DEREK SHERINIAN
“Derek Sherinian is the Caligula of keyboards” – Alice Cooper
It’s rare to find an equal mix of style and substance –– but keyboardist Derek Sherinian has balanced the two admirably during his 18-year professional career. While he has performed alongside some of rock’s flashiest showmen, Sherinian has also proven that he’s more than capable of trading licks with many of the most respected musicians on the planet. Raised in Santa Cruz, Calif., Sherinian began playing his family’s piano at age 5. A few years later, he was introduced to the music of Elton John. During his junior year of high school, Sherinian was offered a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, Mass. After three semesters at Berklee, Sherinian felt he was ready to test the waters of Los Angeles. There, he was soon introduced to Buddy Miles, the drummer of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies. Derek was hired to play in Buddy’s band to tour R&B clubs across America. Derek says of the experience, “It was my first time going on tour. We played the chitlin’ circuit across America.”
In 1989, Sherinian got his first big break with shock rock legend Alice Cooper. He subsequently joined Cooper on the road in support of the
multi-platinum album Trash, performing the first of some 250 shows with Alice. Soon after completing another tour with Cooper – this time in support of Hey Stoopid – in 1991, Sherinian was hired as an offstage keyboard player with Kiss to tour in support of their Revenge album. “The first thing Gene said to me was that I looked like Paul Stanley and Cher’s love-child,” Sherinian says, laughing at the recollection. “Then Paul asked me to play the opening chords of ‘Love Gun,’ and I nailed it because I’ve heard that song since I was 12. Afterwards, Gene came up and shook my hand, and that was it – I was on the Kiss tour.” (Alive III, recorded during the Revenge tour, became Sherinian’s first major label release.)
In 1994, Sherinian was invited to audition with progressive rock band Dream Theater. When I first heard the material, it was terrifying, because I’d never played stuff that technical before. I flew out to New York and went into the audition, and I felt like I did OK. I didn’t
feel like I did great; I figured it could have gone either way.” The band thought otherwise, naming Sherinian as their new keyboardist
just in time for the kickoff of the Awake tour in October 1994. “I think it’s pretty funny that for someone who’s never played in a
progressive rock band before, my first progressive gig was the biggest one at the time,” he says. “When I was a kid, I would have never
thought I would be in that kind of band.”
Sherinian had developed a strong international fanbase during his tenure with Dream Theater, enough to launch a solo career with six releases to date featuring artists such as Zakk Wylde, Slash, Billy Idol, Al DiMeola, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Lukather, Simon Phillips, and many more. Sherinian also formed extreme “Metal Fusion” band Planet X that has earned international acclaim. In 2002 Derek was invited to join Billy Idol’s band and has remained a member ever since. Sherinian says of Billy, “He is a true star frontman, there are not many left. People love him, and I am proud to back him up on stage.”
