But it was in a hope chest for about a year. Wed run rehearsals and hed break a string and be like, Lets take five. Then youre gone for an hour and a half. What was it like when you got there? The three of us sang all those insane background parts. Its bizarre. Born in Brooklyn, Richie Cannata later moved with his parents to Garden City South, where he blossomed as a tenor sax musician. The rest is history. Without casting aspersions, can you sing one melody off the last three Elton John records? His specialties are the keyboards, the clarinet, the flute and the saxophone. Since that record has been released, Richie has Thats that. I flew down the stairs. In 1967, I saw them at the Village Theatre. I felt like I fit in. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id","a3ddd3a7d787bd255edf2a716baabfe5");document.getElementById("f8e4e772f6").setAttribute("id","comment"); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. March 5, 1948) in NYC, is an acclaimed musician who is also a successful record producer. He might not have been happy with how it turned out or what happened going forward. Just last year, DeVitto who still plays the hits with alums from Joel's band, Russell Javors on guitar and vocals and Richie Cannata on saxophone and keyboards in a group called the Lords of . Do you want to play again?' His specialties are the keyboards, the clarinet, the flute and the saxophone. I get there and Im one of two white guys. When you first hear "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel, a few things stick out in your mind; the fantastic songwriting and musicianship, and THAT solo. Richie Cannata is on Facebook. Hes been so incredibly gracious and generous. I believe when we finally do our first show at Madison Square Garden, when that comes to be, itll make The Last Play at Shea look like a gig at CBGBs. Id be the first to be honest with him. Fresh Cream had just come out. [12] Stegmeyer had played on every one of Joel's albums from Turnstiles (1976) through to the live album, (1987). It includes the following musicians: Billy Joel Band in 2007. I freaked out, says Rivera. He was angry. After leaving the band in 1981,[3] he opened Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, and Richie Cannata now perform in the Billy Joel cover band, the Lords Of 52nd Street -- which was the nickname given to them by Billy's producer, the late- Phil . [Clives] insistence is what led us to record Tycoon with Mutt. Because like me, he likes to help people. I would never really see Billy Joel again after that initial meeting, however I would develop a lifelong relationship with Richie Cannata and send messages back and forth to Guidry on the behalf of Cannata. With Paul and Artie its unfair to say anything less than Artie has a beautiful voice, but he was in the shadow of Pauls brilliance as a songwriter. In 2014, Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors reunited and performed a short set of Joel's songs at the ceremony during which they were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, (with Stegmeyer, posthumously), primarily for their work with Joel. At the time Billy Joel was looking for a sax player and Cannata was given a position in the band. From 1991 until 1998, Cannata toured with The Beach Boys, playing saxophone, woodwinds and synthesizers. This band now? The first day, I wanted to go over A Whiter Shade of Pale. Its a beautiful song and I know it would be one of the last ones since I always write the set list. She flipped out. Turns out Bruce decided in 1995 to get the E Street Band back together. Michael DelGuidice will sing a few songs and well work on background harmonies. In the mid-1990s, Cannata also toured with The Beach Boys. He remains at this position and served as both a musical consultant and band member in the Movin' Out musical. Toland What You Started (feat. How is Billy Joel? Im standing next to Lou Gramm. Tell me about playing on Peter Gabriels So, especially Sledgehammer. Thats probably the most iconic horn part you ever played. Why were you guys wearing masks on the stage? He also is the musical director of former New York Yankee and Latin Grammy-nominated jazz artist Bernie Williams and his band. Thats pretty much it. Look, the funny thing about Storm Front is that Mick Jones produced it and Billy said he wanted to emulate Sledgehammer. Who dont you call? The beauty of the New York Yankees is that people like Ron Guidry know whats important in life. What do you need? He has made such an amount of wealth from his primary career as a Musician. Joe Walsh called me up and said, Hey, Mark. On Storm Front and River of Dreams, he used different musicians. In 1950s his family moved to Garden City South where Cannata blossomed as a musician. Theyre going through every iteration of the songs, trying to change this, double-track that, harmonize this. I bet you were surprised to see it become this