Peter Holsapple
Encyclopedia
Peter Holsapple formed, along with Chris Stamey
, the singing, songwriting, and guitar-playing core of the dB's
, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
. He became the band's principal songwriter and singer after Stamey's departure. The dB's were at the forefront of the guitar bands from the southeast in the 1980s along with R.E.M.
, Let's Active
, etc. The dB's never achieved the prominence of R.E.M. but were critically recognized and are still greatly appreciated today. The band, with Stamey back in the fold, has reformed with new material in 2005-2006.
Holsapple was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, moving with his family to North Carolina in 1962. He played in bands since 1964, professionally since 1970. His band Rittenhouse Square with Mitch Easter
, Chris Stamey and Bobby Locke released an independent album in 1972. When Rittenhouse broke up, Holsapple joined future dB's drummer Will Rigby and several other high school friends in Little Diesel, a proto-punk rock band that ran against the tastes of Southern rock. Little Diesel's album No Lie (produced by Chris Stamey in 1974) was released on twenty 8-track cartridges, and it was finally re-released in 2006 on Telstar Records. College broke the band up, but Holsapple continued to write and sing, eventually moving to New York from Memphis, where he'd recorded at Sam Phillips Studio with Big Star
engineer Richard Rosebrough, three months into the dB's existence. He joined as keyboard player and backing vocalist, but he quickly began submitting his songs, playing guitar and singing lead vocals alongside Stamey.
After the dB's broke up in 1988, Holsapple worked as a full-time guitarist and keyboardist for R.E.M.
on the Green world tour. He participated in the writing and development, as well as the recording of their 1991 multi-platinum release, Out of Time
, but subsequently left R.E.M. due to disputes over songwriting credits http://orangefox.svs.com/rem/crawled.html. Holsapple subsequently worked with Hootie & the Blowfish
as an auxiliary musician.
Holsapple joined the Continental Drifters
(no longer extant), for whom he had first produced some demos, a single, and the Nineteen Ninety-Three album. The band was originally based out of Los Angeles but the members eventually relocated to New Orleans. The band included members of the Dream Syndicate, the Bangles and the Cowsills. Holsapple subsequently married Susan Cowsill
and had one child with her, a daughter. The group went on to record three well-received albums, an EP of Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson covers, and several tribute album tracks that unfortunately did not translate into a lot of sales. Holsapple and Cowsill divorced in 2001.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
, Holsapple relocated from New Orleans to Durham, North Carolina
.
In 1991, he and Stamey reunited to record an album entitled Mavericks. Holsapple also has one solo album, 1997's Out of My Way
which is out of print.
In September 2005, the classic line-up of the dB's performed two shows in Chicago and two in Hoboken, New Jersey. December 2006 brought Stamey-Holsapple Christmas shows in North Carolina. The Bowery Ballroom in NYC hosted the dB'S in January 2007, and in February 2007 the dB's made a brief appearance at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro NC. A new dB's album is a work in progress as of summer 2009.
Holsapple and Stamey released a new duo album hERE aND nOW on Bar/None Records in June 2009.
Chris Stamey
Chris Stamey is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. After a stint playing with Alex Chilton, and a brief partnering with Mitch Easter under the name Sneakers, he formed The dB's, whose stewardship he would share with Peter Holsapple.In 1977 in New York, Chris founded the...
, the singing, songwriting, and guitar-playing core of the dB's
The dB's
The dB's are a jangle pop/power pop group who came into prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s. The bandmembers were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder, all of whom were from Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
. He became the band's principal songwriter and singer after Stamey's departure. The dB's were at the forefront of the guitar bands from the southeast in the 1980s along with R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, Let's Active
Let's Active
Let's Active was an American rock musical group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1981.-History:The principal songwriter and sole continuous member of Let's Active was Mitch Easter, who kept the band active through most of the 1980s. The band's musical style is sometimes referred to as...
, etc. The dB's never achieved the prominence of R.E.M. but were critically recognized and are still greatly appreciated today. The band, with Stamey back in the fold, has reformed with new material in 2005-2006.
Holsapple was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, moving with his family to North Carolina in 1962. He played in bands since 1964, professionally since 1970. His band Rittenhouse Square with Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush, and...
, Chris Stamey and Bobby Locke released an independent album in 1972. When Rittenhouse broke up, Holsapple joined future dB's drummer Will Rigby and several other high school friends in Little Diesel, a proto-punk rock band that ran against the tastes of Southern rock. Little Diesel's album No Lie (produced by Chris Stamey in 1974) was released on twenty 8-track cartridges, and it was finally re-released in 2006 on Telstar Records. College broke the band up, but Holsapple continued to write and sing, eventually moving to New York from Memphis, where he'd recorded at Sam Phillips Studio with Big Star
Big Star
Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. The group broke up in 1974, but reorganized with a new line-up nearly 20 years later...
engineer Richard Rosebrough, three months into the dB's existence. He joined as keyboard player and backing vocalist, but he quickly began submitting his songs, playing guitar and singing lead vocals alongside Stamey.
After the dB's broke up in 1988, Holsapple worked as a full-time guitarist and keyboardist for R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
on the Green world tour. He participated in the writing and development, as well as the recording of their 1991 multi-platinum release, Out of Time
Out of Time (album)
Out of Time is the seventh album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on Warner Bros. Records in 1991. With Out of Time R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act. The record topped the album sales charts in both the U.S...
, but subsequently left R.E.M. due to disputes over songwriting credits http://orangefox.svs.com/rem/crawled.html. Holsapple subsequently worked with Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
as an auxiliary musician.
Holsapple joined the Continental Drifters
Continental Drifters
The Continental Drifters was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1991 and dissolved in New Orleans, Louisiana about a decade later...
(no longer extant), for whom he had first produced some demos, a single, and the Nineteen Ninety-Three album. The band was originally based out of Los Angeles but the members eventually relocated to New Orleans. The band included members of the Dream Syndicate, the Bangles and the Cowsills. Holsapple subsequently married Susan Cowsill
Susan Cowsill
Susan Claire Cowsill is a musician, vocalist and songwriter. She is the youngest member of The Cowsills and the only daughter of parents Bud and Barbara Cowsill.-The Cowsills:...
and had one child with her, a daughter. The group went on to record three well-received albums, an EP of Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson covers, and several tribute album tracks that unfortunately did not translate into a lot of sales. Holsapple and Cowsill divorced in 2001.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, Holsapple relocated from New Orleans to Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
.
In 1991, he and Stamey reunited to record an album entitled Mavericks. Holsapple also has one solo album, 1997's Out of My Way
Out of My Way
Out of My Way is a 1997 solo album by Peter Holsapple, on the New Orleans label Monkey Hill records. Personnel includes keyboardist Benmont Tench and Holsapple's fellow Continental Drifters Vicki Peterson, Susan Cowsill and Carlo Nuccio.-Track listing:...
which is out of print.
In September 2005, the classic line-up of the dB's performed two shows in Chicago and two in Hoboken, New Jersey. December 2006 brought Stamey-Holsapple Christmas shows in North Carolina. The Bowery Ballroom in NYC hosted the dB'S in January 2007, and in February 2007 the dB's made a brief appearance at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro NC. A new dB's album is a work in progress as of summer 2009.
Holsapple and Stamey released a new duo album hERE aND nOW on Bar/None Records in June 2009.
External links
- http://thedbs.com
- http://www.littlediesel.net
- http://www.continentaldrifters.com
- http://www.holsapplestamey.com