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At the age of eight Jools Holland, could play the piano fluently by ear, and by the time he reached his early teens he was proficient and confident enough to be appearing regularly in many of the pubs in South East London and the East End Docks.
At the age of 15, Jools was introduced to Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford he joined Squeeze, followed by Gilson Lavis shortly afterwards (Gilson had already played with, among others, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Max Wall) – who was Jools’ drummer until he retired in 2024. Up The Junction and Cool For Cats gave Squeeze meteoric success and their popularity rapidly extended to America, where their tour included performances at New York's Madison Square Garden.
In 1987, Jools formed The Jools Holland Big Band – comprising himself and now retired drummer Gilson Lavis. This has gradually metamorphosed into the current 19-piece Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, which consists of pianist, organist, drummer, three female vocals, guitar, bass guitar, two tenor saxophones, two alto saxophones, baritone saxophone, three trumpets, and three trombones. They have been touring annually for over 3 decades.
Jools was asked in 1992 to host a new music programme for BBC2, which combined his talent and experience as a musician with his skills as a TV presenter. This was Later... with Jools Holland. The show has reawakened the innovative spirit of The Tube and will soon be embarking on its 67th series, whilst Jools’ Annual Hootenanny will celebrate its 33rd year.
Fans will be thrilled to hear that the shows will once again feature the incredible Ruby Turner, the Boogie Woogie Queen, as well as the outstanding vocals of Louise Marshall, and Sumudu Jayatilaka. Featuring special guest appearance from Pauline Black from the Selecter. Pauline has been described as the ""Queen of Ska"" and has recently been awarded the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award at the 2026 Association of Independent Music Awards. Together with the skilful musicianship of the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Jools Holland will be performing songs from throughout his career.