massive hit. I had two days to be home with my family. In closing, I am forever grateful for the friendship to Ron Guidry who was a big brother to me and all the other bat boys in that locker room, and of course, to Richie Cannata. You also played sax on Train in the Distance on Pauls album Hearts and Bones. Sam kind of was able to temper his expectations. Its possible I was on the road when Storm Front was recorded. This happened just before the two big hits I Love You Just The Way You Are and New York State of Mind were released. Some of Billy Joel's former backing band chat about their time with the "Piano Man" in director Fran Strine's new documentary on famous side-players, called Hired Gun, which opens in 320 movie houses nationwide on Friday June 29th. Again, I was like, I can do that. Im playing acoustic guitar and I snuck up to the microphone with the two-part harmony bit. Born in Brooklyn, Richie Cannata later moved with his parents to Garden City South, where he blossomed as a tenor sax musician. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqO8Cn_zuT8. Did I screw it up that badly? He comes up to me, gives me a kiss and says, As long as you want to be in my band, youve got a gig. Hes kept his word and apparently Im keeping mine. As a member of "The Billy Joel Band" from 1975-81, he contributed immensely to such landmark albums as "The Stranger", "52nd Street" and "Glass Houses". They bought me a saxophone that fell off the back of a truck in Red Hook, Brooklyn, near the projects. He was like, Hey, Mark. We show up for soundcheck. All I had was one saxophone. My wife goes, Thats our favorite song! Our son is bouncing along to it. The touring lineup changed and it took a few years for the lineup to stabilize. It was then that Billy asked You dont want to make mistakes with the choreography. There must have been moments where it felt like this classic-rock fever dream. He says, By the way, I havent played this in about eight years. One night at around 11:30 p.m. Right. Having a musical veteran father, Richie Cannata (Billy Joel, NSYNC, The Beach Boys) provided him with some amazing opportunities to be on stage at a very early age. Who is Richie Cannata? As performers, we feed off the energy of the crowd and its not there. I know its no joking matter. Were going on tour! I said, Thats why Im calling. I said, Bruce, I have a conflict. But when I heard John, [sings] It wont be long, yeah! that voice just shattered me. Let me tell you a little story about that. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'buzzlearn_com-banner-1','ezslot_4',128,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'buzzlearn_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',128,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-banner-1-0_1');.banner-1-multi-128{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}Body measurements informations are given below: if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'buzzlearn_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_6',129,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-large-leaderboard-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'buzzlearn_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_7',129,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-large-leaderboard-2-0_1');.large-leaderboard-2-multi-129{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. I applaud our Piano Man and God bless him. So I sang it, played on Only the Good Die Young and we got to Just the Way You Are and I played the solo [sings solo]. Thats how much it means to me. Ive never heard music the same way. Everyone goes, You must love New York State of Mind. I know that Billy is still writing classical music. Related The band was looking for a sax player. If he called me up and said, 'Im sorry. [13] He also played for Taylor Dayne in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and was a saxophonist with Bernie Williams.[14]. And Billy and [saxophonist] Richie [Cannata] had already parted ways. I think all of humanity needs to take a step back and realize that were all in this together. People ask me, Do you guys rehearse for a Billy Joel show? I say, No. If we can do that, we deserve to go out and perform. Id say 'yeah.'". Its great! Mutt said, That was his first take, gentleman. That reminds me that your first instinct is usually your best. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. I have my own band. She wanted to prepare me. Here I am with two of my legends, two of my idols and its youre Billy Joels sax player, which Im very proud to be, but nobody knows their names. