Jools Holland

One of the most beloved faces on British television, Jools Holland has brought the freshest names in pop music into countless homes since the ‘80s. Born in London in 1958, Julian Miles Holland learned to play piano from a young age, favoring a boogie-woogie style that led him to become a session musician while still a teenager. In 1974, he formed the band Squeeze, which found success in the late-’70s New Wave era, but by that point, Holland had already begun releasing solo records. He branched into television in 1982, copresenting popular Channel 4 music program The Tube alongside Paula Yates. A decade later, he launched the iconic live music show Later... with Jools Holland, which has been a BBC fixture for over 30 years, welcoming the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Amy Winehouse. Never straying from his musical roots, he formed the Jools Holland Big Band in 1987, eventually growing into Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and releasing numerous collaborative records like 2004's R&B love letter Tom Jones & Jools Holland and 2017's guitar-led As You See Me Now with José Feliciano. In 2021, Holland released Pianola. PIANO & FRIENDS, which featured effervescent big-band arrangements and cameos from Ruby Turner and Herbie Hancock.