Lamont Dozier Jr.: From Detroit’s Musical Legacy to a UK Debut

For Lamont Dozier Jr., music has never existed only on a stage or inside a recording studio. It was part of the environment in which he grew up, part of his family, and ultimately part of the path he chose for himself.

Now that path is taking Dozier across the Atlantic. In November 2026, Dozier and producer, keyboardist and songwriter Kevin Flournoy are headed to the United Kingdom for performances that will give British audiences an opportunity to hear music that, in some cases, has been waiting years to reach them live.

During a wide-ranging conversation with saxophonist and recording artist Paula Atherton, Dozier reflected on growing up in Detroit as the son of legendary songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier, his own development as a musician, the extraordinary artists who surrounded his childhood, and the lessons that continue to shape the way he approaches music today.

Growing Up Where the Music Was

The name Lamont Dozier carries considerable weight in American popular music. Dozier’s father was part of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team responsible for an extraordinary body of work associated with Motown.

For the younger Dozier, however, that history was also simply family life.

He recalled growing up on Detroit’s northwest side in a neighborhood populated by people whose names would become inseparable from the city’s musical history. The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder were among the Motown figures living nearby, while Levi Stubbs was a close family friend. Dozier also remembered the Temptations’ Melvin Franklin and the Miracles’ Ronnie White as part of the surrounding neighborhood. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

As a child, the distinction between ordinary family life and music history was not always obvious. That changed as he became old enough to understand how other people viewed his father’s accomplishments. Seeing his father on television was one thing. Seeing a large billboard featuring him in downtown Detroit made the scale of what was happening considerably harder to miss. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

More important than celebrity, however, was access to the process.

Dozier spent time in studios watching his father work as a producer. He remembered musicians including Joe Sample, Ray Parker Jr., Lee Ritenour, Ollie Brown and Abraham Laboriel Sr. coming into sessions. As a young observer, he watched musicians work through takes and arrangements and then experienced the remarkable transition of later hearing that music on the radio. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

That experience would become fundamental to his own philosophy about making records.

Lessons From Both Sides of the Family

Lamont Dozier Sr. provided an extraordinary window into the professional recording world, but Dozier credits his mother, Elizabeth Ann Dozier, with much of his direct musical education.

He described her as a singer, piano teacher and choir director who taught him piano and introduced him to drums, keyboards and guitar. Her lesson went beyond learning instruments: strive to become better, understand that there is always more to learn, and never assume that the work is finished. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

At 15, Dozier became involved with the Detroit Council of the Arts. The summer program gave young people access to professional mentors across disciplines including music, dance, acting, writing and directing. Students developed their abilities throughout the summer before presenting their work publicly in Detroit. Dozier remained involved for several years and credits the experience with providing discipline, direction and a foundation for his development. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

His memories also make clear why arts education remains important to him. Dozier described music as something capable of teaching young people collaboration and discipline while also providing an outlet, a source of confidence and, for some, a direction in life. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

Building His Own Musical Story

The family name may have opened a window onto the music business, but Dozier’s own career required him to step through it.

Over the years, his work has placed him alongside an extensive network of musicians and entertainers. During the conversation, he discussed performing with Rick Braun after Greg Karukas suggested bringing him onstage. What began with a performance of “God Bless the Child” developed into approximately six months of singing with a band that included Braun, Karukas, guitarist Craig Chaquico and drummer Rayford Griffin Jr. The association eventually led to an introduction to Dave Koz and subsequent recording work. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

Dozier also recalled being asked to coordinate the music for a private event featuring Jennifer Hudson on the Sony lot in Hollywood. He assembled the musicians and musical director for Hudson’s performance, while Jay Leno hosted the event. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

Another memorable chapter came during a two-year engagement at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The rotating group of musicians around the Lamont Dozier Jr. Band included, at different times, artists such as Greg Manning, Adam Hawley, Michael Lington, Eric Valentine, Oscar Seaton Jr. and Ray Parker Jr. The format allowed the musicians considerable freedom, with sets moving across funk, soul, jazz and popular music. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

The names are impressive, but Dozier’s account repeatedly returns to something more fundamental: musicians making music together.

