Amy Celeste Boersma, known professionally as Amy Holland, is an American pop rock singer, songwriter, and composer. Holland's music career spans more than 30 years. She received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for Best New Artist in 1981, following her eponymous debut album containing the single " How Do I Survive".

Early life

Amy Celeste Boersma was born in

Palisades, New York Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing (pronounced SNEE-dens), is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York. It is located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west o ...

, into a musical family. Her mother was

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer Esmereldy and her father was

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singer Harry Boersma. Holland is of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

descent and changed her name from Boersma to Holland (after her ancestors' origin country), because she thought it would make a better

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

. As a teenager, Holland moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, in hope of making a career as a singer-songwriter. At the age of 15 she auditioned for

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

Brother Records Brother Records, Inc. (BRI) is an American holding company and record label established in 1966 that owns the intellectual property rights of the Beach Boys, including "The Beach Boys" trademark. It was founded by brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis ...

, but after the company folded, she signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

instead.

Musical career

Holland's eponymous debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, produced by

the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

' former lead singer Michael McDonald, was released in 1980 and featured the hit " How Do I Survive", which peaked at No. 22 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Her second studio album titled ''

On Your Every Word ''On Your Every Word'' is the second studio album released by Amy Holland in 1983. This was her last studio album, before she spent the rest of the 1980s recording songs for film soundtracks such as '' Scarface'', ''Teen Wolf'', ''Night of the Co ...

'' followed in 1983, featuring the single "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" a duet with

Chris Christian Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951 is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena East ...

, which peaked at No. 88 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it also peaked at No. 21 on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. That same year she contributed two songs to the soundtrack to the film '' Scarface''. One of the songs Holland recorded for ''Scarface'', " She's on Fire", was also featured in the video game ''

Grand Theft Auto III ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 1999's ''Grand Theft Auto 2'', and the fifth instalment o ...

''. Holland went on to sing backing vocals on McDonald's albums, in addition to singing backing vocals on albums by other artists and bands such as

First Call "First Call" is a bugle call with three distinct meanings. U.S. military use At a U.S. military installation it is a pre-reveille "courtesy" signal, sounded around 05:50, originally to assemble the trumpeters to deliver the reveille that would b ...

. In 2008, Holland released her third studio album, '' The Journey to Miracle River'', on Chonin Records. Produced by her long-time friend

Bernie Chiaravalle Bernie Chiaravalle (born August 11, 1953) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is known for backing up Michael McDonald. Career Chiaravalle was born in Port Hueneme, California. He studied piano as a child and still plays it. Ac ...

(singer/guitarist for McDonald since 1988), the album was recorded in Nashville over an 8-year period. Holland co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs with Chiaravalle along with other writers John Goodwin,

Jon Vezner Jon Vezner (born June 6, 1951) is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for his work with Kathy Mattea, to whom he has been married since 1988. Vezner began working as a songwriter in Minnesota and later moved to Nashville, Tenne ...

, and McDonald. Other songs were also penned by

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Springfield ...

and Chazz Frichtel. This album marked Holland's return to the music industry after several years of hiatus to raise a family and deal with health issues. In 2016, she released her fourth studio album, '' Light On My Path''. The album features a duet, "Prove That by Me" with Michael McDonald, in addition to background vocals by

David Pack David Robert Pack (born July 15, 1952) is an American singer and musician who co-founded the rock band Ambrosia (band), Ambrosia in the 1970s. Career As performer Pack was co-founder, guitarist and main vocalist for the band Ambrosia (band), A ...

(Ambrosia),

Joseph Williams (musician) Joseph Stanley Williams (born September 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and film score composer, best known for his work in the rock band Toto, which he fronted as lead vocalist from 1986 to 1988, 2010 to 2019 and again since 2020. ...

