Craig Derry

Craig Lewis Derry (born March 9th, 1948) is an American musician, vocalist, percussionist and vocal coach. His career began as a member of The Sugarhill Gang band in 1979. He sang the R&B ballad Here I Am featured on their Sugarhill Gang (album), and played the distinctive bongo beat on their 1981 hit Apache (Jump on It)|Apache (Jump On It). He accompanied The Sugar Hill Gang on their world tour in 1980. 
As a musician, he has worked with artists like Michael Jackson, Etta James, Donny Hathaway, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Rolling Stones, and Solomon Burke. As a vocal coach, he has trained many artists across various genres including Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Sean Kingston, Iggy Azalea, Mary J. Blige, SWV, Missy Elliott, D'Angelo, and Maxwell (musician). 
Today, Craig continues to work with celebrity clients and other musicians, training musicians in Los Angeles and New York who range from emerging to established. Prior to the 2020 coronavirus epidemic in the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, Craig held a vocal class that met daily in New York City. 
Craig was born in New Rochelle, New York as the first of five children to Lewis and Rebecca Derry, who both were hospital workers and musicians. Growing up, Craig was an all-star athlete at New Rochelle High School, excelling in basketball, football, academics, and arts. He was voted "all-around athlete" in high school but did not receive the award due to racial discrimination.
Craig attended the Minnesota State University, Mankato on an athletic scholarship alongside his younger brother Lewis from 1967-1970. Together, they formed a band called Showtime I and II and performed across Minnesota. In 2008, Showtime I and II was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame.
In the 70s, Craig and his brother became involved with The Sugarhill Gang. He went on to sign a contract with Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label) to join The Sugar Hill Gang band, providing vocals and instrumentation to hits like Rapper's Delight, Apache (Jump On It), and lead vocals on Here I Am. Due to the R&B ballad's placement as the first song on the album, it encouraged stations who otherwise refused to play rap and hip-hop to play tracks from The Sugar Hill Gang's debut album, catalyzing the success of Rapper's Delight, the first rap song to hit the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. In a rare occasion, he performed Here I Am live for his New York City vocal class in 2010. 
After many years with The Sugarhill Gang, Craig went on to sing background vocals for artists like Michael Jackson, Etta James, and Mick Jagger. He is now a vocal coach and has trained several acclaimed artists. Craig specializes in training the diaphragm, promoting vocal health, vocal stamina and what he coined as "vocal aerobics." He is credited with helping artists who have suffered vocal injuries bring their voices back, and resurrected the voice of Maxwell in 2013 before a performance in New York City. Craig is widely known as a "legendary" vocal coach within the industry. He has impacted several artists in the industry. In a 2019 interview with Angie Stone, she stated Craig was the reason she moved to New York. In 2014, Anthony Hamilton (musician) expressed his love and gratitude for Craig on Twitter. 
In 2019, Craig went on The Alchemy Podcast and discussed his journey as a musician and vocal coach, and his work with artists like Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger. 
Notable Acts 
As a Vocal Coach	As a Vocal Coach 	As a Performer
Alicia Keys 	Darius Rucker 	The Sugar Hill Gang
Mary J. Blige 	Missy Elliott 	Michael Jackson
D'Angelo 	Teddy Riley and Blackstreet	Donna Summer
Iggy Azalea 	Mario 	Etta James
Sean Kingston 	Al B. Sure! 	Yoko Ono
Regina Belle 	Amanda Seales 	Bruce Springsteen
Ashanti 	Mario Winans 	Wilson Pickett
Queen Latifah 	Mya 	Mick Jagger
SWV 	Jay Sean 	Jennifer Holliday
Fabolous 	Tamar Braxton 	Yoko Ono
Willow Smith 	3LW 	Force MDs
Marc Anthony 	Heavy D 	Kool & The Gang
Maxwell 	Kelis 	Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Anthony Hamilton	Buju Banton 	Ultra Naté
Mack Wilds 	Angie Stone 	Billy Lawrence
Omarion 	Yebba 	Will Downing
Diggy Simmons 	Abigail Breslin 	Laura Enea
Justine Skye 	Mashonda 	Nick Scotti
Kiesza 	Mapei 	Lonnie Gordon
Kevin Lyttle 	Lumidee 	Tyler Collins
Joe 	Toots and The Mighty Mytals	Cathy Dennis
Bibi Bourelly 	Mica Paris 	Buju Banton
Deena Cortese 	Force MDs 	Tafuri
Maite Perroni 	K7/TKA 	The Flirts
Lil Mo 	Fousheé 	Sandeé
Arrow Benjamin 	Hollywood Anderson 	Samantha Fox
RIleyy Lanez 	Jimmy Cozier 	TKA
 	 	Tackhead
 	 	C+C Music Factory
 	 	Nyasia
 	 	Level III
Craig resides in New York with his wife, Hope Daley-Derry. Their children, Cahleb Derry, and Tsebiyah Derry, attended Harvard University and Sarah Lawrence College respectively. Cahleb works as an executive assistant in the entertainment industry and Tsebiyah is a vocalist, actress, and poet. Both reside in New York City. Craig is devout to his spirituality and reads the bible every single day. He was a vegetarian for over ten years.
Category:1948 births
Category:American musicians 
Category:American vocalist
Category:American percussionists
Category:American vocal coaches