Holly Lamar
Holly Lamar | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Label | Universal South |
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, Ilse DeLange and Jessica Simpson, among others.[3]
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
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 Mormon David Plate, which, she said, left her "on the brink of bankruptcy". She triumphed in ultimately getting him imprisoned for fraud. [9]
In October 2018, Lamar pleaded guilty in England to two offences relating to the illegal possession of a wild and unregistered peregrine falcon which she had rescued 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 for several years from owning or being in possession of any birds classed as "Schedule 4" of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which would be peregrines and goshawks but continued to be licensed for falconry and operate.[10]
In 2022, after successfully setting up a licensed falconry school Wing Blade Falconry LLC in the United States, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency confiscated 13 birds from her possession and charged her with 30 misdemeanors. A court order declared the search warrant, seizure, and charges to be an egregious abuse of the law and invalid and the birds were returned to Lamar’s possession only after one of her birds died in the state's possession. She subsequently sued the officers in federal court for malicious prosecution and ultimately the state settled the lawsuit with her. [12]
Her company continues to be one of the top-rated outdoors experiences in Nashville [13]with over 300+ 5 star google reviews. She continues to professionally write music.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [1] | |||
| 2002 | "These Are the Days" | 51 | Unkissed (unreleased) |
| 2003 | "Unkissed" | 59 | |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "These Are the Days" | Steven Goldmann |
Singles written by Lamar
| 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
- 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ↑ Holly Lamar at Allmusic
- 1 2 Songs Composed by Holly Lamar at Allmusic
- ↑ "Universal South Set to Open". Country Music Television. January 10, 2002. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
- ↑ Burn at Allmusic
- ↑ Price, Deborah Evans (September 14, 2002). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2011 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Price, Deborah Evans (February 22, 2003). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2011 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Homes Under the Hammer". BBC One. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Man who duped US songwriter of $792k jailed for a year". The Straits Times. April 24, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- 1 2 "Grammy nominee Holly Lamar had dead peregrine falcon in freezer". BBC News. October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Derbyshire Constabulary Wildlife Officer". Facebook. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- ↑ Wadhwani, Anita (February 14, 2023). "'Egregious' abuse of the law: Tennessee wildlife agency takes falcons and prosecutes their owner • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ↑ https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55229-d24003080-Reviews-Wing_Blade_Falconry-Nashville_Davidson_County_Tennessee.html