(Toto), and

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

Personal life

Holland has been married to Michael McDonald since 1983. The couple live in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

, and they have two children, Dylan and Scarlett. In 1995, Holland was diagnosed with cancer, and after many years of therapy, she is now in good health.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Amy Holland Amy Celeste Boersma, known professionally as Amy Holland, is an American pop rock singer, songwriter, and composer. Holland's music career spans more than 30 years. She received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 1981, following h ...

'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

, 1980) U.S. #146 *''

'' (Capitol, 1983) (re-released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

in 2005) *'' The Journey to Miracle River'' (Chonin, 2008) *'' Light On My Path'' (Choni, 2016)

Singles

*" How Do I Survive?" US #22, US AC #34 *"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing/You're All I Need to Get By" (duet with

) US #88, US AC #21 *"Anytime You Want Me" US #110 *"

Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" is a song recorded by the American quartet Four Tops for their third studio album, '' On Top'' (1966). It was released in February 1966 as a 7" vinyl single through Motown records. It was written and produced ...

" *"(I Hang) On Your Every Word" *"I'll Never Give Up" *" She's on Fire" *" Turn Out the Night" *"Learn to Love Again" (duet with Chris Farren) *"Shootin' For the Moon"

Filmography

Film soundtracks

*'' Scarface'' (1983) — "Turn Out the Night" (miscredited as "Turn Out the Light") and "She's on Fire" *''

Night of the Comet ''Night of the Comet'' is a 1984 American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Thom Eberhardt. It stars Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney as survivors of a comet that has turned most people into ei ...

'' (1984) — "Learn to Love Again" (duet with Chris Farren) *''

Love Lives On Love Lives On is a fact-based TV film that aired on ABC on April 1, 1985. It was directed by Larry Peerce and starred Mary Stuart Masterson. Plot Susan Wallace (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a 14-year-old girl addicted to drugs. After getting high ...

'' (1985) — "Lullaby" (duet with David Palmer) *''

Teen Wolf ''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age romantic fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is changed ...

'' (1985) — "Shooting for the Moon" *''

St. Elmo's Fire St. Elmo's fire — also called Witchfire or Witch's Fire — is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney, or animal hornHeidorn, K., Weather Element ...

'' (1985) — "For Just a Moment (Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire)" (duet with

Donny Gerrard Donald Bradford Gerrard (March 19, 1946 – February 3, 2022), known professionally as Donny Gerrard was a Canadian singer. He was a member of the band Skylark in the early 1970s, and in later years performed and recorded as a baritone backup si ...

) *''

Square Dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...

'' (1987) — "Home" *''The Lion of Africa'' (1987) — "Nothin' We Can Do" (duet with Chris Farren) *'' K-9'' (1989) — "

Iko Iko "Iko Iko" () is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and released in 1953 as a sin ...

Television

*''Young Oh! Oh!'' (1980) — "How Do I Survive" *'' Solid Gold'' (1980) — "How Do I Survive" *''Auf Los Geht's Los'' (1980) — "Strengthen My Love", "How Do I Survive", "Stars" *''Toppop'' (1980) — "How Do I Survive", "Stars" *''

The Kenny Everett Video Show ''The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (later renamed ''The Kenny Everett Video Cassette'') is a British television comedy and music programme that was made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981. Overview Philip Jones, Tham ...

'' (1980) — "Strengthen My Love", "How Do I Survive", "Show Me the Way Home" *''

Music Fair is a Japanese music show. It is broadcast by Fuji Television. The shows started in 1964 and it is the longest-running Japanese music show and is sponsored by Shionogi. Current airtime 18:00 -18:30 (JST) every Saturday. Hosts * Fubuki Koshiji ...

'' (1980) — "How Do I Survive" *''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' (1983) — "(I Hang) On Your Every Word", "

" *''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' (1994) — "All I Know" (duet with Michael McDonald)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Amy 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American singers 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American singers American pop musicians American people of Dutch descent Capitol Records artists Living people Scarface (1983 film) Songwriters from New York (state) People from Palisades, New York 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers Year of birth missing (living people)