Mark Hollis

Mark David Hollis (4 January 1955 – 25 February 2019) was an English musician and singer-songwriter.

He achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s as the co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band 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".

Beginning in 1981 as a synth-pop group with a New Romanticimage, Talk Talk's sound became increasingly adventurous under Hollis's direction. For their third album, The Colour of Spring (1986), Talk Talk adopted an art pop sound that won critical and commercial favour; it remains their biggest commercial success. The band's final two albums, Spirit of Eden (1988) and Laughing Stock (1991), were radical departures from their early work, taking influence from jazz, folk, classical and experimental music. While they were commercial failures in their own time, these albums have come to be seen as early landmarks of post-rock music.

After Talk Talk disbanded in 1992, Hollis returned to music in 1998 with a self-titled solo album, which continued the direction of Talk Talk's sound but in a more minimal, spare, acoustic style. Following the release of his only solo album, Hollis largely retired from the recording industry.

On 25 February 2019, reports that Hollis had died emerged online, with posts from his family, collaborators and musical contemporaries acknowledging the death and offering condolences and tributes. Hollis's cause of death, date of death, and other circumstances are not yet known.

Biography

Early career

Hollis was born on 4 January 1955 in Tottenham, London.  He had two brothers, one older and one younger. As Hollis was a reluctant interviewee throughout his career, little is known about his early life. He attended Tollington School, a now-defunct grammar school in Muswell Hill, London. In one interview, he claimed to have quit pursuing an education before he had completed his A-levels; in another, he said he had taken a course in child psychology at the University of Sussex but dropped out after a year and a half.  Between school and the launch of his music career, he worked in factories and as a laboratory technician. Reflecting on this period in his life, he later said, "I could never wait to get home and start writing songs and lyrics. All day long I'd be jotting ideas down on bits of paper and just waiting for the moment when I could put it all down on tape!".

His older brother, Ed Hollis, became a disc jockey and producer who managed bands such as Eddie and the Hot Rods.

His music career started to come to fruition when he formed a band called "The Reaction". In 1977, "The Reaction" recorded a demo for Island Records; among the tracks was a Hollis original titled "Talk Talk Talk Talk" which later surfaced on the Beggars Banquet Records punk compilation Streets. After just one single, 1978's "I Can't Resist", The Reaction disbanded. Through his brother, Hollis was introduced to musicians Paul Webb, Lee Harris and Simon Brenner, with whom he formed Talk Talk in 1981, soon signing to the EMI label.

Talk Talk

Hollis is most famous as the lead singer and primary songwriter of the band Talk Talk, and was praised for his "always remarkable voice." He, along with Talk Talk's producer Tim Friese-Greene, took the lead in evolving the band's style from New Romantic into what later became known as post-rock.

Solo work

In 1998, he released an eponymous solo debut album, Mark Hollis, and then, according to a 2008 article in The Guardian, retired from music. However, he briefly participated in occasional musical projects, including playing melodica and bass guitar on Anja Garbarek's 2001 album Smiling & Waving, as well as producing two tracks on it. He stated about his decision to retire from performing, "I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can't go on tour and be a good dad at the same time." Despite Hollis' absence from the public eye, he continued to be mentioned in the music press as an example of an artist who refused to sacrifice his artistic ambition for commercial success and as a yardstick for current artists.

In 2004, Hollis resurfaced briefly to receive a Broadcast Music Inc. Award for having written "It's My Life". His withdrawal from the public continued to fascinate music critics. By the time his solo album was released Hollis had moved back from the countryside to London, to provide his two sons with a more cosmopolitan environment.

In 2012, a piece of specially commissioned music by Hollis entitled "ARB Section 1", was used in the television series Boss.

Personal life

As of 1998, Hollis lived in Wimbledon, London with his wife, a teacher, and his two children. Hollis's desire to spend more time with his family was a major reason that Talk Talk stopped touring after 1986.

Death

It was reported on 25 February 2019 that Mark Hollis had died, aged 64. The reports included a tweet from his cousin-in-law, the paediatrician Anthony Costello, and a tribute by Talk Talk’s bassist Paul Webb.

Discography

See also: Talk Talk discography Solo albums

• Mark Hollis (1998)

Collaborations

• Hollis played the solo track 'Piano' from the 1998 minimalist album AV 1, by Phill Brown and Dave Allinson, under the pseudonym John Cope, which was later included on the 2001 Talk Talk compilation album Missing Pieces.[citation needed]
• Hollis played piano on and co-wrote the track "Chaos" on the 1998 trip hop album Psyence Fiction by Unkle. (He later asked for his name to be removed from the album credits.)
• Hollis produced and arranged two tracks ("The Gown" and "Big Mouth") on Anja Garbarek's 2001 album Smiling & Waving.