In 1989, the Chicago native was the featured lead vocalist on Blakk Society's "Just Another Lonely Day," one of Larry Heard's sorrowful yet cleansing house productions. During the next couple years, Hollister performed background vocals on sessions for the likes of Father MC and Hi-Five. As a member of Force One Network, he appeared on the Boyz N the Hood soundtrack, and shortly thereafter was heard on 2Pac's Top Ten R&B/hip-hop hit "Brenda's Got a Baby," credited simply as Dave. After an album with Force One Network, Hollister joined Blackstreet for the group's debut, a certified platinum success.

Hollister departed shortly thereafter to pursue a solo career, not only as a singer but also as a songwriter and producer. His first recorded effort as a solo act, the Erick Sermon/Redman collaboration "Weekend," was featured on the soundtrack for The Ride, and released as a single in 1998. His solo debut album, Ghetto Hymns, was issued through Dreamworks in 1999. The autobiographical Chicago '85...The Movie followed a year later. Both releases, thanks to the Top Ten R&B/hip-hop singles "My Favorite Girl" and "One Woman Man," were certified gold. In 2002, Hollister moved to Motown for his third album, Things in the Game Done Changed, though it didn't fare as well as his previous releases. Hollister returned to Dreamworks for Real Talk in 2003. He then signed with Gospo Centric for 2006's The Book of David, Vol. 1: The Transition and 2008's Witness Protection, successful albums that either topped or nearly topped Billboard's gospel chart. During the following decade, Hollister reverted to secular music and continued to record sporadically as he added to his list of label affiliations. Chicago Winds...The Saga Continues arrived on eOne in 2014, and Shanachie issued The MANuscript two years later. ~ Steve Huey & Andy Kellman