Massachusetts born and bred guitarist 'Gary Hoey' often lingered outside Boston's renowned
Berklee College of Music when he was fourteen years old, making friends and offering to pay for lessons. Realizing he should devote all of his time to music, Hoey dropped out of high school and began playing Boston's local clubs, teaching guitar to other budding young players as well. He auditioned for the infamous
Ozzy Osbourne in 1988, when Osbourne was searching for a replacement for
Jake E. Lee. Although the job went to
Zakk Wylde, Hoey earned Osbourne's respect and admiration with his guitar playing ability and all-around professional manner
In 1990 he teamed up with singer
Joel Ellis, bassist
Rex Tennyson, and drummer
Frankie Banali to form
Heavy Bones. The band released their debut album in 1992 but broke up shortly thereafter.
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In 1993, he recorded the successful
Animal Instinct album, which included a cover of the Focus hit
Hocus Pocus. Not only did the hit rocket into the Billboard Top 5, 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 an estimated twelve diverse instrumental albums, all electric guitar oriented. His 2006 release, 'American Made', displayed added vocal ability as well. In the midst of this ride, Hoey undertook long radio station tours, during which he visited over 400 stations coast to coast. He has created music for ESPN’s Summer X Games, No Fear, Disney, The San Diego Padres and many others. Hoey continues to tour extensively.
Discography
★ Heavy Bones (1992) (with the band
Heavy Bones)
★ Animal Instinct (1993)
★ Endless Summer II (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 (2005)
★ American Made (2006)
External links
★
Gary Hoey Official Site
★
Gary Hoey at AllMusic.com
★
Gary Hoey Interview, 2007, on ''Modern Guitars'' Magazine
★
Rock N Roll Universe Interview 2005