Songwriting Team Holland-Dozier-Holland To Receive Johnny Mercer Award 6/18

The legendary songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland will receive the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award on Thursday, June 18 at a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. This is a busy and celebratory year for Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland, as they have reunited for the first and only time to write the score for the Broadway-bound musical, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB-A New Musical, which will be presented at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego July 17 through August 23, 2009, with an official opening on July 31.

The Johnny Mercer Award is given to a writer or team of writers already inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and judged by the nominating committee as having established a history of outstanding creative works. Holland-Dozier-Holland join the great company of such writers as Sammy Cahn, Alan Jay Lerner, Jerry Herman, Adolf Green/Betty Comden, Jule Styne, Cy Coleman, Burt Bacharach, Stephen Sondheim and Stevie Wonder.

Holland-Dozier-Holland, who are known as the architects of the Motown sound, wrote such monumental hits of the 1960's as "Where Did Our Love Go?," "Baby Love" and "Stop! In The Name of Love" for The Supremes and "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved By You)" for Marvin Gaye. They also wrote songs for Martha and The Vandellas, The Miracles and The Four Tops.

THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is based on the best-selling novel and film of the same name, and features a book by Tony Award-winner Rupert Holmes (Curtains!, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Say Goodnight Gracie) and a score by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. The production will be directed by award-winning opera and theatre director Francesca Zambello (The Little Mermaid, Little House on the Prairie - The Musical, Rebecca, Porgy and Bess and the Wagner Ring Cycle at the San Francisco Opera where she is the Artistic Advisor).

Following its run at The Old Globe, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB will be produced on Broadway by Paul Lambert and Jonas Neilson, with a theatre and dates to be announced.

Tickets are available immediately through subscription purchase. Individual tickets for THE FIRST WIVES CLUB are available by calling (619) 23-GLOBE, on the Globe website at www.TheOldGlobe.org, or by visiting The Globe box office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.