Top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes Songs

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Our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list presents a collection of songs from a group that delivered some solid pure classic rock and roll. Fans of 1970s classic rock will easily recognize these two names. The first half of the band’s name, Whitford, stands for Bradley Ernest Whitford, who most rock fans know as just Brad Whitford. The legendary guitarist has been performing with Aerosmith since the band first came on to the scene in the early 1970s.

While Joe Perry often gets all the fame as the band’s lead guitar player, the band’s sound has been shaped just as much by Brad Whitford’s killer guitar playing. The man is also responsible for co-writing some of the band’s biggest hits like “Nobody’s Fault,” “Round and Round,” and their classic track “Last Child.” Brad Whitford’ has been a fixture on the Aerosmith stage, usually standing to the right of Steven Tyler. He has never left the band except for a brief time in 2009 when he hurt his hand and in 1981 when he formed the Whitford/St. Holmes band.

The St. Holmes half of the band’s name stands for lead vocalist Derek St. Holmes. If you’re a fan of crazy Ted Nugent, then you know this name. Derek St. Holmes sang lead vocals on so many classic Ted Nugent tracks. He was the band’s lead vocalist on the albums Ted Nugent, Free For All, and Cat Scratch Fever. After leaving Ted Nugent In 1978, he later returned and sang lead vocals on various tracks on the albums Nugent, Spirit of the Wild and Shutup & Jam! Derek St. Holmes would also contribute vocals on a pair of Michael Schenker Group albums entitled Built to Destroy and Rock Will Never Die.

The Whitford/St. Holmes band was first formed in 1981 when there were many problems with the band Aerosmith. Steven Tyler’s drug problems caused many issues with the band. Joe Perry had left the band to form his own group, the Joe Perry Project. It was a very low point for the band Aerosmith as Steven Tyler found himself playing clubs with the band during the early 1980s. In 1981, Brad Whitford and Derek St. Holmes went into the studio along with Dave Hewitt on bass and Steve Pace on drums to record the band’s debut album simply entitled Whitford/St. Holmes. The album was produced by Tom Allom who had produced the Black Sabbath albums, Black Sabbath, Paranoid and Master of Reality. Tom Allom would also produce a dozen Judas Priest albums as well as other bands like Def Leppard, Krokus, Y&T, Genesis, Strawbs, Loverboy and many others.

The Whitford/St. Holmes Band and would tour to support their debut album. In 1983, Brad Whitford joined the Joe Perry band, ending Whitford/St. Holmes Band. Eventually, the two rejoined Aerosmith, and the band’s new record deal with Geffen Records saw Aerosmith make a significant comeback in the mid-80s and put their early 1980s troubles behind them. Almost 35 years later, Brad Whitford and Derek St. Holmes would return to the studio and record a new Whitford/St. Holmes Band album entitled Reunion. The album was released in 2015. In support of the album, the band went on the road to open for Whitesnake.

With only two studio album releases, the band has not released a lot of material. However, the two albums that they did release are filled with pure 1970s-sounding classic rock riffs that need to be heard. We have picked ten of our favorites to represent this great band here on classicrockhistory.com

# 10 – Mystery Girl

We open up our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list with the killer song “Mystery Girl.” One can easily hear the Aerosmith sound on this track. The song was released on the band’s debut album, Whitford/St. Holmes, and was placed as the album’s closing track. The song also appeared on the Reunion album, which featured a copy of the band’s debut album.

# 9 – Every Morning

Continuing with our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list, we take a listen to the high-spirited song “Every Morning.” The song was released on the album Whitford/St. Holmes. The opening riff reminds us of the song “Since You Been Gone” by Rainbow. There is a little AC/DC sprinkled on top for good measure. This is such a fantastic song. It’s pure 70s classic rock.

# 8 – Shy Away

In the number eight spot on our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list, we present the song entitled Shy Away. The song was released on the album entitled Whitford/St. Holmes The album was released in 1981. This one presents a bit of a friendly pop-rock sound that would have fit perfectly on FM radio and MTV. Steve Pace’s drums sound great on this track, while Brad Whitford lays down a scorching guitar solo. The song “Shy Away” was the only single released from the band’s debut album.

# 7 – Hot For You

After opening this Whitford/St. Holmes songs list with three tracks from the band’s debit album, we turn to their 2015 album release Reunion. One can easily hear the difference in sound quality between an album recorded in 2015 and 1981. The song “Hot For You,” was written by Derek St. Holmes. The song featured Buck Johnson on piano adding a nice touch to this straight-ahead blues style rocker.

# 6 – Shake It

Landing in the number six spot on our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list, we present the song “Shake It.” This one opens up sounding like a Ted Nugent song. Once again, you can hear the AC/DC meets Aerosmith’s influence on this one. The song “Shake I” was released on the album Reunion, which was released in 2015.

# 5 – Tender Is The Night

At the halfway point on our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list is the sweet sounding song entitled “Tender Is The Night.” Wow, this one really sounds different from all the band’s other material. This one has a bit of an Eagles meets Brantley Gilbert feel. The song “Tender is the Night,” was released on the Reunion album. It was the second track on the CD.

# 4 – Whiskey Woman

At the number four spot on our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list we present the song entitled Whiskey Waoman. The song was released on the band’s first album entitled Whitford/St. Holmes. It was also included as a bonus track on the band’s 2015 album Reunion. It was placed as the third track on their debut album. We love the soulful rock groove that defines this wonderful recording.

# 3 – Shapes

Rocking along on our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list we present the smoking song entitled “Shapes.” The song was released on the album entitled Reunion. “Shapes was the opening track on the band’s 2015 album. This song just explodes off the record. The band really updated their sound for the Reunion album. It sounds just so good. The group sounds like they are having a lot of fun on this track.

# 2 – I Need Love

Just of the top spot on our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes’s songs list, we present the energetic song entitled “I Need Love.” The song was released on the group’s debut album, Whitford/St. Holmes. This was the opening song on the album. It’s just the perfect 70s-style rock and roller to open an album. We just love the lyric, “Every time I find the woman I Love, she just walks away.” That pretty much sums it up for so many of us.

# 1 – Sharpshooter

We close out our top 10 Whitford/St. Holmes songs list with the captivating “Sharpshooter.” The song was released on the band’s debut album, Whitford/St. Holmes. This one is dark, loud, and pure classic rock and roll. Brad Whitford’s guitar licks dominate this killer track. His solo on this one is simply mind-blowing. Derek sounds phenomenal on this breathtaking piece.