Neville John "Noddy" HolderMBE (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the English rock band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s.[2] Known for his unique and powerful voice, Holder co-wrote most of Slade's material with bass guitarist Jim Lea including "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Merry Xmas Everybody". After leaving Slade in 1992, he diversified into television and radio work, notably starring in the ITV comedy-drama series The Grimleys (1999–2001).
He formed a group called the Rockin' Phantoms with school friends at the age of 13, and with money earned from a part-time job, he bought a guitar and an amplifier.[4] He also used his father's window-cleaning van to drive Robert Plant to gigs with Plant's band at the time, the Tennessee Teens (he would later go on to co-found Led Zeppelin).[6] Holder started his own band called the Memphis Cutouts and then, with Steve Brett & The Mavericks[7] in the early '60s, recorded four singles for EMI's Columbia label.[8]
Holder in his stage gear, in 1973, with Dave Hill behind him
In 1966, drummer Don Powell persuaded Holder to join The N' Betweens, a group which already included guitarist Dave Hill and bass guitarist/ keyboard player/violinist/songwriter Jim Lea. Together they formed the band Ambrose Slade, eventually to become Slade, one of Britain's top-selling rock bands. Lea and Holder turned out to be the group's most successful song-writing partnership, composing almost all of the band's songs. The band clocked up 21 hit singles and released 15 albums with their original line-up.
Slade are particularly remembered for "Merry Xmas Everybody",[9] written by Holder and Lea. Holder recorded the single with Slade in 1973, and the song became the band's sixth number one and the third Slade single to go straight in at number one in the UK Singles Chart.[10] "Merry Xmas Everybody" has seen 1.32 million copies being sold in the UK alone.[10]
After 26 years with Slade, Holder left[11] in 1992, to pursue a career away from music, with regular stints as radio presenter, television personality, actor and voice-over artist.
Other work
In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, Holder was offered the chance to join AC/DC but declined because, as he put it; "my loyalty was to Slade".[12]
During 1982, Holder branched into production and worked with his old school friend Phil Burnell and his band Three Phase on one single "All I Want To Do Is (Fall in Love With You)", which was the band's only release. Holder and Burnell produced the single together, and it was published under Noddy Holder Music Ltd./Whild John Music Ltd., and released via Speed Records. The single did not enter the UK chart, as it received limited promotion.[13][14]
During late 1983, Holder did some production work with the American band the First, who came over to the UK from Boston, Massachusetts, in America, especially to work with him, although there was never any release of material.[13] In late 1983, both Holder and Lea produced Girlschool's cover of the T-Rex song "20th Century Boy" and then the parent album Play Dirty which featured two Slade tracks, "Burning in the Heat of Love" and "High and Dry".[15] The "High and Dry" track was originally written for Girlschool but still appeared on Slade's album that same year.[16] In 1985, Holder co-wrote, and sang backing vocals on, the single "Citizen Kane" which Lea released under his own name.[17]
In 1988, Holder recorded "Tear into the Weekend" for a Pepsi commercial in Canada. In 1989, Holder provided vocals to help out Dave Hill and his newly formed group Blessings in Disguise which also featured ex-Wizzard keyboard player Bill Hunt, Craig Fenney and Bob Lamb.[18] The debut single, released in 1989 for the Christmas market, was a cover of the Everly Brothers' "Crying in the Rain", backed by a Hill/Hunt composition, "Wild Nights".[19] The band also recorded a cover of the Elvis Presley song "A Fool Such As I" which was not released. The follow-up and final Blessings in Disguise single, "Chance to Be", did not feature Holder.
