Richie Cannata | |
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Background information | |
Born | [1] [2] Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | March 3, 1949
Origin | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
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Occupations |
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Instruments |
Richie Cannata (born March 3, 1949) is an American music producer, saxophonist, keyboardist and studio owner. He is most notable for playing saxophone in Billy Joel's band alongside Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, and Doug Stegmeyer. After leaving the band in 1981, [3] he opened Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. Artists including Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have recorded in Cannata's studio. Cannata also worked with The Beach Boys for most of the 1990s, touring and occasionally recording with them during this period.
Cannata was born 3 March 1949 [4] in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Ernest (26 March 1914 – 14 April 1993) [5] and Anna (February 25, 1926 — 1 April 2007) [6] Cannata. Interested in music from a very early age, Cannata was introduced by his family [7] first to the piano at the age of four and later to clarinet and tenor saxophone at the age of eight. [8] [9] He also plays flute and keyboards in addition to alto, soprano and baritone sax. [10]
In 1950s his family moved to Garden City South where Cannata blossomed as a musician. [9] He played his first gig at the age of 13 [7] and went on to play in school bands and with local musicians, perfecting his skills as a live performer and studio musician.
Over the years Cannata's performing style has been influenced by John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Gene Ammons, and King Curtis. [8]
In 1975, Cannata was introduced to Billy Joel's bass player Doug Stegmeyer through Stegmeyer's brother Al. At the time, Joel was looking for a sax player and Cannata was given a position in the band.
Cannata played in Tommy Shaw's band in the mid-1980s, performing on Shaw's first three solo albums. [11] He also played for Taylor Dayne in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and was a saxophonist with Bernie Williams. [12]
From 1991 until 1998, Cannata toured with The Beach Boys, playing saxophone, woodwinds and synthesizers. After leaving The Beach Boys in 1998, he frequently worked with the band's co-founder Al Jardine on his solo tours and appeared on one song on Jardine's solo album A Postcard from California .
In 1993, Cannata briefly reunited with Joel for Joel's River of Dreams album. In 2006, Cannata briefly toured again with Joel, and was part of his record-setting 12-show run at Madison Square Garden.
In December 2013, Cannata and Sean J. Kennedy's educational jazz improv play-along series Improvising and Soloing in the Pocket (Book/CD/DVD) was released by Carl Fischer Music to critical acclaim. The series includes books for all instruments, and features music from Cannata's 2011 solo album Richie Cannata, [13] featuring Cannata and Julio Fernandez, guitarist of jazz fusion/smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. [14]
On October 23, 2014, Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors (with Stegmeyer, posthumously) were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, primarily for their work with Joel. [15] [16] Shortly thereafter, Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors officially formed The Lords of 52nd Street band; the band also includes a pianist and lead vocalist, keyboardist, and a guitarist, and plays faithful renditions of the recorded Joel originals. [17]
On July 11, 2016, Cannata received special recognition from Glen Cove Mayor for his contributions to the city's music heritage. He was presented with the key to Glen Cove and named the downtown intersection of Bridge, School and Glen Streets as "Richie Cannata Place" for the city's summer music season. [18]
The Nylon Curtain is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on September 23, 1982, and produced by Phil Ramone.
Turnstiles is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released May 19, 1976, by Family Productions and Columbia Records.
Glass Houses is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on March 12, 1980. The record was a commercial success, topping the Billboard 200 chart for six consecutive weeks. It features Joel's first single to peak at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". It was ranked No. 4 on Billboard's 1980 year-end chart. The album is the 41st best-selling album of the 1980s, with sales of 7.1 million copies in the US alone. In 1981, Joel won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for his work on Glass Houses. According to music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the album featured "a harder-edged sound" compared to Joel's other work, in response to the punk and new wave movements. This was also the final studio album to feature the original incarnation of the Billy Joel Band, augmented by new lead guitarist David Brown. Multi-instrumentalist Cannata left the band just before the sessions began for Joel's next studio album, 1982's The Nylon Curtain.
Storm Front is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 17, 1989. It was Joel's third album to reach No. 1 in the U.S. and features "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song that cataloged a list of historical events, trends, and cultural icons from 1949 until 1989.
The Stranger is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on September 29, 1977, by Columbia Records. It was the first of Joel's albums to be produced by Phil Ramone, with whom he would work for five subsequent albums.
Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981.
"New York State of Mind" is a song written by Billy Joel that is featured on his fourth studio album, Turnstiles (1976). Although it was never released as a single, it has become a fan favorite and a song that Joel plays regularly in concert. Joel famously played the song at The Concert for New York City, the October 2001 benefit concert for the New York City Fire and Police Departments, as well as the loved ones and families of first responders lost during 9/11. He reprised the song and theme, playing it during his set at 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 12, 2012, where he changed lyrics to include the likes of "Breezy Point".
Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has also been a session drummer on recordings of other artists. He is credited as a drummer on records that have sold a combined total of 150 million units worldwide.
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger.
"My Life" is a song by Billy Joel that first appeared on his 1978 album 52nd Street. A single version was released in the fall of 1978 and reached No. 2 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart. Early the next year, it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame was incorporated in July 2005 under the New York State Board of Regents, as a nonprofit organization and holds a provisional charter to operate as a museum in the state of New York. It recognizes musicians, music executives, and other music and entertainment professionals who have contributed to the musical and entertainment heritage of Long Island through Induction Ceremonies held every 2 years since 2006. Inductees are selected by a committee that determines their eligibility through their contributions and time spent living and performing within the geographic area of Long Island, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
"Big Man on Mulberry Street" is a song by Billy Joel from the 1986 album The Bridge. The jazz-influenced song's title refers to Mulberry Street in the Little Italy section of New York City.
"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" is a song written and performed by Billy Joel, from the hit album Glass Houses. Released in 1980, the song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, from July 19 through August 1, 1980, making it Joel's first number 1 hit single in the United States. The song spent 11 weeks in the top 10 and was the 7th biggest hit of 1980 according to American Top 40.
"You May Be Right" is a song written and performed by rock singer Billy Joel, released as a single and the opening track from his 1980 album Glass Houses. The single reached No. 7 on the US charts and No. 6 in Canada. It failed to chart, however, in the UK, unlike his preceding and succeeding singles "All for Leyna" and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". The Japanese single features "Close to the Borderline" as a B-side.
"Until the Night" is a song written by Billy Joel for his 1978 album, 52nd Street. Although passed over for single release in the US, "Until the Night" was issued as the second single from 52nd Street in the UK - following "My Life" - in March 1979 and reached #50 on the UK Singles Chart.
Russell Javors is an American rock guitarist. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist for Billy Joel from 1976 to 1989.
Douglas Alan Stegmeyer was an American musician who was best known as a bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates.
The Lords of 52nd Street is an American rock band that primarily comprises members of the line-up which backed singer-songwriter Billy Joel from 1976 to 1981, the period during which Joel initiated a run of albums that reached the top ten on the Billboard charts.
The Nylon Curtain Tour was a 1982 concert tour by singer-songwriter Billy Joel. This tour was Joel's first tour following a divorce from his first wife and manager Elizabeth Weber and after a motorcycle accident that occurred earlier in the year.