Mary "Holly" Holladay Lamar (born 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia[1]) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Lamar co-wrote "Breathe", a number one country and adult contemporary single by Faith Hill.[2] Her songs have also been recorded by Sara Evans, Wynonna Judd, Lonestar, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina and Jessica Simpson, among others.[3]

Holly Lamar
OriginAtlanta, Georgia
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger-songwriter
LabelsUniversal South

In 2002, Lamar was one of the first artists signed to Universal South.[4] Between 2002 and 2003, she had two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1] The first, "These Are the Days", was previously recorded by Jo Dee Messina on her 2000 album Burn.[5] Deborah Evans Price of Billboard gave Lamar's version of the song a favorable review, calling it "a solid song and a great performance that adds up to a promising debut from a new voice with a lot to say".[6] Her second single, "Unkissed", also received a positive review from Price, who described it as "a shining calling card for a songwriter looking to make her own mark".[7]

Personal life

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Lamar appeared on the BBC daytime TV show Homes Under the Hammer, first broadcast in 2012.[8] She bought a house at auction in the Fulham area of London.

In 2014, Lamar lost US$600,000 in a fake investment scam by American David Plate, which, she said, left her "on the brink of bankruptcy".[9]

In October 2018, Lamar pleaded guilty in England to two offences relating to the illegal possession of a wild and unregistered peregrine falcon and received an 18-week sentence for each, suspended for 12 months, as well as being sentenced to 120 hours of community service.[10][11] She was also banned from owning or being in possession of any birds classed as "Schedule 4" of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which are birds that must be registered and ringed if kept in captivity.[10]

Discography

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Singles

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Year Single Peak positions Album
US Country
[1]
2002 "These Are the Days" 51 Unkissed
(unreleased)
2003 "Unkissed" 59

Music videos

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Year Video Director
2002 "These Are the Days" Steven Goldmann

Singles written by Lamar

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Year Single Artist[3]
1999 "Breathe" Faith Hill
2000 "To Get to You" Lorrie Morgan
"That's the Way" Jo Dee Messina
2001 "To Quote Shakespeare" The Clark Family Experience
2002 "Unbroken" Tim McGraw
2003 "What the World Needs" Wynonna Judd

References

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  1. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ Holly Lamar at Allmusic
  3. ^ a b Songs Composed by Holly Lamar at Allmusic
  4. ^ "Universal South Set to Open". Country Music Television. January 10, 2002. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  5. ^ Burn at Allmusic
  6. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (September 14, 2002). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2011 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (February 22, 2003). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2011 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Homes Under the Hammer". BBC One. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "Man who duped US songwriter of $792k jailed for a year". The Straits Times. April 24, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Grammy nominee Holly Lamar had dead peregrine falcon in freezer". BBC News. October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  11. ^ "Derbyshire Constabulary Wildlife Officer". Facebook. Retrieved October 14, 2018.