Rupert Holmes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rupert Holmes
Holmes in 1979
Background information
Birth name	David Goldstein
Born	(1947-02-24) February 24, 1947 (age 78) Northwich, Cheshire, England
Origin	Nanuet, New York, U.S.
Genres	Soft rock pop rock show tunes
Occupation(s)	Composer singer-songwriter playwright author
Instruments	Vocals keyboards saxophone
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Epic Records Infinity Records MCA Records Elektra Records

Rupert Holmes (born David Goldstein; February 24, 1947) is a talented British-American composer, singer, songwriter, and author. He is famous for his hit songs "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and "Him" (1980). Rupert Holmes is also well-known for his musicals, including The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which won him two Tony Awards. He also created the TV series Remember WENN and wrote the novel The McMasters Guide to Homicide: ... Your Employer.

Rupert Holmes' Early Life and Family

Rupert Holmes was born David Goldstein in Northwich, Cheshire, England. His father, Leonard Eliot Goldstein, was a United States Army officer and a bandleader. His mother, Gwendolen Mary, was English, and both of his parents loved music. Rupert Holmes has citizenship in both Britain and America.

When he was six years old, his family moved to Nanuet, New York, a town north of New York City. He grew up there and went to Nyack High School. Later, he studied clarinet at the Manhattan School of Music. His brother, Richard, is also a singer and has performed in operas and with the Metropolitan Opera.

In 1969, Holmes married his childhood friend, Elizabeth "Liza" Wood Dreifuss, who is a lawyer. They had a daughter named Wendy who sadly passed away in 1986 at the age of ten. They also have two sons: Nick, who is a filmmaker, and Timothy. In 2009, the family moved from Scarsdale to Cold Spring, New York.

Rupert Holmes: Songwriter and Recording Artist

When Rupert Holmes was in his 20s, he worked as a session musician. This meant he produced music, wrote and arranged songs, and played instruments. In 1969, he and Ron Dante recorded a song called "Jennifer Tomkins." This song became a hit, reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970.

Holmes also played piano for other bands, like the Buoys. He had an international hit with them called "Timothy" in 1971. He also wrote other songs for the band, such as "Give Up Your Guns." Besides writing for bands, Holmes created jingles for commercials and pop songs for famous artists like Dolly Parton and Barry Manilow. He even wrote music for the TV show the Partridge Family.

Rupert Holmes became a recording artist with his first album, Widescreen, released in 1974. This album showed his unique style of telling witty stories through his songs, often with a touch of humor. Barbra Streisand loved his music and recorded some of his songs. She even used his songs in her 1976 movie A Star Is Born. Holmes also helped create and arrange songs for several of Streisand's albums.

His album Partners in Crime (1979) featured his most famous song, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)". This song became the number one hit in the U.S. at the end of 1979. Another popular song from that album was "Him", which reached number 6 on the charts. In 1986, Holmes wrote "You Got It All", which was a big hit for the Jets. Later, Britney Spears also recorded this song.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Holmes performed in clubs, sharing stories from his life and singing his songs. In 2021, he received an honorary degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

Rupert Holmes: Playwright and Musical Creator

Rupert Holmes started writing plays with the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1985. This musical was based on an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Because the book was never finished, Holmes came up with a clever idea: the audience would vote each night to decide who the murderer was! The show was a big success on Broadway.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood won Holmes two Tony Awards for both the story and the music. It also won several Drama Desk Awards. This success led him to write many other plays and musicals.

He also wrote Say Goodnight, Gracie (2003), a play about the famous comedy duo George Burns and Gracie Allen. This play was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and became one of the longest-running solo shows on Broadway.

Holmes wrote the comedy-thriller Accomplice in 1990, which won an Edgar Award. He also wrote other shows like Solitary Confinement and Thumbs. He joined the team for the musical Curtains, rewriting parts of the story and adding lyrics. Curtains played on Broadway and earned Holmes more awards and nominations.

Rupert Holmes has adapted many stories into musicals. He wrote the story for The First Wives' Club (2009), based on the movie. He also wrote Robin and the 7 Hoods (2010), a musical inspired by the 1964 film.

He adapted the John Grisham novel A Time to ... for the stage in 2011. He also wrote the story and lyrics for The Nutty Professor musical (2012), based on the 1963 film. In 2013, he wrote the story for Secondhand Lions: A New Musical.

A new version of The Pirates of Penzance called Pirates! The Penzance Musical is planned for Broadway in 2025. Holmes adapted the story for this new production.

Rupert Holmes: Television Writer and Novelist

In 1996, Rupert Holmes created the TV series Remember WENN for American Movie Classics. He wrote the theme song and almost all of the 56 episodes for the show.

In 2003, he published his first novel, Where the Truth Lies. This book was later made into a movie. In 2005, he released Swing, which was a unique project combining a novel with a music CD that helped solve the mystery in the book. His most recent novel, The McMasters Guide to Homicide: ... Your Employer (2023), was a bestseller, reaching number six on The New York Times list.

Rupert Holmes' Music Albums

Here are some of the albums Rupert Holmes has released:

• Widescreen (1974)
• Rupert Holmes (1975)
• Singles (1976)
• Pursuit of Happiness (1978)
• Partners in Crime (1979)
• Adventure (1980)
• Full Circle (1981)
• Scenario (1994)
• Epoch Collection (1994)
• Widescreen (reissue) (1995)
• The Best of Rupert Holmes (1998)
• Rupert Holmes / Greatest Hits (2000)
• Widescreen – The Collector's Edition (2001)
• Best 1200 (2005)
• Cast of Characters – The Rupert Holmes Songbook (2005)
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood – original Broadway cast recording (2012)

Rupert Holmes' Hit Songs

Here are some of Rupert Holmes' singles and how they performed on music charts:

Other Creative Works by Rupert Holmes

Theatre Productions

• The Mystery of Edwin Drood
• Twelfth Night
• Accomplice
• The Hamburger Hamlet
• Solitary Confinement
• Goosebumps
• Say Goodnight, Gracie
• Thumbs
• Marty
• Curtains
• Swango
• A Time to ...
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The First Wives' Club
• Robin and the 7 Hoods
• The Nutty Professor
• Secondhand Lions: A New Musical
• The Sweet Potato Queens
• Pirates! The Penzance Musical

Film and Television Projects

• Remember WENN
• Hi Honey, I'm Home!
• No Small Affair
• Five Savage Men
• A Star Is Born
• Art in Heaven
• The Christmas Raccoons (voice)
• Memories Within Miss Aggie

Books Written by Rupert Holmes

• Where the Truth Lies
• Swing
• The McMasters Guide to Homicide: ... Your Employer

See also

In Spanish: Rupert Holmes para niños