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 73 years old? Hey went, Hey, Stoker. That was a thrill. Do you know Paul? The Nylon Curtain was already recorded. I do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOkWmQI4HCU&feature=youtu.be. His estimated earning is $1 million $9 million. We had a group and wed back anybody. I exercise a lot, walk six miles a day, and I swim. Why do I think it is? (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images), Bon Jovi entre los admitidos al Rock and Roll Hall 2018, Llora el mundo del rock: Malcolm Young, guitarrista de AC/DC, fallece a los 64 aos, Las 10 mejores canciones para esperar al #HuracnIrma, Nuestro streaming gratis y en espaol. He came out and played White Room. We were in Denver. Being on stage stimulated a desire to perform and seek out the adrenaline of live and studio performance. Having a good attitude will take you far and being grateful will take you across the finish line. And when I bent down with the bari sax, which weighed about half my weight, the trumpet player was swinging the trumpet over my head. Lets say you were talking to a young musician who was about to go on tour backing a major solo artist. The Nylon Curtain was already recorded. They are aware that to be kind to someone is always better than to act like a crab. Anyway, I had A Whiter Shade of Pale in that slot and I went over to the piano. It was great. | I saw tons and tons of shows, a lot of R&B, the Chambers Brothers, Sly [Stone]. My mother used to say, Treat the people who are famous like theyre not. Whatever gift you have as a player or a writer, thats one thing. Its just chugga-chugga-chugga [like a train]. At one point, at the end of whatever he was talking about, hed chuckle. Ive been so, so blessed with this balancing act that Ive been doing. He loves you. Editors picks I crack the whip, do rehearsals, didnt even get to see the first show, and I was on a plane the night before a Billy show to get back out. Billy Joel's band since 1975 when they first met at Ultrasonic I spoke to Billy a number of years ago and he told me that he only likes two or three songs on The Bridge. Good. Sam [Moore] to this day is a friend and a true gentleman. But when I heard of what he did to people he had worked with since they were teenagers, people who were left out in the cold, I just thought it was heartless.". At this point, the only remaining long-standing member of Joel's touring band was DeVitto. Dave was just very upset with how things were turning out. At rehearsals or onstage, Paul was always happy-go-lucky and really chill. Ill take that to the grave. Richie Cannata is an American music producer, multi-instrumentalist and studio owner. Billy Joel's current lineup (with the exception of DelGuidice) was featured on his 2006 album, 12 Gardens Live and on the film and recording, Live at Shea Stadium (2011). With the help of these extremely talented musicians and this timeless song, Richie is extremely proud of his new version of 'New York State of Mind. Cannata joined Joel and the guys for the recording of the multiplatinum album Turnstiles. If you took their photos and put them in a lineup, people would probably pick the wrong people. No one has been in Joel's band longer than Mark Rivera. Drummer Liberty DeVitto and guitarist Russell Javors are in the film, with DeVitto talking on camera about his importance to Billy's legendary songs, explaining, "If Billy is the father, the parent of those songs, Im at least the uncle." Its the same with the vocals for Jukebox Hero or Tell Her About It or Uptown Girl. Any time those are in a movie or commercial, I get residuals. I dont think Clarence told Ringo until February of 1995. The biggest thing were missing is the human contact. He has returned to perform with Billy on many occasions including performing on "Billy Joel Live on Long Island", a 1983 HBO TV Special, taped at the Nassau Coliseum on the previous New Year's Eve, the 12 Billy Joel concert performances at NYCs' Madison Square Garden in 2006 and for "The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 25th Aniiversary" (2009) also at Madison Square Garden. Just be like a faint train. Thats what came out. Richie's CD Showcase get a taste of Richie's Live performance of his first single Keep it in the Pocket! At the very end of the solo, Billy literally stops the band. My second band, in 1997, was possibly my favorite band that Ive ever been in. Dom Scott & Richie Cannata) - Single 2019 Marcus, how are you? That doesnt alleviate the fact that we all need to be extremely vigilant. See Jennifer Hudson, John Legend Duet on Bridge Over Troubled Water to Mark 100th Episode. Did you get tips on the Born to Run solo from Crystal? We need to forget about this. Richie Cannata (b. In the fall of 2013, saxophonist Mark Rivera found himself in a very tight spot. Lets do Conquistador instead. I slid myself out of that responsibility for the day. He is most notable for playing saxophone in Billy Joel's band alongside Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, and Doug Stegmeyer. Joel also had Tommy Byrnes move over to lead guitar. It was a little rough. There was a mutual understanding that was going to happen. Its funny. If