Chris DeGarmo
Encyclopedia
Chris DeGarmo is an American
heavy metal
and hard rock
guitarist
. He co-founded Queensrÿche
in 1981 and played with the group during their most commercially successful period. Since departing from the band, DeGarmo has continued his involvement in the music business in a much smaller capacity. He is now a professional charter pilot.
band
Queensrÿche
. He was a founding member of the Seattle/Bellevue
-based band, and together with fellow guitarist Michael Wilton
and vocalist Geoff Tate
, was largely responsible for writing the band’s intricate compositions. He was the sole writer for the band's 1991 hit "Silent Lucidity
," which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and earned the guitarist a BMI
songwriter's award. DeGarmo left the band for undisclosed reasons following the band's 1997 tour in support of the Hear in the Now Frontier
album. DeGarmo returned briefly in 2003 to record on Queensrÿche's Tribe
. He also wrote and recorded the song "Justified" with Queensrÿche for their 2007 greatest hits album, Sign of the Times
.
His post-Queensrÿche career includes collaborations with Jerry Cantrell
(as a touring guitarist and an appearance on the 2002 Degradation Trip
studio album) and with Mike Inez
, Sean Kinney
, and Vinnie Dombrowski
in the open project Spys4Darwin
.
On February 18, 2005, DeGarmo joined the remaining members of the popular rock band Alice in Chains
and other Seattle area artists for the Tsunami
Continued Care Relief Concert. His most recent studio work involved assisting the rock band Dredg
for the production and arrangement of their 2005 studio album Catch Without Arms
. DeGarmo currently lives in the Seattle area with his wife and children, and works full time as a professional pilot. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, LR-JET Lear Jet
, IA-Jet Beechcraft Premier I and Learjet 45
type ratings from the FAA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. He co-founded Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
in 1981 and played with the group during their most commercially successful period. Since departing from the band, DeGarmo has continued his involvement in the music business in a much smaller capacity. He is now a professional charter pilot.
Career
DeGarmo is best known for his seventeen-year tenure (1981-1998) as a lead and rhythm guitarist in the progressive metalProgressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
. He was a founding member of the Seattle/Bellevue
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
-based band, and together with fellow guitarist Michael Wilton
Michael Wilton
Michael Wilton is an American guitarist for the progressive metal band Queensrÿche. Wilton attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle where he met future Queensrÿche drummer Scott Rockenfield and began recording in 1981...
and vocalist Geoff Tate
Geoff Tate
Geoff Tate is an American singer and musician, who rose to fame in the 1980s with the progressive metal band, Queensrÿche...
, was largely responsible for writing the band’s intricate compositions. He was the sole writer for the band's 1991 hit "Silent Lucidity
Silent Lucidity
"Silent Lucidity" is a single by the American progressive metal band Queensrÿche from the 1990 album Empire. The song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. The song was composed by lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo...
," which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and earned the guitarist a BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
songwriter's award. DeGarmo left the band for undisclosed reasons following the band's 1997 tour in support of the Hear in the Now Frontier
Hear in the Now Frontier
Hear in the Now Frontier is the sixth studio album by progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released in 1997. It was partly recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, the home studio of Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, and was engineered and mixed by Toby Wright, who had recently worked with Alice In...
album. DeGarmo returned briefly in 2003 to record on Queensrÿche's Tribe
Tribe (Queensrÿche album)
-Personnel:*Geoff Tate - Vocals*Chris DeGarmo - Guitar*Michael Wilton - Guitar*Mike Stone - Guitar*Eddie Jackson - Bass*Scott Rockenfield - Drums...
. He also wrote and recorded the song "Justified" with Queensrÿche for their 2007 greatest hits album, Sign of the Times
Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche
Sign of the Times is a compilation album by Seattle-based progressive metal band Queensrÿche. It contains a selection of their most notable songs and was released on August 28, 2007...
.
His post-Queensrÿche career includes collaborations with Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
(as a touring guitarist and an appearance on the 2002 Degradation Trip
Degradation Trip
Degradation Trip is the second solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, released on June 18, 2002. It marks his difficult transition from Columbia Records to Roadrunner and was dedicated to Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, who died two months before the album's...
studio album) and with Mike Inez
Mike Inez
Mike Inez is a rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains. Inez has also worked with other popular musical acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and Heart. Inez is of Filipino ancestry.-Career:...
