Chris DeGarmo
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- Jun 14
- 3 min read
Here are some interesting facts about Chris DeGarmo, best known as as lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the band "Queensrÿche".
He was born with the name Christopher Lee DeGarmo on June 14, 1963, in Wenatchee, Washington.
Chris grew up in a struggling household after his father abandoned the family; later reflected on this in the song "Bridge" from "Promised Land".
DeGarmo was raised in the Seattle area, and attended Interlake High School in Bellevue, Washington.
He became close friends with future "Queensrÿche" drummer Scott Rockenfield in sixth grade.
DeGarmo began playing guitar in his teens and joined local bands including "Joker" (with Michael Wilton) in the late 1970s.
After being kicked out of "Joker", formed "Tempest", which later became "D-H-W" (DeGarmo-Hovland-Welling).
In 1980, he joined Rockenfield and Wilton in a new band called "Cross+Fire", which played covers of bands such as "Iron Maiden" and "Judas Priest".
"Cross+Fire" later renamed "The Mob" transitioned from playing covers to original material, recruiting Geoff Tate as vocalist in 1982.
"The Mob" renamed it's name to "Queensrÿche", based on DeGarmo’s song "Queen of the Reich".
They released their debut EP "Queensrÿche" in 1983, with DeGarmo as co-guitarist, backing vocalist, and lead songwriter writing all lyrics and most of the music.
"Queensrÿche" released their debut full-length album "The Warning" (1984), DeGarmo co-wrote the 5 of the 9 songs from the album.
The band released their second album "Rage for Order" in 1986 , with DeGarmo helping shape the band's progressive direction.
DeGarmo was the primary musical force behind the landmark concept album "Operation: Mindcrime" released in 1988.
He co-wrote the Grammy-nominated "I Don’t Believe in Love" taken from the album.
DeGarmo was the sole composer of the band’s breakthrough hit "Silent Lucidity", from the album "Empire" (1990), which reached the Billboard Top 10 and earned Grammy and MTV nominations for "Best Rock Song" and "Best Rock Vocal Performance".
He co-wrote almost of the album "Promised Land" (1994), a darker and more introspective release, including the personal acoustic ballad "Bridge".
He was a part of the album "Hear in the Now Frontier" (1997), signaling a stylistic shift toward alternative rock.
The song "All I Want" features Chris DeGarmo on lead vocals, the only time that any band member besides the lead vocalist had done so on a studio track.
After the album's release, DeGarmo left "Queensrÿche" in late 1997, with the departure publicly announced in January 1998.
He cited burnout, internal dysfunction, and a desire to focus on family as reasons for his departure.
DeGarmo transitioned into aviation, becoming a certified Airline Transport Pilot. He later flew business jets such as the Learjet and Challenger 300.
He toured with Jerry Cantrell in 1998 as a guitarist during the "Boggy Depot" tour.
DeGarmo co-founded the short-lived supergroup "Spys4Darwin" in 1999 with Sean Kinney, Mike Inez, and Vinnie Dombroski.
"Spys4Darwin" released the EP "Microfish" in 2001 and debuted live at Endfest in Seattle.
DeGarmo returned to "Queensrÿche" in 2003 to contribute to the "Tribe" album; co-wrote and played on several tracks including "Falling Behind", "Doin' Fine", and "Art of Life".
He wrote "Justified" for "Tribe", later released in 2007 on the compilation "Sign of the Times".
DeGarmo collaborated again with Jerry Cantrell on "Degradation Trip" (2002), playing slide guitar on "Anger Rising".
He assisted alternative band "Dredg" in 2005 with arrangements and production for their album "Catch Without Arms".
In 2005 he performed at the Seattle Tsunami Continued Care Relief Concert, alongside members of "Alice in Chains" and other Seattle musicians.
Since 2009, has made music under the project name "The Rue" with his daughter Rylie DeGarmo.
"The Rue’s" released their self-titled six-song debut EP in 2015.
DeGarmo played acoustic guitar on "Drone" from "Alice in Chains"’ 2018 album "Rainier Fog".
He performed with Lily Cornell Silver in 2020 on a tribute to "Alice in Chains", accompanying her on "Black Gives Way to Blue".
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