the Yankees of the 1970s were a rock band than they would definitely be the Beatles. NY Sports Day is an independent site that covers New York sports since 2004. I dont even remember if I got in a cab or took a train. Appears On See All Long Road to Freedom (feat. He also added the percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero who would become a permanent fixture in his band while Stegmeyer was replaced by Schuyler Deale and Javors was replaced by Joey Hunting on the album and Tommy Byrnes for its accompanying tour. Songs, photos, tour dates, news, contact info, The musical director, this guy Ben Little, the trombone player, he walks up to me and goes, You blow bari? I go, Sure! Id never touched a baritone sax in my life. It has everything that anyone could possibly want. He earned the money being a professional Musician. Artists including Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have recorded in Cannata's studio. Oh, absolutely. The other 22 hours of the day, its how you get along. One important addition to the band in 1982 was the replacement of his long-time saxophonist Richie Cannata with Mark Rivera. One day in 1975 when Cannata was in the studio, engineer Al Stegmeyer suggested that Cannata call his brother Doug, who had recently gotten a gig as Billy Joels bass player. Richie's Look, I love Temptation. This Is the Time is my favorite all-time Billy Joel song. Hes looking at her like, Please stop with your words.. Copyright 2023 NYSportsDay - All rights reserved. For the 2006 tour, Joel did not invite DeVitto back as drummer after the two became involved in a legal dispute, and the drummer Chuck Burgi (who played in the Broadway production of Movin' Out) replaced DeVitto. Many top artists including Billy Joel and Celene Dion have recorded there. Anyway, I come along, play the part, I sang all the background parts. It was sad. After that, Billy said to us, Listen, I want you guys to be in the band. We said, Absolutely. Ringo was talking about a tour and he sent out dates. But we performed and he was singing live. [email protected], Other Works Again, I played that with cover bands. You want to say, This is Mick Jones. But you dont want to do that. I didnt know anything about this. He looked stunned for a second. Lets do it again.. Any time I played with a band in New Jersey, wed do it. It was unbelievable. It was the third-to-last song before Ringos last tune, which is often Photograph.. Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. It kicked our butts. It doesnt work and you wont work. The thing about them is that Philly connection, that soulful connection. In fact, I got a second antibody test last week. Water sport is one of the most popular types of activities that you can do on beaches, some examples of water sport are jet skiing, and surfing. He has recorded and toured with Billy Joel's original band since 1975 and after being inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2015, he has reunited with The Lords of . This line-up included Richie Cannata on saxophones and organ, Liberty DeVitto on drums, Russell Javors and Howie Emerson on guitars, and Doug Stegmeyer on bass.[1]. You came in on the party, party part two measures early. He says, Ill tell you what, mate. That was through Mutt Lange, who I met when I was in my band Tycoon. Cannata, a longtime resident of Glen Cove, connected with Joel when an engineer on one of his musical assignments suggested that Joel, who was looking for a sax player, would love his work. Continue with Recommended Cookies. All of us are feeling the same thing. Maneater, was originally just a reggae tune that Daryl turned around. Its when the Beatles were on The Ed Sullivan Show. We double-tracked and triple-tracked. He was 17 and in a band called The Hassles and I was 16 and in a band called The New Rock Workshop. at Amazon, Click here to enter Richie's Official Website: Ive worked with three duos [Sam and Dave, Simon and Garfunkel, Hall and Oates] and they didnt always get along. Joel wound up bringing in saxophonist Andy Snitzer to sub in for the overseas shows, marking one of the only occasions where Rivera has missed a show since joining the band in 1982 for the Nylon Curtain tour, replacing Richie Cannata. I had to tell Billy, Billy, I already committed to Ringo. But he wanted me to sing background vocals, whatever it was. Richie Cannata's Mon Night Open Mic Jam with Friends started in the late 80's on a Wed. night at the China Club when the club was on west 75th and Broadway in NYC. Every night, the entire set would run though and Id play all these great songs with Peter and Simon, who would do [Frees] All Right Now. But the third song from the end Id be like, Learn that part. How did that lead to you going on the tour with them? Lo and behold, Rosko [William Mercer], the DJ on WNEW, said, Now the total sound: Cream.. