The Lords of 52nd Street | |
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| Background information | |
| Genres | Rock, rock and roll, soft rock, pop rock, pop |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | www |
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. [1] [2] [3]
The band is led by three former members of the Billy Joel Band: multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata, drummer/percussionist Liberty DeVitto, and guitarist Russell Javors. Dan Orlando [4] mans the piano and provides lead vocals, Malcolm Gold plays bass in place of the late Doug Stegmeyer, Dennis DelGaudio plays guitar and Doug Kistner plays keyboards in the group. [5] [6]
Cannata, DeVitto, Javors, and the late bassist Doug Stegmeyer composed the core Joel recording and touring band from 1976 (when the Turnstiles album was recorded) until 1981 (after the end of the Glass Houses tour), save for Javors' absence from the recording of The Stranger in 1977. [7] [2] [3] (Cannata stayed until 1981, returning for the River of Dreams recording sessions in 1993. Javors and Stegmeyer remained until 1988 and DeVitto stayed until 2006.)
Four of the five Joel albums released during the foursome's 1976-1981 tenure reached the top ten on the Billboard charts: The Stranger, 52nd Street , Glass Houses, and the live Songs in the Attic . [8] All four albums were produced by Phil Ramone and all four were critically acclaimed. [9] [10] [11] [12]
The late Ramone wrote that the "Lords" nickname developed during the recording of 52nd Street in 1978. Because the album had a jazz mood–Manhattan's 52nd Street had been the center of New York City's jazz scene in the mid-Twentieth Century [13] –it featured an "all-star" line-up of jazz soloists as guest artists. The guests and Joel's band clicked so well during the recording sessions that the group garnered the nickname "The Lords of 52nd Street" from Ramone. [14] The video for the 52nd Street track "My Life" has shots of Cannata, DeVitto, Joel, and Stegmeyer strutting down Manhattan streets together on their way to their recording studio on the titular street. [15] [16] DeVitto has stated that jackets were even made to cement the identity, but the "Lords" name was not formalized while the group was working directly with Joel. [17]
The Lords of 52nd Street's status as an official group was established after Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors reunited at the October 23, 2014 ceremony in which they (with Stegmeyer, posthumously) were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, primarily for their work with Joel. [17] During the ceremony, the three performed a short set of Joel hits that they had helped create. The performance included the songs "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" (from The Stranger), "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" (from Turnstiles), and "You May Be Right" (from Glass Houses). It was the first time in more than 25 years that the three had shared a stage to perform from Joel's catalogue. [18]
The band continues to perform, playing faithful renditions of the recorded originals. [19] Although delayed by Cannata's 2015 diagnosis with lymphoma (from which he is in remission), a tour began in February 2016, opening at The Space in Westbury, New York. [20] [21]
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.
Philip Rabinowitz, better known as Phil Ramone, was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, and co-founder of A & R recording studio. Its success led to expansion into several studios and a record production company. He was described by Billboard as "legendary", and the BBC as a "CD pioneer".
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.
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.
52nd Street is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 11, 1978, by Columbia Records. Presenting itself as the follow-up to his breakthrough studio album, The Stranger, Joel tried to give the new album a fresh sound, hiring various jazz musicians to differentiate it from his previous studio 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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
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.
"Zanzibar" is a song written by Billy Joel and recorded for his 1978 album 52nd Street. It has also appeared on several live albums.
making records the scenes behind the music.