Gary Holland
Encyclopedia
Gary Holland, born 14 September 1958, in Syracuse, New York
, is an American hard rock
and heavy metal
drummer
and songwriter
, who worked in the 1980s with bands originating from California. He later played as session musician and soundtrack contributor.
, CA, where he co-founded a rock trio with Greg Leon
called Suite 19, playing clubs in Hollywood and the surrounding areas. By 1980, Holland was a member of an early version of Dokken
, headlining one tour of Europe. After leaving Dokken in 1981, he was briefly a member of Sister, which later became W.A.S.P.
A chance encounter with Dante Fox guitarist, Mark Kendall
, at The Troubadour in Hollywood
led to an audition. Holland officially joined Kendall, vocalist Jack Russell
, and bassist Don Costa in Dante Fox in November 1981. After replacing Costa with Lorne Black in 1982, Dante Fox changed their name to Great White
. He appeared on Great White's EP Out of the Night and on the albums Great White
and Recovery: Live!
, as well as in the music videos for the songs "Stick It" and "Substitute".
Holland was a founding member of Britton and provided drums and backing vocals on the group's 1988 release, Rock Hard. He toured Europe as the drummer for Blue Cheer
in 1993, and provided backing vocals on Ozzy Osbourne
's albums Ozzmosis
and Prince of Darkness. Holland worked also on Twisted Sister
's Come Out And Play
, on Autograph
's That's the Stuff
and on Don Dokken
's Up from the Ashes. He also collaborated with Mike Inez
of Alice In Chains
and Gilby Clarke
of Guns N' Roses
.
He supported tours for Whitesnake
(UK), Motörhead (US) and Judas Priest
(North America).
Holland appeared in and/or contributed songs to soundtracks of the following: Joe Piscapo HBO Comedy Special starring Joe Piscapo and Eddie Murphy
; Can't Buy Me Love
starring Patrick Dempsey
; Rock and Roll Mom starring Dyan Cannon
, Heather Locklear
and Fran Drescher
; Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay; Maid to Order
starring Ally Sheedy
.
, Aquarian heads, RIMS drum mounts and Paiste
cymbals with Pro-Mark
2S hickory nylon tip drumsticks and DW
9000 bass drum pedals. For his vocals, a Crown
CM-311A headset vocal mic.
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, is an American 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...
and 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...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, who worked in the 1980s with bands originating from California. He later played as session musician and soundtrack contributor.
Career
After high school, Holland moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CA, where he co-founded a rock trio with Greg Leon
Greg Leon
Gregory Jay Leon is a Los Angeles hard rock guitarist notable for his stints in Quiet Riot and Dokken. He was also in a band with Tommy Lee called Suite 19....
called Suite 19, playing clubs in Hollywood and the surrounding areas. By 1980, Holland was a member of an early version of Dokken
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
, headlining one tour of Europe. After leaving Dokken in 1981, he was briefly a member of Sister, which later became W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P. is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982. They emerged from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Quiet Riot and others. The band's popularity peaked in the 1980s, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy...
A chance encounter with Dante Fox guitarist, Mark Kendall
Mark Kendall (guitarist)
Mark Kendall is a lead guitarist born in Loma Linda, California. He is best known for being a founding member and lead guitar player of the blues-based hard rock band Great White.-Biography:...
, at The Troubadour in Hollywood
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
led to an audition. Holland officially joined Kendall, vocalist Jack Russell
Jack Russell (musician)
Jack Russell , is an American rock vocalist. He is a founding member of the American hard rock band Great White.-Biography:...
, and bassist Don Costa in Dante Fox in November 1981. After replacing Costa with Lorne Black in 1982, Dante Fox changed their name to Great White
Great White
Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"...
. He appeared on Great White's EP Out of the Night and on the albums Great White
Great White (album)
Great White is the first full-length album by the American rock band Great White. Three tracks are taken from the band's previous EP, albeit in re-recorded versions. The musical style of this album is very different from the following highly successful releases of Great White, as they display here...
and Recovery: Live!
