Thats why they didnt call me. He came out and played White Room. We were in Denver. It was Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Gary Brooker, Simon Kirke, myself, and Ringo. I would have had to miss three Billy Joel shows. Any time I played with a band in New Jersey, wed do it. I applaud our Piano Man and God bless him. [12] Stegmeyer had played on every one of Joel's albums from Turnstiles (1976) through to the live album, (1987). They will. We need to forget about this. He's also on Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and was onstage with John Lennon at his final public performance. He knows everything. So, by default, I got the gig as musical director and its been the same ever since. 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. The rest is history. The Ox. Having a good attitude will take you far and being grateful will take you across the finish line. My gratitude to him is something I have always expressed. I play all the time. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. "Clive Davis, Billy Joel's Band Among Long Island Music Hall of Fame Inductees", "A Collection of songs written & arranged by Richard Cannata and Daniel J. Vitalo, Junior", "Saxophonist Richie Cannata on Live it Up with Donna Drake", "Long Island Music Hall of Fame Inductees - Richie Cannata", "Shaw Sticks to 'Guns' - Solo Project for Styx Guitarist", "Richie Cannata - Richie Cannata - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic", "Improvising And Soloing In The Pocket - Book Review", "Billy Joel Band set to join Piano Man in Long Island Music Hall of Fame", "Long Island Music Hall of Fame induction 2014", "Interview with Guitarist Russell Javors", "12 Jul Mayor Spinello Recognizes Musician Richie Cannata with Honorary Street Dedication", Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richie_Cannata&oldid=1122565570, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 November 2022, at 07:11. I knew all the parts. I just walked up into my sixth floor walk-up with my tenor and alto [saxes] and the phone rings and its Mutt. 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. I had two days to be home with my family. Editors picks We rehearsed up at the Dakota. Let me tell you a little story about that. He went from being a tape operator to producing seminal records for Bruce Springsteen and John Lennon. Copyright 2023 NYSportsDay - All rights reserved. Ill tell you one other story. and has been heard by millions of fans through radio Someone is like, What happens on the bridge of such and such a song? And Ringo with his arms folded went, Just ask Mark. Richie sun sign is Pisces and his birth flower is Daffodil & Jonquil. I remember chuckling to myself because in my mind, nobody could be as big as Elvis. [13], In 2013, the Billy Joel Band was joined by multi-instrumentalist Mike DelGuidice on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, DelGuidice had previously fronted various Billy Joel tribute projects.[14]. The band began with the recording of his first album as a solo artist in 1971; it stabilized around 1975 and underwent several lineup changes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I said, the bass line goes like [hums it correctly]. For this particular tour, Cannata temporarily returned on lead saxophones though he soon left the band again and Rivera returned to his position as lead saxophonist. I saw Led Zeppelin. During his last concert, he dedicated New York State of Mind to my late mother Jenny. Along with horn player Richie Cannata, they formed the core of what would be the BJ Band during his prime, and played on Billy's biggest albums. My wife and I had the virus in March, so Ive been through it. I saw them at the New York State Pavilion [in August 1969]. If you took their photos and put them in a lineup, people would probably pick the wrong people. Peter pressed the talkback button and said, Just play the first thing that comes into your head.. If I could be frank, I said, Who the fuck is Mutt Lange? It was unbelievable. Yeah. Doug said, Hey, are you looking for a gig? I said, Whats up? He said, Billy is looking to replace Richie. I was like, Yeah.. I stand behind him 100 percent. In the mid-1990s, Cannata also toured with The Beach Boys. You. What drew you to the saxophone? I still like to think that something is going to come out and hell write something. He founded Glen Coves Cove City Sound Studios, which is a favorite for major headliner names to record their upcoming music. They go, Whats your least favorite Billy Joel song? I go, Captain Jack because its so fuckin long., David Brown plays some beautiful stuff on This Is the Time. Thats still the original band that I joined. I was very involved in that record from playing in the horn section with Michael Brecker, Dave Sanborn, and Ronnie Cuber on Tell Her About It and Easy Money, and singing the backgrounds on Uptown Girl and Tell Her About it, and playing the triangle on An Innocent Man.. Some of Eren's accomplishments include working with Timbaland protoges Amar and Jim Beanz (both featured on Timbaland's album "Shock Value"), singing the National Anthem at Citi Field for the Mets alongside his musical veteran father Richie Cannata (saxaphone, Billy Joel, The Beach Boys & Bernie Williams Band), singing lead male vocal . How did you get the audition for Billy Joel? They have two children together - one daughter and one son. Foreigner has so many enormous hit songs, but most people dont know the names of any of the band members, even Lou. I remember the famous quote when Elton said, You dont write enough records, and Billy said, You write too many records. Frankly, I agree with Billy 100 percent. Richie and other members of the then Billy Joel band have helped me do charity events for kids in the Bronx and in poor communities in Long Island. According to our database, Richie Cannata is still alive.. And whats really crazy to think about as time went on, I played with John, met Paul, and became Ringos musical director. Cannata, who is now cancer-free and wrapping up physical rehab since he regained feeling in his hands and feet, says the idea of playing with The Lords of 52nd Street pushed him to recover. It was a six-piece band. One important addition to the band in 1982 was the replacement of his long-time saxophonist Richie Cannata with Mark Rivera. Film/Edited by Andrew Reyna Mixed by James Meslin Videos Play all Richie Cannata -. [Hums Soul Man] I grew up playing those as a kid. Whatever gift you have as a player or a writer, thats one thing. On that historic occasion "The Billy Joel Band" performed with "Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band", - IMDb Mini Biography By: Marcus, how are you? I dont think Clarence told Ringo until February of 1995. He is 74 years old. The Beach Boys) enlisted Al Gomes and A. Michelle of Big We all got to hang out and John decided he wanted to do this tribute to Sir Lew Grade. Did you get tips on the Born to Run solo from Crystal? Its so freaky and so incredible. It was every night and it was a joy. 