Russell Javors | |
|---|---|
 Javors in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | June 13, 1952 |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | Pop, pop rock, rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, harmonica, backing vocals |
| Years active | 1967–present |
Russell Javors (born June 13, 1952) is an American rock guitarist. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist for Billy Joel from 1976 to 1989.
At age 15, Javors was performing songs with his childhood friend Liberty DeVitto. He met Doug Stegmeyer in high school and along with Howard Emerson, formed the band Topper. [1]
Together, they performed the songs that Javors wrote. Topper became noticed by Billy Joel. Joel found he needed a bassist on his Streetlife Serenade tour and invited Stegmeyer to join him. Javors, DeVitto, and Emerson soon followed. With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata, Topper became the Billy Joel Band. Javors played rhythm guitar with Joel from 1975 until 1989.
On October 23, 2014, Javors, Cannata, and DeVitto (with Stegmeyer, posthumously) were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, primarily for their work with Joel. [2] Shortly thereafter, Javors, Cannata, and DeVitto 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. [3]
Javors also wrote two songs and played guitar on Karen Carpenter's 1979 self-titled album, which was released in 1996. [4]
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 23, 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.
"You're Only Human (Second Wind)" is a song written and performed by Billy Joel that originally appeared on Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II in 1985. The song deals with teenage depression and suicide. It became a top-ten hit, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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.
"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.
Richie Cannata 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, 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.
"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.
"Don't Ask Me Why" is a 1980 song by Billy Joel released as the third single from the album Glass Houses. The song spent two weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Sometimes a Fantasy" is a song by Billy Joel, released in 1980 as the last single from his seventh studio album Glass Houses. The single peaked at No. 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is a "melodic, fast paced rocker" and starts with Joel dialing a number on a telephone.
"Modern Woman" is a song performed by Billy Joel from his album The Bridge. It was the album's lead-off single and was featured on the soundtrack to the film Ruthless People. In the film, the song removes an instrumental break present in the original. It was a Top 10 hit on Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986.
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.
Greatest Hits Volume III is the second greatest hits album from American singer songwriter Billy Joel. The volume follows Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II (1985) and includes hits from 1983 to 1993. Two previously unreleased studio tracks are included, Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love" and Goffin/King's "Hey Girl", while the third new track, "Light as the Breeze", was originally recorded for a Leonard Cohen tribute album known as Tower of Song in 1995. Cover songs are a rare occurrence in Joel's catalogue.
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.
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