Gary Hoey

Last updated
Gary Hoey
Gary Hoey.jpeg
Background information
Born (1960-08-23) August 23, 1960 (age 63)
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock
Occupation(s)Musician
Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active1987–present
Labels Surfdog, Wazoo Music Group, Warner, Reprise
Website www.garyhoey.com

Gary Hoey (born August 23, 1960) is an American hard rock and latterly blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. [1] He has recorded over 20 albums.

Contents

Early life and early career

Hoey was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, United States. [1] At fourteen, Hoey often lingered outside Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music, making friends and offering to pay for lessons. To devote his time to music, he dropped out of high school and began playing Boston's local clubs and teaching guitar to other young players. He auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne in 1987, when Osbourne was searching for a replacement for Jake E. Lee, but the job went to Zakk Wylde. [1]

In 1990, he teamed with singer Joel Ellis, bassist Rex Tennyson, and drummer Frankie Banali to form Heavy Bones. [1] The band released their debut album in 1992, but broke up shortly afterwards. [2]

In 1993, he recorded the album Animal Instinct, which included a cover of the Focus hit "Hocus Pocus". [1] The single reached the top five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Endless Summer II (1995) soundtrack soon followed. [1]

Later career

Hoey has toured and/or recorded with Brian May of Queen, Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Joe Satriani, The Doobie Brothers, Beth Hart, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Peter Frampton, Rick Derringer, Deep Purple, and Lita Ford. [1] Hoey supported Jeff Beck on the US leg of his Spring 2010 tour. Hoey played on and co-wrote a few songs on Lita Ford's Living Like a Runaway album in 2012, as well as toured with her in support of that album. [1] His 2008 release Fade to Blues saw a shift in emphasis and style towards blues rock in his own work. [1]

Hoey's most recent album, Neon Highway Blues was released in 2019. [1] It debuted at number 2 in the US Billboard Blues Albums Chart. [3]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozzy Osbourne</span> English musician and TV personality (born 1948)

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness".

<i>Tribute</i> (Ozzy Osbourne album) 1987 live album by Ozzy Osbourne

Tribute is a live album by British heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, featuring his work with hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads, in whose honor the album was released. The album was released in April 1987 in the US and May 1987 in the UK, five years after the death of Rhoads, then it was reissued on 22 August 1995, and again remastered and reissued in 2002. It peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lita Ford</span> American rock guitarist and singer (born 1958)

Lita Rossana Ford is an English-born guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, and then embarked on a successful glam metal solo career that hit its peak in the late 1980s. The 1989 single "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains Ford's most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Lita</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Lita Ford

Lita is the third solo studio album by the American glam metal singer and guitarist Lita Ford. Released in February 1988, it was her first for RCA Records and her first published with the supervision of new manager Sharon Osbourne. Musicians Don Nossov and Myron Grombacher, who were best known for being the rhythm section of the successful American singer Pat Benatar, joined Ford for the recording sessions while Charles Dalba and Tommy Caradonna played drums and bass during the promotional tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Runaways</span> American rock band from Los Angeles

The Runaways were an American all-female rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of Noise" and a cover version of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll". Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became a sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single "Cherry Bomb".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Moore</span> Northern Irish musician (1952–2011)

Robert William Gary Moore was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal and jazz fusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherie Currie</span> American rock musician, actress, and woodcarver

Cherie Ann Currie is an American singer, musician, actress and artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of The Runaways, a rock band from Los Angeles, in the mid-to-late 1970s. She later became a solo artist. Currie and her identical twin sister, Marie Currie, released the album Messin' with the Boys in 1980 as Cherie & Marie Currie. Their duet "Since You Been Gone" reached number 95 on US charts. She is also known for her role in the movie Foxes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Banali</span> American rock drummer (1951–2020)

Frankie Banali was an American rock drummer, most widely known for his work with heavy metal band Quiet Riot. His signature tone and iconic drum intros first became famous on their album Metal Health, which was the first metal album to hit number one on the Billboard charts and ushered in the 80's metal band era. He had been the band's manager since 1993. He played drums in the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., as well as with Billy Idol. Banali was briefly a touring drummer for Faster Pussycat and Steppenwolf. In the last few months of his life he was also an abstract painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregg Bissonette</span> American drummer

Gregg Bissonette is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David Lee Roth's first three solo albums.