Since his departure from Slade in 1992, Holder has appeared on hundreds of TV shows, most notably the ITV comedy/drama series The Grimleys (1999–2001) as classical music teacher Neville Holder.[21] For the series, Holder recorded acoustic versions of the Slade songs "Coz I Luv You", "Cum on Feel the Noize", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and "Everyday".[22]
He had his own radio shows on Piccadilly 1152 and Key 103 in Manchester, which were syndicated around the country throughout the 1990s, then on Century and Capital Radio syndication from 2000 to 2004.[23][24]
In 1996, Holder was the subject of the This Is Your Life TV show.[3] He also presented 31 episodes of Noddy's Electric Ladyland, a surreal television quiz show. He was a team captain in BBC1's music series A Question of Pop[3] and was immortalised as a puppet character Banger on the TV show Bob the Builder.[25] In 1999, Holder's autobiography, Who's Crazee Now?, was published by Ebury. Updated in paperback in 2001 it is still available online. It was written by Holder with Lisa Verrico.[26]
Holder was awarded the MBE in the 2000 honours list for his services to showbusiness. In 2001, he was awarded the Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.[27] On 8 December 2000, Holder made a cameo appearance on a live episode of Granada Television's Coronation Street, marking the soap's 40th anniversary.[28] He played a character called Stan, who was saving the street's cobbles from being replaced. Holder voiced the lift announcements at the Walsall New Art Gallery.[29] In November 2004, he made a guest appearance in Peter Kay's Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, in which he played a garage mechanic called Mick Bustin. The scenes were filmed in Bolton.[30] Also for the past 25 years[when?] Holder has voiced, sung and appeared in many adverts for TV, film and radio worldwide.[3] In 2006, Holder made a guest appearance in a music video for the Misty's Big Adventure single, "Fashion Parade".[31][32][33] Holder was a regular TV critic and contributor to The Radcliffe and Maconie Show on BBC Radio 2 for eight years, and the three often talked about rock star gossip from all eras.[34] Radcliffe often refers to Holder as 'Sir Nodward of Holdershire'.[35]
To celebrate his 50th year in showbiz, Holder toured the UK during May 2013 with Mark Radcliffe for a series of intimate 'In conversation with' shows.[36][37] Venues for the spring part of the tour include Bolton, Leeds, Durham, Telford, Preston, Redditch, Buxton and Harrogate. During the shows Holder performed some acoustic numbers.[38]
Holder was the third celebrity to be inducted onto the Birmingham Walk of Stars. 27,000 people turned out to his induction ceremony, which took place on 9 December 2007 at Birmingham's 2007 Canal Boat Light Parade.[39][40] Since Christmas 2007, Holder has annually recorded a TV show countdown of hit Christmas tunes.[41][42] He is the Nobby's Nuts mascot following on from a TV campaign.[43][44] Holder also made an appearance on the 2008 Xmas edition of BBC's humorous news quiz show, Have I Got News for You as a member of Paul Merton's team.[45] In January 2010, Holder and his wife appeared on All Star Mr & Mrs on ITV, where they won the £30,000 jackpot for the NSPCC charity.[46] In 2011, Holder as 'King of the Sizzle' fronted British Sausage Week, touring the country to find the Best British Bangers and to promote support for British farmers and butchers.[47][48][49][50] Holder featured as "Geoff's Dad" in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Hobby Bobbies. Series 1 was broadcast July/August 2013 and Series 2 November/December 2014.[citation needed]
On 24 June 2014, Holder was awarded the freedom of his home town of Walsall, making him an honorary freeman of the borough.[51] On 25 September 2014, Holder released his second book via Constable, titled The World According to Noddy.[52] In December 2015, he appeared as a presenter on BBC television's Songs of Praise.[53] On Christmas Day 2015 Holder appeared in a cameo role in BBC television's Mrs Brown's Boys.[54] In 2018, Holder appeared as a panellist on the Christmas special of BBC television's Would I Lie to You?[55]
A life size statue of Holder, made of Lego, is displayed in Birmingham every Christmas as a charity focal point, with all proceeds going to Birmingham Children's Cancer Hospital.[56][57] In November 2022, Holder was featured shouting the slogan "It's Christmas" from Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" song, in high street retailer Iceland's Christmas television advertising for their range of party foods, with a voice-over by actor Brian Blessed. The campaign followed a series of teasers posted on Iceland’s official social media channels and website featuring Holder with the hashtag #NotYetNoddy.[58]
In 2023 to mark his 60th professional year in showbiz Noddy returned to the stage and did a series of sold out shows with the Tom Seals Band, a young 10 piece boogie jazz ensemble.
Personal life
Holder married dress designer Leandra Russell in 1976.[59] They had two daughters and divorced in 1984. In 2004, Holder married television producer Suzan Price, with whom he has a son, Django (named after Django Reinhardt).[3][60] Today, Holder lives in Prestbury, Cheshire.[61]
In 2018, Holder was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and was expected to live another six months. He underwent experimental chemotherapy treatment at the Christie Hospital in Manchester to which he "responded well". His battle with cancer was made public in 2023 by his wife Suzan in her monthly column for Cheshire Life magazine. She stated that the "experts never like to use the word 'cure', but five years later and he's feeling good and looking great".[62] Holder told The Big Issue that he kept his condition private, except to family and close friends, as he did not want people to "think of me as a cancer victim".[63]
Railway views
In December 2021, Holder criticised the high-speed railway line High Speed 2 and claimed that more trains should be added to the West Coast Main Line and update the West to East coast lines instead. The northern extensions have since been cancelled.[64]
↑ Walsall was within Staffordshire at the time of Holder's birth, though it is now within West Midlands.