, Sean Kinney
Sean Kinney
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
, and Vinnie Dombrowski
Sponge (band)
Sponge is a post-grunge band from Detroit, Michigan formed in 1991 by Vinnie Dombroski, Mike Cross, Tim Cross and Joey Mazzola. Sponge was signed to Sony Records in 1994 but have since switched to other labels....
in the open project Spys4Darwin
Spys4Darwin
-Post-Spys4Darwin:In 2002, the members of Spys4Darwin had begun to move on to different projects. April 2002 saw the death of Layne Staley, a longtime band mate to both Kinney and Inez. This put Alice in Chains into official hiatus with Inez rumored to replace Metallica's Jason Newsted later that...
.
On February 18, 2005, DeGarmo joined the remaining members of the popular rock band Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and other Seattle area artists for the Tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
Continued Care Relief Concert. His most recent studio work involved assisting the rock band Dredg
Dredg
Dredg is an American rock group formed in 1993 in Los Gatos, California. The band consists of vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer Dino Campanella....
for the production and arrangement of their 2005 studio album Catch Without Arms
Catch Without Arms
-Part 2:-Personnel:* Gavin Hayes – Vocals* Terry Date – Producer, Engineer, Mixing* Chris DeGarmo – Arranger* Ingrid Erickson – Editing* Benny Gordon – A&R* Sam Hofstedt – Engineer, Assistant, Pro-Tools* Ted Jensen – Mastering...
. DeGarmo currently lives in the Seattle area with his wife and children, and works full time as a professional pilot. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, LR-JET Lear Jet
Lear Jet
Learjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".-History:The Learjet started life as an...
, IA-Jet Beechcraft Premier I and Learjet 45
Learjet 45
-See also:-References:* Taylor, Michael J.H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000. London:Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1 85753 245 7.-External links:*...
type ratings from the FAA.
Queensrÿche
- QueensrÿcheQueensrÿche (album)Queensrÿche is an EP by the American progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released in 1982 and again one year later. It was originally released independently by 206 Records . Based on the success of the EP, the band was signed to a recording contract by EMI...
(1983) - The WarningThe Warning (Queensrÿche album)The Warning is the first full-length album by Queensrÿche, released on 7 September 1984 .The original tracklisting for the album was changed by mix engineer Val Garay under orders from EMI America against the wishes of the band...
(1984) - Rage for OrderRage for OrderRage for Order is the second studio album by heavy metal band Queensrÿche, released in 1986 on EMI America Records.-Track listing:- 2003 CD reissue bonus tracks :# "Gonna Get Close to You " - 5:46...
(1986) - Operation: MindcrimeOperation: MindcrimeOperation: Mindcrime is a concept album by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche. Released on May 3, 1988, it is the band's third full-length album. A rock opera, its story follows a man who becomes disillusioned with the society of the time and reluctantly becomes involved with a...
(1988) - Empire (1990)
- Operation: LIVEcrimeOperation: LIVEcrimeOperation: LIVEcrime is a live album, covering the album Operation: Mindcrime by American heavy metal band Queensrÿche. It was released by EMI in 1991...
(1991) - Promised Land (1994)
- Hear in the Now FrontierHear in the Now FrontierHear in the Now Frontier is the sixth studio album by progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released in 1997. It was partly recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, the home studio of Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, and was engineered and mixed by Toby Wright, who had recently worked with Alice In...
(1997) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Queensrÿche album)Greatest Hits is a 2000 compilation album from American progressive metal band Queensrÿche. It includes material from all of the band's studio releases up to 1997 , as well as the 1997 B-side "Chasing Blue Sky" and an alternate version of "Someone Else?" featuring the full band.-Track...
(2000) - Classic MastersClassic Masters (Queensrÿche album)Classic Masters is a compilation album by Seattle based progressive metal band Queensrÿche. It was released on 11 March 2003.-Track listing:# "Queen of the Reich" - 4:22# "Warning" - 4:45# "The Killing Words" - 3:56# "Speak" - 3:42...
(2003) - TribeTribe (Queensrÿche album)-Personnel:*Geoff Tate - Vocals*Chris DeGarmo - Guitar*Michael Wilton - Guitar*Mike Stone - Guitar*Eddie Jackson - Bass*Scott Rockenfield - Drums...
(2003) - Sign of the TimesSign of the Times: The Best of QueensrÿcheSign of the Times is a compilation album by Seattle-based progressive metal band Queensrÿche. It contains a selection of their most notable songs and was released on August 28, 2007...
(2007)