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 was like, OK. It was a secret, covert operation. I was going to see Moby Grape, but Skip Spence, the guitarist, had a bad trip, apparently, and they had to cancel the show. He was fortunate enough to be able to use the best musicians in the New York area including Bernie Williams as a featured guitar soloist, as well as Julio Fernandez, Chris Clark, Joel Rosenblatt, Gene Perez, Don Harris, and Tom Schuman. I cant say enough about what Billy has done for this entire some people call it a community, but its a village we have that hes created. He had already worked with Aerosmith and it was the sound we wanted to go with. You only play two hours a night. As I was saying, I was with Foreigner and I only had two or three days to be home. We had a group and wed back anybody. 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. You attitude is what you take into it. Every night I nailed it, I have to say. You dont want to make mistakes with the choreography. Oh, man. But he wanted me to sing background vocals, whatever it was. Hes been so incredibly gracious and generous. He was stone-cold deaf. Why are you the lone survivor of the class of 1982? But it was tough. It was nice to see how grateful they were for my gesture and how the first autograph they got was from Ron Guidry. NY Sports Day is an independent site that covers New York sports since 2004. Thats when it gets amazing. 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". He was angry. It doesnt work and you wont work. Hey went, Hey, Stoker. We show up for soundcheck. In the Sixties, did you see any great concerts in New York? Nobody could understand a word he said. I wanted to play like [saxophonist] Chris Wood and sing and play keyboards like Stevie Winwood. at Amazon, Click here to enter Richie's Official Website: Richie Cannata January 3, 2023. The Billy Joel Band is the band that backs singer-songwriter and pianist Billy Joel on both studio and live recordings. Id never put words in his mouth, but I think at the time he knew he had more in him. People ask me, Do you guys rehearse for a Billy Joel show? I say, No. You want to say, This is Mick Jones. But you dont want to do that. As the musical director, I oversee the rehearsal. It turned out those two young musicians were great sax player Richie Cannata and his friend, a Long Island kid, who would become world-wide legend Billy Joel. It was great. He earned the money being a professional Musician. DeVitto says that switching the original reggae beat of "Only Good Die Young" to a shuffle as featured on the final version was his idea, telling Billy, "The closest youve been to Jamaica is Jamaica, Long Island, when you change trains on the Long Island Rail Road." I played it on tenor. Look, when you have a person that actually knows what they want, its easy. It was very bizarre, but that was her thing. 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." Nobody knows their names. The solo that many people can remember note for note that has become part of us. 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. 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How were they as bandleaders? They went, Thats it! Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. He is God and Ill go on record to say that. Remember the movie As Good As It Gets when Helen Hunt is trying to tell Jack Nicholson how much she appreciates him? He was like, Hey, Mark. Of all the love I have for people in music, when he performs and when he puts it out there and those songs connect with people, we all forget about life for a while. I cant even name a title. Recording Studios to listen to tracks for Billy's CD 'Turnstiles.'. At the time, I was out with Hall and Oates. I was a huge Genesis fan and an even bigger Peter Gabriel fan. Through the glasses, you could see Strawberry Fields. Find by Genre >> AC >> Richie Cannata Seeing Zeppelin then must have been amazing. Billy Joel Ringo Starr Billy Joel a Beatle Billy Beatle. And he goes, Hey, dont worry about it.'. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on musics A list. 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. Ill play the bass and you sing it and Ill sort it out. Im singing Birthday with Paul on bass, my favorite bass player, and Im tripping. We keep in touch. Maneater, was originally just a reggae tune that Daryl turned around. At one point, at the end of whatever he was talking about, hed chuckle. for his acclaimed self-titled CD. If we can do that, we deserve to go out and perform. Want to hear a story? Richie Cannata is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Blah blah blah., Now were in the studio. By May, we were already rehearsing. They work very well together. I believe, and I know in my heart of hearts, that people are so, so starved for escapism and entertainment. Just call him and hell understand. Im like, Aw shit., My father used to say, Follow the bad road quickly. I did not wait. Felix, bless his heart, does what he does, and he doesnt do other things. When Hurricane Sandy hit the Island the first call I got was from Cannata to conduct another benefit concert to raise money helping feed the families after the devastation. This was live to track, frankly. performed the song around the world at every major venue, How old were you when music entered your life in a serious way? March 5, 1948) in NYC, is an acclaimed musician who is also a successful record producer. Its something that is embedded in everyones DNA. We still do. It was very chill and they were an absolute joy. They were all his famous leather jackets.