Recovery: Live!
Recovery: Live! is a live album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 1988. Several versions of the album were released, with variations in both covers and track listings. The US version feature 5 cover songs recorded direct-to-2-track in 1986, as well as 5 live songs from 1983...
, as well as in the music videos for the songs "Stick It" and "Substitute".
Holland was a founding member of Britton and provided drums and backing vocals on the group's 1988 release, Rock Hard. He toured Europe as the drummer for Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
in 1993, and provided backing vocals on 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...
's albums Ozzmosis
Ozzmosis
-Personnel:Musicians*Ozzy Osbourne – vocals*Zakk Wylde – guitar*Geezer Butler – bass*Deen Castronovo – drums*Rick Wakeman – keyboardsAdditional personnel*Michael Beinhorn – production, keyboards...
and Prince of Darkness. Holland worked also on Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
's Come Out And Play
Come Out and Play (Twisted Sister album)
Come Out and Play is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released by Atlantic Records. It was less successful than its predecessor Stay Hungry both critically and commercially.- Overview :...
, on Autograph
Autograph (American band)
Autograph was an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California.-Formation:Autograph began in late 1983 originally as a solo project for singer, songwriter & guitarist Steve Plunkett, who had recently left the band Silver Condor, due to his frustration with their lack of interest in recording...
's That's the Stuff
That's the Stuff
-Musicians:*Steve Plunkett - Vocals and rhythm guitar*Steve Lynch - Guitars*Randy Rand - Bass and backing vocals*Steven Isham - Keyboards and backing vocals*Keni Richards - Drums...
and on Don Dokken
Don Dokken
Donald Maynard Dokken is best known for being the lead singer and founder of the band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style which has made him an influential figure in American heavy metal. After enjoying mainstream success with Dokken, he parted ways with the band in 1988...
's Up from the Ashes. He also collaborated 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:...
of 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 Gilby Clarke
Gilby Clarke
Gilbert "Gilby" Clarke is an American guitarist and record producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour...
of Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
.
He supported tours for Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
(UK), Motörhead (US) and Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
(North America).
Holland appeared in and/or contributed songs to soundtracks of the following: Joe Piscapo HBO Comedy Special starring Joe Piscapo and Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
; Can't Buy Me Love
Can't Buy Me Love (film)
Can't Buy Me Love is a 1987 teen comedy feature film starring Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson in a story about a nerd at a high school in Tucson, Arizona who gives a cheerleader $1,000 to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. The film was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:Ronald Miller is a...
starring Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
; Rock and Roll Mom starring Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer.-Early life:...
, Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
and Fran Drescher
Fran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer, author, singer, talk show host, political lobbyist and health activist...
; Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay; Maid to Order
Maid to Order
Maid to Order is a 1987 comedy/fantasy film starring Ally Sheedy.-Plot:Rich and spoiled twenty something Jessie Montgomery winds up in jail after a life of wild partying...
starring Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy
Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...
.
Equipment
In 2001, Holland used Mapex DrumsMapex Drums
Mapex Drums is a drum brand manufactured by KHS Musical Instruments Company of Taiwan. Mapex has been in the drum making industry for over 18 years.-Products:...
, Aquarian heads, RIMS drum mounts and Paiste
Paiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
cymbals with Pro-Mark
Pro-Mark
Pro-Mark is a Houston, Texas-based American drumstick company owned by founder Herb Brochstein. It is a widely known stick company generally played in drum set, drum and bugle corps and concert bands.-History:...
2S hickory nylon tip drumsticks and DW
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...
9000 bass drum pedals. For his vocals, a Crown
Crown International
Crown International, or Crown Audio, is a manufacturer of audio electronics, and is a subsidiary of Harman International Industries. Today the company is known primarily for its power amplifiers, but has also manufactured microphones, a line of commercial audio products as well as digital audio...
CM-311A headset vocal mic.