<i>Dancin on the Edge</i> 1984 studio album by Lita Ford

Dancin' on the Edge is second solo studio album by English/American rock musician Lita Ford. It was her final release with Mercury Records, as she departed to sign with RCA Records in 1987. The album was a moderate commercial success, reaching No. 66 of the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was also nominated for a Grammy Award in category of Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mama, I'm Coming Home</span> 1991 single by Ozzy Osbourne

"Mama, I'm Coming Home" is a power ballad by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne from Osbourne's sixth studio album No More Tears, which first released on 17 November 1991. The song features Osbourne on vocals, Zakk Wylde on guitar, Bob Daisley on bass, and Randy Castillo on drums. Lyrics were written by Lemmy, and the song was produced by Tom Fletcher. Two music videos were also produced to accompany the song's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozzy Osbourne discography</span>

The discography of Ozzy Osbourne, an English heavy metal vocalist, consists of 13 studio albums, five live albums, seven compilation albums, five extended plays (EPs), 65 singles, nine video albums and 41 music videos. After being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne started his solo career with a band consisting of guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake. The group released their debut album Blizzard of Ozz in 1980, which reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart, number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and number 21 on the US Billboard 200. Singles "Crazy Train" and "Mr Crowley" reached the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart, and the album has been certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 1981's Diary of a Madman reached the top 20 in the UK, Canada and the US, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The album was the last to feature Daisley and Kerslake, both of whom were fired before its release and replaced by Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge, respectively, as well as the last to feature Rhoads, who died in a plane crash on 19 March 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hocus Pocus (song)</span> 1973 single by Focus

"Hocus Pocus" is a song by the Dutch rock band Focus, written by keyboardist, flutist, and vocalist Thijs van Leer and guitarist Jan Akkerman. It was recorded and released in 1971 as the opening track of their second studio album Moving Waves. An edited version was released as a single on the Imperial, Polydor and Blue Horizon labels in Europe in 1971, but failed to chart outside of the Netherlands(NL#09).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Franklin (musician)</span> Musical artist

Anthony James Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, John Sykes' Blue Murder, David Gilmour, Kate Bush, Whitesnake, Lou Gramm and most recently with Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

<i>Focus II</i> 1971 studio album by Focus

Focus II is the second studio album by Dutch progressive rock band Focus, released in October 1971 on Imperial Records. Following the departure of original bassist Martin Dresden and drummer Hans Cleuver in 1970, the band recruited Cyril Havermans and Pierre van der Linden, respectively, and prepared material for a new album. Focus recorded Focus II in London in April and May 1971 with Mike Vernon as producer. The album features "Hocus Pocus" a hard rock song featuring keyboardist Thijs van Leer's yodelling, scat singing, and whistling, and "Eruption", a 22-minute track inspired by the opera Euridice by Italian composer Jacopo Peri.

<i>Animal Instinct</i> (Gary Hoey album) 1993 studio album by Gary Hoey

Animal Instinct is the title of the 1993 début release by instrumental rock guitarist Gary Hoey. The album featured his version of the hit "Hocus Pocus", originally done by 1970s Dutch progressive rock band Focus. His band at the time consisted of a few notable names of 1980s hard rock, including ex-The Firm bassist Tony Franklin, keyboardist Claude Schnell (ex-Dio), and drummer Frankie Banali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Close My Eyes Forever</span> 1989 single by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne

"Close My Eyes Forever" is a duet by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne from Ford's 1988 album Lita. The song was written by Ford and Osbourne as the result of an accident in the studio, during which they both drank heavily and inadvertently wrote the lyrics to the song together. This song is Ford's highest charting single, peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989 and also peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It is also Osbourne's highest charting single of his solo career. "Close My Eyes Forever" was one of four singles from the album Lita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Scurfield</span> American drummer

Matthew Robert Scurfield is a Canadian-born American musician and songwriter from Massachusetts. He is a drummer and a notable figure in the progressive rock scene. His professional work includes studio work, touring and live performances. Matt Scurfield has recorded and/or toured with Jaye Foucher, Joe Stump, Event, Matahari, Gus G, Lita Ford, Gary Hoey, Chad Hollister Band, and Sonic Joyride

<i>Living Like a Runaway</i> 2012 studio album by Lita Ford

Living Like a Runaway is the eighth solo studio album from American rock-musician Lita Ford, released in June 2012. This is the first album of Ford's to be released on SPV/Steamhammer Records. "SPV gets who I am, my work, and what it takes to bring this project to life. I'm very excited to have them on my team," says Ford.

Device was an American industrial metal band started by David Draiman, frontman of the heavy metal group Disturbed, and Geno Lenardo, former guitarist of Filter. They released one album, Device, in 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Gary Hoey - Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  2. "Sleaze Roxx: Heavy Bones". Archived from the original on 2007-09-16. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  3. "Blues Music: Top Blues Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 27 March 2019.