The Musical Conversation

For Dozier, the recording process he witnessed as a child remains the preferred model.

Rather than constructing every element separately whenever circumstances allow, he favors putting musicians together and allowing them to react to one another. He describes it as a “musical conversation”—different perspectives meeting inside the same performance and potentially producing something none of the musicians would have created independently. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

That philosophy is also central to his work with Kevin Flournoy.

Dozier described sessions in which Flournoy served as producer while musicians including Eric Valentine, Alex Al, Munyungo Jackson, Donald Hayes and Johnny Britt contributed to the recordings. He also discussed recording “Hello It’s Me,” their interpretation of the Todd Rundgren composition, with musicians including the late Darryl Crooks and Ramon Stagnaro. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

Those recordings took on additional meaning when Crooks and Stagnaro later died. For Dozier, the sessions became more than tracks on a record. They became permanent records of people creating something together.

“If you can get that memory recorded where people can listen to it anytime they listen to your music, that’s rewarding and that’s a gift,” he told Atherton. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

It is a revealing statement about the way Dozier views music. A recording preserves more than notes. It can preserve a moment between people.

Music When People Needed It

That idea became particularly significant during the COVID era.

Dozier recalled questioning whether releasing music made sense when touring had stopped and the usual machinery surrounding a release had been disrupted. He ultimately decided the music should come out.

The response reinforced that decision. During the interview, Atherton discussed experiencing something similar with her own music during the pandemic, while Dozier recalled hearing from UK listeners who told him they were glad he continued releasing material during that period. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

For Dozier, creating is not entirely dependent upon commercial circumstances. Records may succeed or fail, audiences may fluctuate and industry support may change, but he describes creativity as something musicians continue because the impulse itself remains.

As Atherton put it during their conversation, “Music picks you.”

Dozier agreed. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

The UK Is Calling

Now some of the music that developed during those years is headed to an audience that has been waiting to experience it in person.

Dozier revealed during his conversation with Atherton that he and Flournoy were preparing UK performances for November. Most significantly, he said the shows would finally provide an opportunity to perform songs that found success with UK listeners during the COVID period but could not be supported there with live appearances at the time. The Paula Atherton Show with Do…

The trip is therefore more than another entry on a performance calendar. It closes a circle.

Music recorded when artists and audiences could not easily come together will finally be performed with the musicians and listeners sharing the same room.

UK, They’re Coming

Lamont Dozier Jr. and Kevin Flournoy make their UK debut Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at Soul Mama at Stratford Westfield in London. The event is scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The UK appearances continue with Lamont Dozier Jr. live at Reading Soul Weekender No. 2, November 27–29, 2026. The Reading appearance brings Dozier into a weekend devoted to soul music and gives UK audiences another opportunity to hear the music live after years of waiting.

The performances arrive at a fitting point in Dozier’s story. He grew up watching musicians gather in studios and create records together. He built a career around that same belief in collaboration. And after music helped maintain a connection with listeners during a period when stages around the world went quiet, Dozier and Flournoy are preparing to take that music directly to the UK.

As Dozier told Atherton, the message from British DJs and listeners has been clear: they have been waiting.

In November, the wait is over.

Follow @lamontdozier_fa_real

Keymark Television Network is committed to highlighting the stories, artistry, and achievements of creators, entrepreneurs, and cultural innovators across the globe. Through exclusive interviews, original programming, and special features, Keymark Television Network delivers compelling content that informs, inspires, and connects audiences worldwide. The television and media network partners with both established and emerging voices, bridging entertainment and empowerment through storytelling that leaves a lasting mark.

Contact:
Communications Department
Keymark Television Network
communications@keymarktelevision.com