Christopher Lee DeGarmo is an American metal guitarist born on 14 June 1963 in Wenatchee, Washington. He played with the heavy metal band ‘Queensrÿche’ during their commercially successful period.
Chris DeGarmo is currently a professional charter pilot and holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, Hawker (HS125) and Lear Jet type rating from the FAA.
Chris DeGarmo was a lead guitarist in the progressive metal band ‘Queensrÿche’ and best known for his seventeen year tenure (1981 to 1998) with this band. Chris and Michael Wilton formed the band ‘Queensrÿche’ in Seattle, suburb of Bellevue, Washington in 1981. They recruited their high school friend ‘Geoff Tate’ on vocals, Scott Rockenfield on drums and Eddie Jackson on bass. The band released a four-song demo tape after rehearsing for two years and this grabbed the attention of a local record store owners Kim and Diana Harris. The tape got circulated throughout the Northwest with the help of Harrises.
The band released Extended Play of ‘Queensrÿche’ on their own record 206 Records in 1983. The EP brought them a huge success, earned the band major-label attention. The band signed to a recording contract by EMI by the end of the year, which released an expanded version of ‘Queensrÿche’. ‘Queensrÿche’ sounded the reflection of other British Heavy Metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
Chris DeGarmo received a BMI (Broadcast Music, Incorporated) songwriter’s award for the song ‘Silent Lucidity’, which hit the top ten on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart in 1991.
In 1997, the bands tour in support of the studio album ‘Hear in the Now Frontier’ Chris DeGarmo announced that he was leaving the band and would return to play and co-write five songs for the album ‘Tribe’ in 2003. Chris wrote songs for the album but did not rejoin the band officially.
In 2007, Chris wrote and recorded the song ‘Justified’ for the album ‘Sign of the Times’ with ‘Queensrÿche’. After he came out of ‘Queensrÿche’, he collaborated with Jerry Cantrell’s band ‘Alice in Chains’ and made an appearance in their second solo album ‘Degradation Trip’ on 2002 and also worked in the short lived projects with Mike Inez, Vinnie Dombrowski and Sean Kinney.
Chris DeGarmo joined the Seattle artists with the remaining members of the rock band ‘Alice in Chains’ for the ‘Tsunami Continued Care Relief Concert’ on 18 February 2005. Chris recently worked for the production and arrangement of the studio album ‘Catch Without Arms’ for the rock band ‘dredge’ in 2005.
DISCOGRAPHY:
- Queensrÿche (1983)
- The Warning (1984)
- Rage for Order (1986)
- Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
- Empire (1990)
- Operation: LIVEcrime (1991)
- Promised Land (1994)
- Hear in the Now Frontier (1997)
- Greatest Hits (2000)
- Classic Masters (2003)
- Tribe (2003)
- Sign of the Times (2007)
- Microfish EP (2001)
- Degradation Trip (2002)