Rupert Holmes | |
---|---|
Birth name | David Goldstein |
Born |
Northwich, Cheshire, England |
February 24, 1947
Origin | Nanuet, New York, US |
Genres | Soft rock, pop rock, show tunes |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, playwright, author |
Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, saxophone |
Years active | 1969–present |
Labels | Epic Records, Infinity Records, MCA Records, Elektra Records |
Website | www |
Rupert Holmes (born David Goldstein on February 24, 1947) is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, musician, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and "Him" (1980). He is also known for his musicals Drood, which earned him two Tony Awards, and Curtains, and for his television series Remember WENN.
Holmes was born David Goldstein in Northwich, Cheshire, England. His father, Leonard Eliot Goldstein, was a United States Army warrant officer and bandleader. His mother, Gwendolen Mary (nee Pynn), was English, and both were musical. Holmes has dual British and American citizenship. The family moved when Holmes was six years old to the northern New York City suburb of Nanuet, New York, where Holmes grew up and attended nearby Nyack High School and then the Manhattan School of Music (majoring in clarinet). Holmes' brother, Richard, is an opera singer based in New York City and is the principal lyric baritone of the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, sings roles with regional opera companies, such as Glimmerglass Opera, Lake George, and Virginia Opera, among others, and has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera.