Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes (born February 24, 1953) is an American musician best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's successful early solo career.
Early years
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Derek received his first guitar for his eleventh birthday. Allowed to practice in his basement, he played and learned everything he could from all the rock and roll idols of the era. He started his own neighborhood band, one of which was The Organized Confusion. He also played for high school dances.
In 1974, Ted Nugent first became aware of Derek's band, "Scott", as he opened for an Amboy Dukes show at the Lincoln Park Theater. The Amboy Dukes 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 for Nugent's project. Nugent was at that time looking for a lead singer.
St. Holmes was hired and the band of Ted Nugent with Derek St. Holmes, former Amboy Dukes bassist Rob Grange and drummer Cliff Davies, later changed to be known as The Ted Nugent Band, was launched and started immediately on an extensive U.S. tour. Traveling and performing nearly 300 days a year, they played with other popular bands, such as Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, Michael Schenker Group, Van Halen, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Trapeze, Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath. In 1975, at only 22 years of age, St. Holmes found himself traveling the world and playing to sold out audiences in U.S. and European cities. He remained in Nugent's band until 1978, when both musicians parted ways due to personal, financial and musical differences.
In 1979 Derek joined up with Ted Nugent's bass player Rob Grange, ex-Montrose drummer Denny Carmassi to form St. Paradise. They released one self-titled album for Warner Brothers in 1979 before moving on to other musical careers. In 1981, he teamed with Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford for the short-lived Whitford/St. Holmes Band.
The 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap features lead vocalist David St. Hubbins, whose name was influenced by St. Holmes.
Derek is touring again in 2014 with Nugent.
Reunited with Ted Nugent
Although St. Holmes returned to Nugent's band to record numerous albums, it was not until 1995 that St. Holmes and Nugent would co-write another project. This was the first Nugent / St. Holmes writing collaboration in nearly fifteen years, Atlantic Records' Spirit of the Wild.
2000s
In 2000, St. Holmes released Then and Now, a collection of many St. Holmes' 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 6000th concert in Detroit, MI. He jammed on "Hey Baby", "Cat Scratch Fever", and "Stranglehold" with Ted.
On August 24, 2008 he joined Ted Nugent on stage at Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, New York. He sang and played guitar with Ted Nugent on "Hey Baby", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Dog Eat Dog", "Stormtroopin", "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Stranglehold".
Derek has re-recorded some famous Aerosmith songs for a special promotion, and is making them available in MP3 format. Derek's versions are available online on his website.
Derek is singing in guitar maker Paul Reed Smith's band. Derek has co-written many of the tunes for a new CD including "One In the Same" and "Ice Cold Kisses". The CD is in the vein of 70's rock with some more modern elements. The "Paul Reed Smith Band" CD was released in June 2010.[1]
On 27 December 2008, Derek was a special guest at a Get The Led Out concert at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, MD. He played guitar for "Rock and Roll", then sang and played "Stranglehold", by 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 on March 7, 2009 and again in Baltimore on May 15, 2010.
In 2010, Derek participated in a tribute album titled Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival, a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such as HiFi Superstar, Doogie White, Eric Martin, Troy Luccketta, Jeff Pilson, Randy Jackson, Rachel Barton, Rex Carroll, Kimberley Dahme, and The 77’s. A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers.[2]
In April 2011, Ted Nugent announced that Derek would be joining his band for Nugent's 2011 I Still Believe Tour.[3]
In early 2014, Derek announced that Gibson was releasing a signature guitar in his name later in the year. The guitar is a white Gibson SG custom with an ebony fingerboard and three humbucker pickups. The guitar also is fitted with a vibrola. Derek is known for playing a variety of guitars throughout his career, from Fender Stratocasters, Gibson Les Pauls, PRS Guitars, and various Gibson hollow-bodies.
On June 3rd, 2016, a second album by the reunited Whitford/St Holmes Project will be released, followed by a tour through the USA. The actual Line-Up is : Derek St. Holmes (Guitars & lead vocals), Brad Whitford (Aerosmith) ( Guitars & backing vocals), Troy Luccketta (Tesla) (Drums), Buck Johnson (Keyboards & backing vocals), Chopper Anderson (Bass).
Discography
Main Albums with Ted Nugent
1975 Ted Nugent Ted Nugent (Epic Records)*
1976 Ted Nugent Free-for-All (Epic Records)*
1977 Ted Nugent Cat Scratch Fever (Epic Records)*
1978 Ted Nugent Double Live Gonzo! (Epic Records)*
1982 Ted Nugent Nugent
1993 Ted Nugent Out of Control (Epic Records)
Contains previously unreleased songs with vocals by Derek St. Holmes "Street Rats" (alternate version - original vocals by Meat Loaf) and "Magic Party"
1995 Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild (Atlantic Records)
2014 Ted Nugent Shutup & Jam! (Frontiers Records)
Main Albums - Others
1979 St. Paradise St. Paradise (Warner Bros. Records)
1981 Whitford/St. Holmes Whitford/St. Holmes (CBS Records)
1991 Vanilla Fudge Alive (Back On Stage) (Rhino Records)
2000 Derek St. Holmes Then & Now (Perris Records)
2008 Blood Of The Sun Death Ride (Brainticket Records)
2010 The Paul Reed Smith Band (Cargo Records)
2016 Whitford/St. Holmes Reunion
Contributions
1983 Michael Schenker Built to Destroy (Chrysalis Records) (contributed vocals on 2 songs)
1994 Dazed and Confused Movie Soundtrack (MCA Pictures)
1996 Steve Fister Shadow King (FTP Records)
1997 Private Parts Movie Soundtrack (Paramount/WB)
1999 That 70's Show/Rockin TV Sitcom Soundtrack (Volcano Records)
2001 Various Artists Welcome to the Aerosmithsonian: A Tribute to Aerosmith (Perris Records)
2010 Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival What If ... (Rainbow Foundation Music Inc.)
Compilations
1981 Ted Nugent Great Gonzos (Epic Records)**
References
External links
- Derek St. Holmes Official Website
- Derek St. Holmes' MySpace page
- Derek St. Holmes' VH1 page
- Whitford/St. Holmes Official Website
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