Derry Grehan
Encyclopedia
Derry Grehan, formerly of St. Catharines, is a guitarist
for the Canadian
rock band Honeymoon Suite. The band was formed by Grehan, Johnnie Dee
, and Mike Lengyell in 1982.
and began playing piano and switched to guitar
at age 11. His early influences included Deep Purple
, Jimi Hendrix
and Santana
. Grehan recorded his first single at 17, with a band known as Stytch.
Grehan attended Fanshawe College
in London, Ontario
, and received a diploma in Recorded Music Production. During this time he wrote "New Girl Now
" which would later become one of Honeymoon Suite's biggest hits. After moving to Toronto
he hooked up with singer Johnnie Dee in 1982 and together they recruited the other members to form Honeymoon Suite. Their subsequent demo recording of "New Girl Now" was entered into a contest sponsored by radio station
Q107
and they won first prize. This exposure led to a record deal with Warner Music
and the band released their first self-titled
album in 1984.
Honeymoon Suite (named after the band members' hometown of Niagara Falls, Ontario
) sold over 300,000 copies of their debut in Canada and toured North America and Europe extensively. They were the opening act for many touring acts including Heart
, ZZ Top
and Journey
. The band released two more albums during the 1980s (The Big Prize
and Racing After Midnight) and received much exposure when their songs were featured in the hit TV show Miami Vice
. Grehan even played the lead role in a 1986 Pepsi
commercial.
Honeymoon suite released three more albums in the 1990s and continued to tour. Into the 2000s, the band remained active with more releases including 2008's Clifton Hill
with Grehan on lead guitar.
Grehan relocated to Illinois
with wife and children, and besides working with Honeymoon Suite, was involved locally with 2 side projects: The Dexrays, with Dexter Hebert (drums) and Rich Leigh (bass); and LoveJunk.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
for the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock band Honeymoon Suite. The band was formed by Grehan, Johnnie Dee
Johnnie Dee
Johnnie Dee is a Canadian rock vocalist, best known as the lead singer for the rock band Honeymoon Suite. Dee and guitarist Derry Grehan formed Honeymoon Suite in Niagara Falls, Ontario in the early 1980s...
, and Mike Lengyell in 1982.
Biography
Grehan was born on July 10, 1957 in St. Catharines, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and began playing piano and switched to guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at age 11. His early influences included Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
. Grehan recorded his first single at 17, with a band known as Stytch.
Grehan attended Fanshawe College
Fanshawe College
Fanshawe College is one of the largest colleges in Ontario, Canada. The main campus is in London, Ontario, with additional campuses in Simcoe, St. Thomas, Woodstock, and Tillsonburg. There are about 15,000 full-time students and 40,000 part-time students. Fanshawe College has more than 112,000 alumni...
in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, and received a diploma in Recorded Music Production. During this time he wrote "New Girl Now
New Girl Now
"New Girl Now" is a song by the Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite. It was released as a single in 1984, from the album Honeymoon Suite. The single reached #57 in the United States and reached #23 in Canada. It was featured on the Bones episode The Woman in Limbo...
" which would later become one of Honeymoon Suite's biggest hits. After moving to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
he hooked up with singer Johnnie Dee in 1982 and together they recruited the other members to form Honeymoon Suite. Their subsequent demo recording of "New Girl Now" was entered into a contest sponsored by radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
Q107
CILQ-FM
CILQ-FM is a radio station, broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic rock format branded as Q107 and is also available through streaming audio....
and they won first prize. This exposure led to a record deal with Warner Music
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
and the band released their first self-titled
Honeymoon Suite (album)
Honeymoon Suite was the debut album by the band Honeymoon Suite, released in 1984 on Warner Bros. Records. It went certified Platinum in Canada and all four singles - "New Girl Now", "Burning In Love", "Wave Babies" and "Stay In The Light" - were certified Gold as well in Canada.- Track listing :#...
album in 1984.
Honeymoon Suite (named after the band members' hometown of Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
) sold over 300,000 copies of their debut in Canada and toured North America and Europe extensively. They were the opening act for many touring acts including Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
and Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
. The band released two more albums during the 1980s (The Big Prize
The Big Prize
The Big Prize is the second album by Honeymoon Suite, released in early 1986. It featured four hit singles, including the band's biggest hit in the U.S., "Feel It Again," and "Bad Attitude," which was notably featured in a sequence in the final episode of Miami Vice three years later...
and Racing After Midnight) and received much exposure when their songs were featured in the hit TV show Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. Grehan even played the lead role in a 1986 Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
commercial.
Honeymoon suite released three more albums in the 1990s and continued to tour. Into the 2000s, the band remained active with more releases including 2008's Clifton Hill
Clifton Hill (album)
Clifton Hill is an album by Honeymoon Suite released in late 2008. It is the band's newest studio album since 2002.-Background and details:...
with Grehan on lead guitar.
Grehan relocated to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
with wife and children, and besides working with Honeymoon Suite, was involved locally with 2 side projects: The Dexrays, with Dexter Hebert (drums) and Rich Leigh (bass); and LoveJunk.