Dave Holland

At the age of six Holland began piano lessons, but soon developed a "mania for the drums" in his own words and begged his parents to let him have a set. After his first appearance as a stand-in for a local band, Holland realized he wanted to be a musician. When he was 14 years old, he supplemented his pocket money by playing with another local band called The Drumbeats, and selling furniture and carpets. As a youngster, Holland listened to traditional jazz. He cited his first rock influence as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. Later, he became interested in funk music in the vein of Booker T & the MG's, the blues rock of Free and progressive–psychedelic music of Traffic.

Holland died on 16 January 2018 at Hospital Universitario Lucus Augusti in Lugo, Spain. Holland had been living in the nearby town of A Fonsagrada. The newspaper reported that Holland's remains had been cremated. Holland died less than two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer of the liver and the lungs.