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Derek St. Holmes | |
|---|---|
 St. Holmes at the 2016Dick Wagner Memorial Concert in Detroit | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1953-02-24)February 24, 1953 (age 72) Riverview, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock,hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Member of | Whitford/St. Holmes |
| Formerly of | Ted Nugent, St. Paradise,Michael Schenker Group |
Derek St. Holmes (born February 24, 1953) is an American rock musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitar player forTed Nugent's early solo career. After splitting from Nugent in 1978, St. Holmes worked with various artists, most notably theWhitford/St. Holmes project withBrad Whitford, who had then recently parted ways withAerosmith. He has also reunited with Nugent on several occasions.
St. Holmes was born and raised inRiverview, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.[1] He received his first guitar for his eleventh birthday. He started his own neighborhood band, The Organized Confusion, and also played for high school dances.
St. Holmes started the three-piece band Scott in 1972, for which he was lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter.[2] In 1974, Scott opened for anAmboy Dukes show at the Lincoln Park Theater. The Amboy Dukes and their guitar playerTed Nugent had already recorded several albums and were a staple of the Midwest rock scene at the time. When the Amboy Dukes broke up, Nugent's road manager (Phil Nicholson) contacted St. Holmes about auditioning as lead singer for Nugent's new solo project.[2]
St. Holmes joined Ted Nugent, former Amboy Dukes bassistRob Grange and drummerCliff Davies to release Nugent'sself-titled debut album in 1975. He is the lead vocalist on the three most popular recordings from the debut album: "Hey Baby" (also composed by St. Holmes), "Stranglehold" and "Just What the Doctor Ordered". St. Holmes briefly left Nugent in mid-1976, citing personal, financial and musical differences. He returned in time to contribute to several songs on Nugent's sophomore effortFree-for-All, including lead vocals on "Dog Eat Dog", but by that time several of the album's songs had already been recorded withMeat Loaf providing lead vocals.[3] St. Holmes remained in Nugent's band for the 1977 albumCat Scratch Fever and its subsequent tour which produced the 1978Double Live Gonzo! album. He and Nugent then parted ways, as their differences continued to grow.
In 1979, St. Holmes joined up with Ted Nugent's bass player Rob Grange and ex-Montrose drummerDenny Carmassi to form St. Paradise. They released one self-titled album forWarner Bros. in 1979 before moving on to other musical projects.[1]
In 1981, St. Holmes teamed up withAerosmith guitaristBrad Whitford for the short-livedWhitford/St. Holmes band. As with St. Paradise, Whitford/St. Holmes released only one self-titled album before splitting.
After a four-album absence, St. Holmes reappeared in Ted Nugent's studio band for the 1982 albumNugent, singing lead on six of the album's ten tracks.
In 1983, St. Holmes contributed vocals to one song on theMichael Schenker Group releaseBuilt to Destroy, and also appeared on the live follow-up,Rock Will Never Die. However, frequent long trips to England and Europe had St. Holmes wanting to return home to the US, where he had a wife and newborn child, and he departed MSG amicably.[1]
In 1995, St. Holmes reunited with Ted Nugent for the latter'sSpirit of the Wild album, on which St. Holmes co-wrote seven songs and sang lead on six.
After another departure from Nugent, St. Holmes co-founded the supergroup Big People in 1999, which also included guitaristPat Travers, bassist/vocalistBenjamin Orr (The Cars), guitarist/vocalistJeff Carlisi (.38 Special) and drummerLiberty DeVitto (Billy Joel). The band performed live, covering songs from each artist's past groups, but did not put out an album, as Orr died in 2000 and the group did not want to continue with a replacement.[4]
In 2000, St. Holmes released his first solo albumThen and Now, a collection of his own rock material. Bassist Chase Chitty (Pat Travers Band), drummer Steve Pace (Hydra,Krokus,Whitford/St. Holmes) and keyboardist Russ Still accompany St. Holmes with songs such as "Standing in the Rain", "Dr. Love" and "Surrounded", and the energy rocker "In Too Deep".
