Joel Hoekstra (born December 13, 1970) is an American guitarist currently in the band

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own en ...

. Hoekstra also tours as a guitarist for

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel ...

. The son of classical musicians, he started out playing cello and piano at a young age, but it was hearing

Angus Young Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is an Australian musician, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and only remaining original member of the hard rock band AC/DC. He is known for his energetic performances, schoolbo ...

of AC/DC that inspired him to start playing the guitar. He was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, in

Orland Park Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, Orland Park had a population of 58,703. Located 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Chicago ...

, but has lived in New York City since 2001. Hoekstra has performed with

and was the lead guitarist in the Broadway musical, ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

''. He also made a cameo appearance alongside

Sebastian Bach Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian-American singer who achieved mainstream success as the frontman of the hard rock band Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He has acted on Broadway and ha ...

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Kevin Cronin Kevin Patrick Cronin (born October 6, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter, who is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and pianist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the ...

and

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Gibson released her debut album '' Out of the Blue'' in 1987, which spawned several international hits, later being certified triple plati ...

in the big screen movie adaptation of ''Rock of Ages''.

Career

Night Ranger

In 2008, Hoekstra joined

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...

and combined with guitarist

Brad Gillis Bradley Frank Gillis (born 15 June 1957) is a guitarist most famous for playing with the band Night Ranger. He was in the band Rubicon during the 1970s before Night Ranger. Since forming in 1979, Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy are the only me ...

as a part of the group’s dual guitar driven sound. Hoekstra toured with Night Ranger and performed on several albums with the group and appeared in the videos for the songs ''Growin' Up In California'', ''Knock Knock Never Stop'' and ''High Road''. In 2011, Joel filled in for Mick Jones in Foreigner while continuing to play with Night Ranger on the same tour.

Whitesnake

In 2014, Hoekstra joined

as their guitarist alongside fellow guitarist Reb Beach. Hoekstra played on '' The Purple Album'' (released May 2015) which was a re-imagination of classic songs from David Coverdale's time as the lead singer for Deep Purple. Hoekstra appeared in the videos for the songs "Stormbringer", "Gypsy" and "Soldier of Fortune" off ''The Purple Album'' and "Shut Up & Kiss Me" and "Trouble is Your Middle Name" videos off the '' Flesh and Blood'' album. Hoekstra was co-writer with Coverdale on six of the songs on ''Flesh and Blood''. He has toured with Whitesnake on their ''The Purple Album'' tour (2015–16), ''The Greatest Hits'' tour (2016-2018) and their ''Flesh and Blood'' tour (2019).

Cher

Hoekstra played guitar for Cher on the

Here We Go Again Tour The Here We Go Again Tour was the seventh solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher in support of her twenty-sixth studio album '' Dancing Queen''. This was the first time the singer had embarked on a world tour since her Living Proof: ...

of 2018-2020. He also served as guitarist for Cher during her Las Vegas residency at the

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

. Hoekstra performed at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards as the guitarist for Cher on the songs " Believe" and "

If I Could Turn Back Time "If I Could Turn Back Time" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1989 nineteenth studio album '' Heart of Stone''. It was released as the album's lead single in July 1989, by Geffen Records. The song was written specifically f ...

" as Cher received the Icon Award.

Side projects and guest appearances

In 2015, Frontiers Records released the debut album '' Dying to Live'' from his side project Joel Hoekstra's 13, to rave reviews. The album featured performances by

Russell Allen Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971) is an American singer best known as the vocalist of the progressive metal band Symphony X. He has also worked with the supergroups Star One, Allen-Lande, Level 10, and as one of fourteen vocalists in the pr ...

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, Tony Franklin, and

Jeff Scott Soto Jeff Scott Soto (born November 4, 1965) is an American rock singer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for being the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen's first two albums, and (briefly) the lead vocalist for Journey in 2006–2007. Soto also ...

. In 2016, Hoekstra played on

Michael Sweet Michael Harrison Sweet (born July 4, 1963) is a singer and guitarist from Whittier, California; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He's also had a successful solo career, and briefly ...

’s chart-topping album '' One Sided War'' and appeared in the video for the song "Radio". Hoekstra served as a counselor at the 20th anniversary of the

Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp The Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp is an interactive musical event that takes place in various locations worldwide involving various Rock Stars on various dates. Attendees play, write and record music in professional rehearsal and recording studios a ...

where he played along with Nancy Wilson, Vinnie Appice, Steven Adler, and

Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. He has played on albums by dozens of recording artists, including David ...

and others. Hoekstra also frequently plays acoustic duo shows with singer/guitarist Brandon Gibbs ( Devil City Angels). Hoekstra also performed with

Paul Shortino Paul Shortino (born May 14, 1953) is an American rock singer and musician who has sung for Rough Cutt/The Cutt, Quiet Riot, Bad Boyz, and Shortino. He briefly recorded with J.K. Northrup as the duo, Shortino/Northrup. He has also recorded as a ...

on the song "War Cry" on the album ''Sinister'' (released on October 27, 2017) by Appice (

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and Vinny Appice). Hoekstra appeared as guest guitarist on two episodes of ''

That Metal Show ''That Metal Show'' is a talk show that premiered on VH1 Classic on November 15, 2008 and ended on May 9, 2015 with a span of 14 seasons. Hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine, the series features three hosts interviewing musi ...

'' on

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(January 25, 2014, and March 14, 2015). and has performed on stage and in the studio with many artists including Foreigner, Dee Snider,

, Jim Peterik,

The Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

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, and many more. Hoekstra has contributed to many articles in '' Guitar World'' magazine and in 2017 ''Guitar World'' released an instructional DVD titled ''Hard Rock Lead Guitar Master Class with Joel Hoekstra''.

Discography

Solo albums

* ''Undefined'' (2000) * ''The Moon Is Falling'' (2003) * ''13 Acoustic Songs'' (2007)

Joel Hoekstra's 13

* '' Dying to Live'' (2015) * ''Running Games'' (2021)

Contributing albums

* Rock of Ages - ''Original Broadway Cast Recording'' (2009) *

- '' Somewhere in California'' (2011) * Night Ranger - ''24 Strings & a Drummer (Live & Acoustic)'' (2012) * Night Ranger - ''

High Road High Road or The High Road may refer to: Film and television * ''High Road'' (film), a 2012 comedy by Matt Walsh * The Lady of Scandal, a 1930 American pre-Code film, also known as The High Road * The High Road (1915 film), a lost silent film ...

'' (2014) *

Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (as one of the founding members). He has also recorded with ...

- ''Rock 'n Roll Ride'' (2012) *

- ''Damage Control'' (2012) *

- '' Dream of Fireflies (On a Christmas Night)'' (2012) *

Amy Lee Amy Lynn Hartzler (; born December 13, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the co-founder, lead vocalist, and lead songwriter of the rock band Evanescence. Alongside her contributions with the band, Lee has also particip ...

- ''

Aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...

(2014) *VHF - Very High Frequency (2014) *

- '' The Purple Album'' (2015) *

- '' One Sided War'' (2016) * Tony Mills - ''Streets of Chance'' (2017) * Whitesnake - ''The Purple Tour'' (2017) * Whitesnake - '' Flesh and Blood'' (2019) * Chris Catena's Rock City Tribe - '' Truth in Unity'' (2020) * Iconic - ''Second Skin'' (2022) * Docker's Guild - ''The Mystic Technocracy - Season 2: The Age of Entropy'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoekstra, Joel Living people American rock guitarists Night Ranger members Whitesnake members American male guitarists 1970 births People from Orland Park, Illinois