The Holiday Band.COM - The official Website of the Cammy Award Winning Holiday Band

The Holiday Band Bio

The Holiday Band was formed in 1991 in Burlington, NC. The band played only part time and mostly for private events for several years. Blending soul, blues, funk, and Carolina Beach music, Holiday established itself as a premier entertainment package.

Due to the success of the recordings made by the band the appearances increased to where the band now plays 175 plus dates each year.

The Holiday Band has received several awards including a CAMMY for best album. The Rhythm & Beach top 40 count down recently awarded the band for having the most songs to chart in the past 10 years!

Doug Neese has taught for years in Alamance Co. is the rock solid bass player as well as another lead vocalist. Doug has performed his whole life including an appearance with legend Bob Hope on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Mike Neese is a lead vocalist and plays guitar. His version of After The Lovin’ stayed on the R & B chart for 62 weeks. Mikes charm swoons the ladies in the audience as he performs smoothies and classic deep R&B.

Mark Payne received a masters degree from UNC-G after he graduated from Elon College with a music degree. Mark has been a band director in Alamance County and Orange County for over 25 years. Mark plays Saxophone and keyboards.

Mike Taylor graduated from Elon with a B.S. in music as a voice major. Mike is a lead vocalist, plays guitar, keyboards and writes much of the Holiday Band’s music. In 2003, Mike Taylor penned and sang “I’m Man Enough” which stayed #1 on the R&B charts for 22 weeks, and went on to win “Song of The Year” at the 2003 Carolina Beach Music Awards Show. Mike has a great understanding of how to lead an audience to make everyone have a great time.

Duane Neese comes to the Holiday Band from The Castaways Band of Durham, NC. Not only is he a terrific lead vocalist, but a seasoned drummer and trombone player. Duane lends another dimension of sound as he has spent much of his past performing in country bands, and even spent some some time in Nashville, TN. To make things even more interesting, he is Doug's baby brother and Mike Neese's cousin.

Bill Ward is the drummer for THB. After spending several years in California, Bill returned home and is a large part of the Holiday Rhythm section groove.

The Holiday Band has recorded Eight cds on Ripete Records. Their cd releases are available at 150
Wal-Marts as well as Best Buy and FYE Record stores in addition to Music Stores in the SouthEast who cater to Southern Soul, Blues, & Beach Music Audiances.

The Holiday Band is proudly sponsored by McDonald’s, Pepsi, Hayes Jewelers of Lexington, and Custom Woodworks of Danville, Va.

The Holiday Band has played thousands of shows from Cincinatti, Ohio to Cozumel, Mexico. With the always present theme “Keep The Music Alive”!