Dorian Holley

Dorian Jose Holley is an American musician, backing singer and a vocal coach. He began his professional career as an on-stage backing vocalist for American entertainer Michael Jackson during his Bad world tour in 1987. He staged a series of live concerts in front of audiences around the world, including the British royalty. From there, Holley went on to travel with Jackson for all of his subsequent world tours. He also performed with other artists such as Rod Stewart in 1991 and James Taylor in 1994 and since 2019. In 1991, Holley was the singing voice of Choir Boy in the Robert Townsend movie, The Five Heartbeats. His stage presence and vocal ability were praised by music critics during such performances.

Holley auditioned prominently to become a featured vocalist on the reality television show Dancing with the Stars. He served in this capacity for the first three seasons of the American series. Holley has also worked for several years as an associate music director and vocal coach for the singing competition American Idol. He worked there with the contestants before and after they appear before the show's judges and the worldwide television audience.

In 2008, Holley released his debut album, Independent Film. Next year he worked with Jackson for the last time, in preparation for the entertainer's ill-fated concert series This Is It. Holley was to serve as a backing vocalist, as well as the vocal director for the shows. Jackson's death forced the concerts to be canceled.

In 2010, Holley host a weekend at the LA Music Academy called "The Art of the Audition". As of 2011, he was the vocalist for the house band on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno led by Rickey Minor. He is also the Artist Development Director at Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music and teaches in the school's vocal department. Dorian is married to trial attorney Shawn Holley, who once represented Jackson and has been a chief legal correspondent for the E! network.

Holley first performed with pop superstar Michael Jackson during the entertainer's first solo concert series, the Bad world tour. Beginning in Japan in September 1987, the tour lasted for 16 months, during which time he visited 15 countries while serving as a backing singer for Jackson, along with Kevin Dorsey, Darryl Phinnessee and Sheryl Crow. As part of the tour, he performed to over 4 million people, including Charles and Diana. The Bad tour concluded several months later in January 1989.

English musician Rod Stewart enlisted the services of both Holley and Phinnessee in 1991, when he toured the US. The two singers were part of an 11-man backing ensemble, when Stewart performed at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, Orange County, and in California in September 1991. During the show's encore, Stewart performed his signature song "Twistin' the Night Away". The Los Angeles Times described in a review of the concert that the song was "embellished with a delicious a cappella doo-wop break featuring the 46-year-old star and backup singers Darryl Phinnessee and Dorian Holley". The two vocalists were also praised by the Chicago Tribune after a performance at the Poplar Creek Music Theatre, where their "sublime harmonies" "formed a perfect counterpoint to Stewart's impassioned pleas on 'This Old Heart of Mine'". The San Jose Mercury News concluded that Holley and Phinnessee were "great".

Holley returned to work with Jackson for the Dangerous World Tour (June 1992–November 1993), a 69 date concert series which was attended by almost 3.5 million fans. The tour was cut short after child sexual abuse allegations were leveled against Jackson. He canceled the remainder of the tour due to the stress caused by the accusations.

Dorian is mature and intelligent, and that comes through in an ineffable way when he sings. That said, he can also put it on hold and be one-dimensional and shallow if he has to. Dorian is a real utility player.