Gary Hoey is a surfer-rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 musician.

Early life and early career

At fourteen, Hoey often lingered outside Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

's renowned Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...

, 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

Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

 in 1988, when Osbourne was searching for a replacement for Jake E. Lee

Jake E. Lee

Jakey Lou Williams , commonly known as Jake E. Lee, is an American guitarist best known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne in the mid-1980s and later in his own band Badlands.- Musical education :...

, but the job went to Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde

Zachary Phillip Wylde , best known by the stage name Zakk Wylde, is an American musician, songwriter, and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory,...

.

In 1990, he teamed with singer Joel Ellis, bassist Rex Tennyson, and drummer Frankie Banali

Frankie Banali

Frankie Banali is an American rock drummer, best known for his work with multi-platinum heavy metal band Quiet Riot. He has been the band's manager during since 1994. He played drums in the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., as well as with Billy Idol...

 to form Heavy Bones

Heavy Bones

Heavy Bones were a heavy metal band from Hollywood, California that formed in 1990. The band consisted of Joel Ellis , Gary Hoey , Rex Tennyson , & Frankie Banali...

. The band released their debut album in 1992, but broke up shortly afterwards.

In 1993, he recorded the successful Animal Instinct album, which included a cover of the Focus

Focus (band)

Focus is a Dutch rock band which was founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, and is most famous for the instrumental pieces "Hocus Pocus" and "Sylvia"...

 hit "Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus (song)

"Hocus Pocus" is a 1971 instrumental from Focus II , the second album by Dutch rock group Focus. It was written by guitarist Jan Akkerman and flautist/keyboardist Thijs van Leer...

". Not only did the hit rocket into the Billboard Top 5

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...

, outpacing all other singles as the most frequently played rock song of the year, but the album went on to reach classic rock notoriety. The successful Endless Summer II soundtrack soon followed. He went on to record around twelve instrumental albums, all electric guitar oriented. His 1996 release, Bug Alley, displayed added vocal ability that he has expanded on more recent albums. He continues to tour extensively.

Later career

Gary Hoey's new album, “Utopia,” will be released in the summer of 2010. He has recorded 16 albums and had five top-20 Billboard hits, and has been called one of the top 100 guitarists of all time.

As writer, producer, and guitar player, Hoey's clients have included Disney, ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

, and No Fear

No Fear

No Fear is a lifestyle clothing brand that was created in 1989 by Mark Simo, Brian Simo, and Marty Moates. No Fear Inc. products are sold at various retail stores and . It also offers No Fear energy drinks under the same brand, in a joint venture with Pepsi. The company currently employs about 450...

, and he has performed the National Anthem for the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

, San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

, and the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

. Hoey has been featured on VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

 Classic’s documentary, “Aftermath,” and most recently guest starred alongside Michael Anthony, Ace Frehley

Ace Frehley

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...

, and Dave Mason

Dave Mason

David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...

, among others, at the 2010 Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp in Los Angeles, which debuts as a special series on VH1 Classic beginning this spring.

His popular “Ho Ho Hoey” series of Christmas CDs and on-air station visits during the holiday season have become an annual staple at hundreds of radio stations nationwide. Moreover, his live annual interpretation, “Ho Ho Hoey’s Rockin’ Holiday Show,” gains new fans each year. Hallmark

Hallmark

A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...

’s musical greeting cards feature two of Gary’s “Ho Ho Hoey” classics.

In addition to touring as a headline act, Hoey has toured and traded licks with Brian May of Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

, Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent

Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...

, Foreigner

Foreigner (band)

Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...

, Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani

Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...

, The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...

, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is an American guitarist. Though he is best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, gospel and country and western music into his recordings...

, Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....

, Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton

Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...

, Rick Derringer

Rick Derringer

Rick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...

, and Deep Purple

Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

. Hoey will support Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...

 on the US leg of his Spring 2010 tour.

Discography

• Get A Grip (1991)
• Heavy Bones (with the band Heavy Bones) (1992)
• Animal Instinct (1993)
• Endless Summer II Soundtrack (1994)
• Gary Hoey (1995)
• Ho! Ho! Hoey (1995)
• Bug Alley (1996)
• Ho! Ho! Hoey Vol. 2 (1997)
• Hocus Pocus Live (1998)
• Money (1999)
• Ho! Ho! Hoey Vol. 3 (1999)
• Best Of Ho! Ho! Hoey (2001)
• Wake Up Call (2003)
• Ho! Ho! Hoey: The Complete Collection (2003)
• Best Of Gary Hoey (2004)
• Monster Surf
  Monster Surf
  "Monster Surf" is a Gary Hoey album released in 2005. It consists of 14 instrumental tracks, 11 of which are covers of surf music hits. "Misirlou" features a guest appearance by the track's original composer, Dick Dale-Track listing:...
  
  (2005)
• American Made (2006)
• Fade to Blues (2008)
• Utopia (2010)

External links

• Official website
• [ Gary Hoey] at AllMusic.com
• Gary Hoey Interview, 2007, on Modern Guitars Magazine
• Rock N Roll Universe Interview 2005