Stephen Jeffrey Holley (born 24 August 1953) is an English rock drummer. He was a member of Wings from August 1978 to April 1981. In 1984 he played drums and percussion in Julian Lennon's debut album '' Valotte''. He has also toured with Ian Hunter, on drums and backing vocals, including a reunion tour with Mott the Hoople in 2018 and 2019.

Early life

Holley was born in London. His father, Jeffrey, led a

swing music Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement ...

band and his mother, Irene, was the singer. Holley first studied the piano, but took up the drums at the age of twelve.

Career

In the course of his career, dating back to 1970 and an album with the band Horse, and including numerous appearances as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

, he performed and recorded with

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

, Kiki Dee, G.T. Moore & The Reggae Guitars,

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

, Ian Hunter, Tommy Shaw, Julian Lennon, Dar Williams, Richard Barone, Ben E. King, and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

. In 1978, soon after performing on Elton John's hit single "Ego", a chance meeting in a pub in his hometown of Staines with Denny Laine resulted in him being invited to join Wings. Holley later was a member of Jules Shear's band, Reckless Sleepers. Holley has been touring with Ian Hunter for several years as a member of Ian Hunter's Rant Band. He plays Pearl drums and Sabian cymbals.

Discography

* ''The Reluctant Dog (2003)''

Collaborations

* '' A Single Man'' –

(1978) * '' Vapour Trails'' – Vapour Trails (1979) * '' Back to the Egg'' –

Paul McCartney and Wings Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, was a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in 1971 in London by former The Beatles, Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; a ...

(1979) * '' Jump Up'' –

(1982) * '' Valotte'' – Julian Lennon (1984) * '' No Sound But a Heart'' –

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress who achieved recognition in an episode of the reality television series ''The Big Time (TV series), The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a ...

(1987) * '' Night Calls'' –

(1991)

References

External links

* 1954 births Living people English rock drummers Musicians from London Paul McCartney and Wings members British male drummers Elton John Band members {{UK-drummer-stub