b. 1963, Halifax, Nova Scotia
As a child in a musical family, Holly Cole began taking classical vocal training in 1981. Inspired to pursue a musical career she relocated from Halifax to Toronto in 1983 and makes her way through the ranks of Toronto's Queen Street circuit perfecting her jazz stylings and doing back-up vocal work for the likes of local acts including Whitenoise and Vital Sines.
By 1985 she has formed her own act, The Holly Cole Trio, with pianist Aaron Davis (Manteca, Parachute Club) and bassist David Piltch. After much rehearsing and honing of their minimalist style, the Trio debuts at the Stage Door Cafe in 1986.
The act became a permanent fixture on the Toronto jazz circuit and starts garnering label interest. By 1989 the group signs a recording contract with Tom Berry's Alert Music and releases a Christmas EP, "Christmas Blues", that Fall. 1990's full-length debut LP, "Girl Talk", established the Holly Cole Trio as a popular concert draw in Canada, while their second album, 1992's "Blame It On My Youth', was released on the prestigious Blue Note/Manhattan label and began earning favourable notices internationally. "Blame It…' became one of the hottest selling titles ever in Japan in 1992 as the record's initial sales were nearly 500 copies a day (in a land where CDs regularly cost $60 CDN each and 30,000 units is Gold sales). The CD would eventually sell 200,000 copies worldwide. 1993's "Don't Smoke In Bed" produced the acts' first cross-over hit with the remake of 'I Can See Clearly Now'. 1995's "Temptation' proved a little edgier and moody but still attracted respectable sales and made Cole an in-demand live performer.
To shake things up stylistically, Cole branched out as a solo performer in 1997 (dumping the Trio name but keeping Davis and Piltch at hand) and hooked up with Joni Mitchell's ex-husband Larry Klein to produce "Dark, Dear Heart' which featured material by Sheryl Crow, Joni Mitchell, and Mary Margaret O'Hara among others. The result was a foray into modern alternative rock via the radio hits 'Onion Girl' and a remake of The Beatles' 'I've Just Seen A Face'. 1997 also saw the release of the live jazz album "It Happened One Night" with the Holly Cole Trio to keep her core fans satisfied for the singer's silken vocals.
Cole garnered much street credibility with her shifts in style and managed a slot on the coveted Lilith Fair tour in 1999.
Singles
1992 Blame It On My Youth (Alert)
1993 I Can See Clearly Now (Alert)
1997 I’ve Just Seen A Face (Alert/EMI)
1997 Onion Girl (Alert/EMI)
Albums
1989 Christmas Blues (Alert)
1990 Girl Talk (Alert)
1992 Blame It On My Youth (Blue Note/Manhattan - US)
1993 Don't Smoke In Bed (Alert)
1995 Temptation (Alert)
1997 Dark, Dear Heart (Alert/EMI)
1997 It Happened One Night (Alert/EMI)
2000 [TBD] (Alert/Oasis)
Video
Compilation Tracks
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