On this day · 73 years ago · 1953
73 Years Ago Today: Wings Drummer Steve Holley Is Born
A chance pub conversation with Denny Laine turned Steve Holley into Wings' drummer within days. He was born August 24, 1953, in London, and went on to play sessions for Paul McCartney, Elton John, Joe Cocker, and Chuck Berry.
By Cadence, Drums desk · Edited by Sleuth ·
Steve Holley, English rock drummer, was born August 24, 1953, in London, the son of a swing-band leader. A working session drummer through the 1970s, he joined Paul McCartney's Wings in August 1978 after a chance pub meeting with Wings guitarist Denny Laine, playing on the band's final studio album, 1979's Back to the Egg. Holley's other session credits include Elton John, Joe Cocker, Julian Lennon, Ian Hunter, and Chuck Berry, and he still tours with Ian Hunter's Rant Band.
A swing-band childhood, then drums at twelve
Stephen Jeffrey Holley was born August 24, 1953, in London, per Wikipedia's account of his career. Music ran in the family: his father, Jeffrey, led a swing music band, and his mother, Irene, was its singer. Holley started on piano before switching his focus to drums at age twelve. His recording career dates back to 1970, with an album by the band Horse, and from there he built a career as one of London's steady session drummers, eventually working with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Kiki Dee, Joe Cocker, Ian Hunter, Julian Lennon, Ben E. King, and Chuck Berry.
A pub meeting that led to Wings
Holley's biggest break came from a chance encounter. In 1978, not long after he played drums on Elton John's hit single "Ego," Holley ran into Wings guitarist Denny Laine in a pub in his hometown of Staines. Per Wikipedia's account, that meeting led directly to an invitation to join Paul McCartney's band. Holley was a member of Wings from August 1978 to April 1981, playing on the band's final studio album, 1979's "Back to the Egg." Holley went on to play with Jules Shear's band, Reckless Sleepers, and later joined Julian Lennon's touring and recording lineup, appearing on Lennon's 1984 debut album, "Valotte."
Still on the road with Ian Hunter
Holley's session and touring career never slowed down. He has spent years as a member of Ian Hunter's Rant Band, which included a reunion tour with Hunter's old band, Mott the Hoople, in 2018 and 2019. Across his catalog of studio credits, Wikipedia's account lists albums with Elton John (1978's "A Single Man" and 1982's "Jump Up!"), Julian Lennon, Sheena Easton, and Joe Cocker's 1991 album "Night Calls." He plays Pearl drums and Sabian cymbals, a pairing that shows up again and again across his four-decade session career.
The cymbal brand behind his sound
Wikipedia's account of Holley's career documents his gear plainly: Pearl drums, Sabian cymbals. Sabian's catalog spans exactly the kind of bright, cutting hi-hat sound that cuts through a session mix the way his credits demand.
Sabian AAX · Hi-Hats
Sabian AAX Xplosion 16-inch Hi-Hats
Not a claim about Holley's exact model, which isn't individually documented. A bright, cutting modern pair from the cymbal brand his own bio credits him with playing.
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