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',126,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',126,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3-0_1');.medrectangle-3-multi-126{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}On Buzzlearn.com, Richie is listed as a successful Musician who was born in the year of 1948. I was a huge Genesis fan and an even bigger Peter Gabriel fan. I saw Hendrix four times. Your first Billy record was An Innocent Man. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. What drew you to the saxophone? Thats your aptitude. It was two-faced. The next day, I played the organ. www.richiecannata.com Jimmy Iovine played in a rival band. He is most notable for playing saxophone in Billy Joel's band alongside Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, and Doug Stegmeyer. Thats all I can say. Mark [Farner] turns around and was like, Wow. He was very impressed. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time As far as being serious, I was always a kid in a band. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. The series includes books for all instruments, and features music from Cannata's 2011 solo album Richie Cannata,[16] featuring Cannata and Julio Fernandez, guitarist of jazz fusion/smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. We get to rehearsal and, at the time, Felix Cavaliere, who I love dearly, like my dear uncle, he was supposed to be the musical director. Billy Joel will next perform on July 5th at Madison Square Garden. I still like to think that something is going to come out and hell write something. I have no answer to that other than youre 100 percent right. Not just marginal hits, but massive hits like Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, A Whiter Shade of Pale., You played the organ on that one. Richie Cannata - saxophones, flute, clarinet, percussion, keyboards David Brown - lead guitar, occasional percussion, backing vocals This was the basic lineup for some of Joel's classic albums of the 1970s and 1980s including Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses,and Songs in the Attic. I dont know how to tell Ringo what is going on. He says, Marky, dont worry about it. He used studio musicians for the recording and different guys out on the road. Richie Cannata. Is something like that hard on your ego? It fell off the back of a track [laughs] and my father was able to afford to buy me a saxophone. Unbelievable. In 1975 Cannata was introduced to Billy Joel's bass player Doug Stegmeyer through Doug's brother Al. By the late 1970s, the touring and studio lineup of Joel's band stabilized and consisted, mostly, of the following musicians: This was the basic lineup for some of Joel's classic albums of the 1970s and 1980s including Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, and Songs in the Attic. Doug recommended me because Billy was looking for a New York-type drummer, aggressive and hard hitting, and the rest is history. Here are some interesting facts about Richie Cannata: * His Star sign is Pisces and zodiac sign element is Water. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Richie to join the band and a great friendship was born. I asked DAmbrosio who these guys were and he made a bold prediction and said, Billy Joel would someday be as big as Elvis.. Its still crazy to think about. You created a key part of it. One of the pleasantries of spring training is to see the Yankee legends like Goose Gossage, Reggie Jackson and Ron Guidry. In the Sixties, did you see any great concerts in New York? As the musical director, I oversee the rehearsal. I know they werent very close offstage. Over the years Cannata's performing style has been influenced by John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Gene Ammons, and King Curtis. I had to call Bruce Grakal, Ringos manager and someone that has been with him forever. Which is fine. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Buy You lose track of it. On day one, I always make sure we do three Ringo songs and at least one by each of the guys. He's also on Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and was onstage with John Lennon at his final public performance. He is famous for being a successful Musician. Someone is like, What happens on the bridge of such and such a song? And Ringo with his arms folded went, Just ask Mark. Theyve both said that this was a difficult period where they werent always seeing eye to eye. Lets say we have a week to rehearse. All of a sudden, Sledgehammer comes on. I play with 12 to 15 different bands at any given time. There was a mutual understanding that was going to happen. Theres not even a saxophone on it. My three favorite Billy songs are This Is the Time, So It Goes and All About Soul. They are just great songs. But I grew up playing all those songs from all those guys in the band, between the Who and BachmanTurner Overdrive, Grand Funk Railroad, Billy Preston.