiration. He enjoys building trains and buildings, then watching the trains move around while listening to music.

He appeared on the cover of Railway Modeller magazine in January 2019.

Awards and Recognition

In 2003, Jools Holland received an OBE. This award was for his contributions to the British music industry as a television presenter and musician. In September 2006, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Kent. He also became an honorary fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University in 2009. In 2011, he was appointed honorary colonel of 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment. Since 2018, Holland has been the President of the British Watch & Clock Makers Guild.

Jools Holland has also performed for charity events. In June 2006, he performed in Southend for the HIV/AIDS charity Mildmay. In early 2007, he performed at Wells and Rochester Cathedrals to raise money for maintaining these historic buildings. He is also a patron of Drake Music, a charity that helps disabled people make music.

Other Creative Work

Holland is a big fan of the 1960s TV series The Prisoner. In 1987, he starred in a spoof documentary called The Laughing Prisoner. He appeared alongside Stephen Fry, Terence Alexander, and Hugh Laurie. Much of it was filmed in Portmeirion, where The Prisoner was set.

Jools Holland was an interviewer for The Beatles Anthology TV project. He also appeared in the 1997 film Spiceworld as a musical director.

In 2009, Holland asked for a replica of the Rover JET1 car to be built for his personal use. This was shown in the TV series Bangla Bangers (also known as Chop Shop).

Books by Jools Holland

Jools Holland has written several books:

• "Rolling Stones": A Life on the Road (with Dora Loewenstein), Viking/Allen Lane (1998)
• Beat Route: Journeys Through Six Counties, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1998)
• Ray Charles: Man and Music, (with Michael Lydon), Payback Press (1999)
• Hand That Changed Its Mind, International Music Publications (2007)
• Barefaced ... and Boogie-woogie Boasts, Penguin Books (2007)

Discography

Albums that Reached the Charts

Other Music Releases

Guest Appearances on Albums

Film and Television Appearances

Current Television Programmes

• 1992–present Later... with Jools Holland
• 1993–present Hootenanny
• 2020–present Celebrity Gogglebox with Vic Reeves

See also

In Spanish: Jools Holland para niños