On July 4, 2008, St. Holmes made a guest appearance at Ted Nugent's 6,000th concert in Detroit. He jammed on "Hey Baby", "Cat Scratch Fever", and "Stranglehold" with Nugent. On August 24, 2008, he joined Nugent on stage atCapital One Bank Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, New York. He sang and played guitar with Nugent on "Hey Baby", "Just What the Doctor Ordered", "Dog Eat Dog", "Stormtroopin", "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Stranglehold".
St. Holmes re-recorded some famous Aerosmith songs for a special promotion and made them available inMP3 format on his website.
St. Holmes sang in thePaul Reed Smith Band, co-writing songs such as "One in the Same" and "Ice Cold Kisses". The self-titled CD was released in June 2010,[5] with a second album,Time to Testify released in February 2017.
On December 27, 2008, St. Holmes was a special guest at a Get the Led Out concert at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, Maryland. He played guitar for "Rock and Roll", then sang and played "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent). St. Holmes is actually the voice heard in the track recording. He also performed "Stranglehold" with Get the Led Out at the Nokia in New York City in March 2009 and again in Baltimore in May 2010.
In 2010, St. Holmes participated in a tribute album titledMister Bolin's Late Night Revival, a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legendTommy Bolin prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such asHiFi Superstar,Doogie White,Eric Martin,Troy Luccketta,Jeff Pilson,Randy Jackson,Rachel Barton,Rex Carroll,Kimberley Dahme, andThe 77's. A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers.[6]
He toured again with Nugent from 2011 to 2014 and appeared on Nugent's 2014 albumShutup & Jam! Whitford/St. Holmes reunited for a 2015 tour and the follow-up CDReunion was sold at these shows.
Also in 2014, St. Holmes announced that Gibson would release a signature guitar in his name later in the year. The guitar is a whiteGibson SG custom with an ebony fingerboard and threehumbucker pickups. The guitar is fitted with avibrola.[7]
St. Holmes performed at the 2015Dick Wagner Memorial "Remember the Child" benefit concert in Detroit, and he co-headlined the same event in 2016 withBrad Whitford andThe Frost.[8]
In 2017, St. Holmes surprised fans by joining anREO Speedwagon performance for an impromptu rendition of "Stranglehold" during the annual NAHA (Native American Heritage Assoc) benefit Rock Legends Cruise.[9]
St. Holmes is known for playing a variety of guitars throughout his career, includingFender Stratocasters,Gibson Les Pauls,PRS Guitars, and various Gibson hollow-bodies.
1975 Ted NugentTed Nugent(Epic Records)
1976Ted NugentFree-for-All(Epic Records)
1977Ted NugentCat Scratch Fever(Epic Records)
1978Ted NugentDouble Live Gonzo!(Epic Records)
1982Ted NugentNugent (Atlantic Records)
1995Ted NugentSpirit of the Wild(Atlantic Records)
2014Ted NugentShutup & Jam!(Frontiers Records)
1979St. ParadiseSt. Paradise(Warner Bros. Records)
1981Whitford/St. HolmesWhitford/St. Holmes(CBS Records)
1991Vanilla FudgeThe Best of Vanilla Fudge Live(Rhino Records)
2000Derek St. HolmesThen & Now(Perris Records)
2009Blood of the SunDeath Ride(Brainticket Records)
2011The Paul Reed Smith Band(Cargo Records)
2015 Derek St. Holmes BandDerek St. Holmes Band(Bentnote Music)
2016Whitford/St. HolmesReunion
1983Michael Schenker GroupBuilt to Destroy(Chrysalis Records)(contributed vocals on the US mix ofStill Love That Little Devil)
1984Michael Schenker GroupRock Will Never Die(Chrysalis Records)(Rhythm guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" and "Rock You to the Ground")
1989Nightmare BeachMovie Soundtrack
1994Dazed and ConfusedMovie Soundtrack(MCA Pictures)
1996Steve FisterShadow King(FTP Records) (contributed vocals on 3 songs)
1997Private PartsMovie Soundtrack(Paramount/WB)
1999That '70s Show/RockinTV Sitcom Soundtrack(Volcano Records)
2001Various ArtistsWelcome to the Aerosmithsonian: A Tribute to Aerosmith(Perris Records)
2010Mister Bolin's Late Night RevivalWhat If ...(Rainbow Foundation Music Inc.) (contributed vocals on 1 song)
1981Ted NugentGreat Gonzos(Epic Records)
