By: Rob Cavuoto
Rejoining Ted Nugent for his summer 2011 I Still Believe Tour is none other than Derek St Holmes on vocals.
Derek is the original voice on so many of Ted’s classic hits, like “Stranglehold”, “Hey Baby”, “Just What the Dr. Ordered”, and “Dog Eat Dog” to name just a few. He was a member of The Amboy Dukes from 1973 and provided that magic soulful voice to the ground breaking Ted Nugent solo record in 1975. In 1978, Derek headed off for his own solo musical adventure, but again collaborated with Nugent on the Spirit of the Wild CD and tours in 1995-96. Fast forward to 2011, and Derek is now a full-time member of the Nugent Band once again, so buckle up for one hell of high octane All-American rock ‘n’ roll party.
I had a chance to catch up with Derek prior to hitting the stage in New Jersey. As we chatted, Derek was warming up with his Les Paul, playing classic Nugent hits as well as songs from his 1981 project with Brad Whitford. It was great experience to speak with him about his work with Ted, Brad Whitford, as well as guitars and his future plans.
Derek St. Holmes (left) with Ted Nugent (middle) and bassist Greg Smith
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Rob Cavuoto: When I think of Ted Nugent, I always think about your vocals on some of his biggest hits. What’s it like being back on tour with him?
Derek St. Homes: Ted and I have special chemistry when we play together; he doesn’t play with a lot of other guitar players. I have been playing guitar in and around him since 1974. I don’t think anyone knows how to back him up as well as I do.
Rob: What are some of the songs you’ll be sing tonight?
Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Homes: I’ll be singing “Just what the Doctor Ordered”, “Dog Eat Dog”, “Hey Baby”, and “Stranglehold.”
Rob: With so many classic hits, is it tough to pick the songs for the tour and strike a good balance of old and new?
Derek St. Homes: It can be. Unfortunately, there are always a few great ones that we have to leave out. We pick the song list before we start rehearsing and look for the coolest ones to play live. We hope to add a few more of the older songs from the back catalog in the next few weeks.
Check out GI’s interview with the ever-controversial Ted Nugent, entitled Ted Nugent: Killing Animals Helps You Play Guitar.
Rob: What do you think of Teds CD’s that you’re not on?
Derek St. Homes: I didn’t listen much after Double Live Gonzo; it’s just not my cup of tea. What we do together is what I’m interested in.
Rob: You’re warming up with a Les Paul now, is that your “go to” guitar?
Derek St. Homes: This one is a ’58 Sunburst Reissue Custom Shop. This is one of the ones that I use the least, the ones I use on stage are all set up and don’t want to fool with them. I also use a PRS. [Paul Reed Smith is] a good friend of mine.
Rob: How many guitars do you typically take on the road with you?
Derek St. Homes: Maybe five or six. My favorite is my Black Les Paul Custom Shop Les Paul. I wanted to take my acoustic, but I just couldn’t fit it in with all my stuff. I hope to go back home and get it when we get a break.
Rob: How was it to work with Brad Whitford and are there any plans to work together again?
Derek St. Homes: It was excellent, [Derek starts jamming to “Sharpshooter” off Whitford/St. Holmes] The one thing that Brad and I always had was melodies. Brad and I are getting together to put together another CD after the Aerosmith’s CD and tour.
Rob: Have you started writing anything? What can we expect?
Derek St. Homes: We have a couple of ideas, and we are leaning more towards, dare I say, a jam band. It’s going to be very different from the 80’s stuff, more like a Grateful Dead jam thing. We both have a done the regimented songs. We’ll make sort of an outline of a song and start to jam with. He is an incredible guitarist and songwriter. We’ll just have to wait and see how that all comes together.
Rob: What are your plans after the I Still Believe Tour is finished?
Derek St. Homes: I’m going out with Guitar Gods of The 70’s with Ronnie Montrose, Pat Travers and Mark Foreigner. We did a few shows already, but I had to break off from them to play with Ted.
Derek St. Holmes, backstage in NJ
