Rupert Holmes

Rupert Holmes, born David Goldstein in 1947, is a British-American singer-songwriter, novelist and playwright best known for the 1979 hit «Escape (The Pina Colada Song)», which topped the US charts and remains a fixture of soft-rock radio. Before his solo breakthrough he worked as a songwriter and producer for hire, writing and arranging for acts assembled by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, including The Cuff Links and The Street People, and penning the controversial narrative song «Timothy» for The Buoys.

His own recording career began in 1974 with the album Widescreen, launching a run of literate, theatrical pop-rock records built around witty, story-driven lyrics — a style that set him apart from his soft-rock contemporaries. Songs like «Him», «Terminal», «Answering Machine» and «Partners in Crime» showcase his gift for narrative twist endings and conversational vocal delivery.

Beyond music, Holmes became a celebrated author and dramatist, writing the Tony Award-winning musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood and later turning to mystery fiction, including his 2023 novel Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide. His career bridges pop songcraft and literary storytelling in a way few songwriters have matched.