b. 28 December 1939, San Francisco · American singer-songwriter
Holmes wrote “Dazed and Confused” in early 1967 and recorded it for his debut album on Tower Records — a folk-rock trio record made with two guitars and a bass and no drummer. He has said the song was about a girl’s indecision over ending a relationship rather than anything chemical. Neither that album nor its follow-up charted, and Holmes went on to a far more lucrative career writing advertising jingles, including the U.S. Army’s “Be All That You Can Be” and Dr Pepper’s “I’m a Pepper”. He also co-wrote, with Bob Gaudio, the songs for Frank Sinatra’s 1970 album Watertown.