Session jazz drummer, percussionist and vibes player considered to be one of the world's greatest percussionists.

Holland was born and raised in Chicago where he began his professional music career in 1929 playing primarily jazz drums as well as all percussion. He was also a staff musician at CBS from 1941 to 1946.  After being on the road with Raymond Scott he moved to Los Angeles in 1946 where he began an illustrious studio career that spanned more than half a century.

During the early years in LA, Holland was very influential in the desegregation of the professional musicians union, a fact that had always made him very proud. He recorded with everyone from Leonard Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, Raymond Scott, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to mention just a few. He was also responsible for bringing such exotic instruments as the tabla to western recordings for the very first time after his early studies at UCLA and in India (from 1963 through 1978 with tabla master Chatur Lal, Ramnad Easwaran and others).  He also travelled extensively for many years in Africa to study drumming and rhythmic systems.

He was a member of the Loggins & Messina band throughout the early and mid 1970s but continued with session work. He played on most of Ry Cooder's 1970s albums, as well albums by Art Garfunkel, Little Feat, Loggins & Messina, Joni Mitchell, Captain Beefheart, The Monkees, Poco, Martha Reeves, Ringo Starr and James Taylor.

But his first love was jazz and he played with the very best: Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Benny Carter to name a few. It is also notable that he was given dozens of gold and platinum albums for his contribution to award winning recordings throughout his career.

Holland died at his home in LA in November 2005 of kidney failure and complications due to dementia. He was 88.