Related Research Articles
Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The British Hit Singles & Albums names them the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. They were the first act to have three singles enter the charts at number one; all six of the band's chart-toppers were penned by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. As of 2006, total UK sales stood at over 6,500,000. Their best-selling single, "Merry Xmas Everybody", sold in excess of one million copies. According to the 1999 BBC documentary It's Slade, the band have sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
David John Hill is an English rock musician. He is the lead guitarist, a backing vocalist and the sole continuous member in the English band Slade. Hill is known for his flamboyant stage clothes and hairstyle.
Old New Borrowed and Blue is the fourth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 15 February 1974 and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified Gold by BPI. The album was produced by Chas Chandler. For the album, Slade attempted to begin breaking away from their usual rock formula. For example, the singles "My Friend Stan" and "Everyday" were piano-led and did not have the typical "Slade" sound.
"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 as the lead single from their third studio album Slayed? It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK, giving the band their third number one single, and remained in the charts for ten weeks. In the United States, the song reached No. 76.
"Coz I Luv You" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1971 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their first number one single, and remained in the top 50 for fifteen weeks.
Rogues Gallery is the twelfth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released by RCA on 11 March 1985 and reached number 60 in the UK charts. The album was largely produced by John Punter, with bassist Jim Lea producing "Harmony", "I Win, You Lose" and "Time to Rock". For this release, the band set out to create an album of radio-friendly, potential hit singles which would be released as singles somewhere across the world.
Crackers is a studio/compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released on 18 November 1985 and reached No. 34 in the UK charts. It was certified Gold by the BPI that same month. The album was produced by bassist Jim Lea except for "All Join Hands", "Do You Believe in Miracles", "My Oh My" and "Run Runaway", which were all produced by John Punter. The album contained a mix of the band's previous hits, some re-recorded songs and a selection of covers.
The Slade Box is a four disc box set by the British rock band Slade. It was released by Salvo on 2 October 2006.
"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas Chandler. It was the band's sixth and final number-one single in the UK. Earning the UK Christmas number one slot in December 1973, the song beat another Christmas-themed song, Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", which reached fourth place. It remained in the charts for nine weeks until February 1974.
Slade Smashes is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. It was released 1 November 1980 and reached No. 21 on the UK charts. The album was issued by Polydor in the wake of new interest in the band following their successful appearance at the 1980 Reading Festival, filling in for Ozzy Osbourne. The album featured most of the band's big hits from their early and mid 1970s heyday in the UK as well as three of the band's singles from post-1977. This collection, alongside the band's subsequent 1981 studio release We'll Bring the House Down, further cemented Slade's comeback in the UK and Europe.
"My Oh My" is a song by British rock band Slade, released in November 1983 as the second single from the band's 11th studio album, The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome, and in 1984 as the second single from the album's US counterpart, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea and produced by John Punter. "My Oh My" reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, topped the charts of Norway and Sweden, and peaked at No. 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"All Join Hands" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1984 as the lead single from the band's twelfth studio album, Rogues Gallery. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by John Punter. It reached number 15 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for ten weeks.
"Gudbuy T'Jane" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 as the second single from their third studio album Slayed? It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 2 in the UK, remaining in the charts for thirteen weeks. The song was certified UK Silver by BPI in 1973. In the United States, the song reached No. 68. It was also included on the band's 1973 compilation album Sladest.
"Universe" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in December 1991 as the second single from their compilation album Wall of Hits (1991). It was written and produced by bassist Jim Lea. "Universe" reached number 76 in the UK Singles Chart and was the band's last single before disbanding in 1992.
"(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie" is a song by English rock band Slade, released in 1982 as the lead single from the band's eleventh studio album, The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome and also included on its 1984 North American counterpart, Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. "(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie" reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.
"Xmas Ear Bender" is an extended play (EP) by the British rock band Slade, released in 1980. Xmas Ear Bender includes three tracks; two of which were recorded at the band's performance at the 1980 Reading Festival. The EP was produced by Slade and reached No. 70 in the UK, remaining in the charts for two weeks. The EP was later included in its entirety on the 2006 Salvo compilation Slade Alive! – The Live Anthology.
Merry Xmas Everybody: Party Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Slade. Aimed at the Christmas market, the album was released on 23 November 2009 and reached No. 151 in the UK.
"We Won't Give In" is a song by English rock band Slade which originally appeared on the soundtrack of the 1986 British drama film Knights & Emeralds. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and was produced by Lea. In 1987, it was released as the fourth and final single from the band's fourteenth studio album, You Boyz Make Big Noize, and reached number 121 in the UK Singles Chart.
"When the Lights Are Out" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1974 as the fourth and final single from their fourth studio album Old New Borrowed and Blue. The single was released in America and Belgium only. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler.
Keep on Rockin! is the only studio album by Slade II. The album was released in 1994 and has seen various re-issues and guises under alternative names such as Wild Nites (1999), Cum on Let's Party! (2002) and Superyob (2003).
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