#doug stegmeyer

[mitjalovse]

While we discuss the records that transcend their eras with their success, we must know some musicians have many more platters in this vein present in their opuses. To give you an example – Billy Joel had many records from the late 70's and the 80's that fit the description, yet these also show the problem we might have with him now. Allow me to elucidate – he's a brilliant songwriter, but he's not satisfied with that, which results in way too polished production. His late 70's found the best balance of these two principles, both The Stranger and 52nd Street make him sound real. You see, his biggest problem might be that his tunes at one point became a signifier of rich rock thanks to him having the access to the best tools.You see, his songs need more grit, not gold.

[thebreakfastgenie]

5, 18, and 25 for the song asks!

5: A song that needs to be played LOUD

Big Shot

18: A song from the year that you were born

Billy Joel released no music in 1996 lol. He fully stopped recording pop music before I was born until literally this year. I just tried to find any song I like from 1996 and I found Weird Al's Amish Paradise which I believe he did when I saw him in concert so we'll go with that.

25: A song by an artist no longer living

Obviously have to go more broad on this one although shoutout to Doug Stegmeyer who played the bass on a bunch of Billy Joel records, including Turnstiles my beloved, who is no longer living, and like idk covers of John Lennon songs or whatever. But I want to take this one for Manana by Jimmy Buffett because I did not expect to be that sad when he died last year. Gordon Lightfoot also died last year and Affair On 8th Avenue is a great one from him. And I have to give a shoutout to Harry Chapin too, I Wanna Learn a Love Song is a personal favorite.

[radiomaxmusic]

Thursday, February 29, 2024 4pm ET: Feature LP: Billy Joel - The Bridge (1986)

The Bridge is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on July 9, 1986. It was Joel’s last studio album produced by Phil Ramone as well as the last to feature Joel’s long-time bassist Doug Stegmeyer and rhythm guitarist Russell Javors. The album yielded several successful singles, including “A Matter of Trust” (peaking at No. 10), “Modern Woman” (which also…

[myvinylplaylist]

Billy Joel: 52nd Street (1978)

2022 Limited Edition Walmart Billy Joel 50th Anniversary on Blue Swirl Vinyl

Columbia Records

[charlies-current-obsession]

Pictures from the coloured pages of Liberty's book!!

[billyjoelstateofmind]

[thefrogholler]

Musical Birthday Notes - December 23rd

Musical Birthday Notes – December 23rd

[ravenofrhye]

Liberty DeVitto, Doug Stegmeyer, Billy Joel & Richie Cannata, 1977.

[nofatclips]

She’s Always a Woman by Billy Joel from the live album A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (AKA Концерт)

[vickiabelson]

Liberty DeVitto Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

I can’t stop smiling. How I adore Liberty DeVitto, and would even if he wasn’t one of the greatest drummers of all time––Billy Joel's, iconic partner in music for 30 years. 

I’ve known Lib for 30-something years and every time I see him it’s better than the last. Like fine wine, except neither of us is having any––unlike how it was when we met. We talk about that - his climb to stadium rock, the magnums of red, throwing up on his shoes––before Billy, Mitch Ryder, Vanilla Fudge, meeting Billy, Stevie Nicks, Only the Good Die Young, what Lib brought to it, love and their marriages, and marriages, and marriages, Richie Cannata, Russell Javors, Doug Stegmeyer, The Billy Joel Band, how Billy gave up an enormous opportunity out of love, loyalty and respect for them, and how it fell apart after 30 years of stellar music, fame & friendship. Sobriety, perhaps contributing to Lib’s demise.

We talked about the silence between them in the years that followed, Lib’s resurrection, NYC Hit Squad with Ricky Byrd, The Lords of 52nd Street with the original BJ band, his bestselling memoir,   https://amzn.to/2CP8qrg, upcoming book about Santa https://amzn.to/3dS13li, and, his girls, girls, girls. Wife, daughters, and a new baby granddaughter, that is. The reconciliation with Billy, the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Band— playing and getting inducted into the Long Island off-shoot, and being featured in the rock doc, Hired Gun.

Life is grand, better than ever. Lib is happy and grateful. And so much damn fun! Couldn’t adore him more. Sitting down with Lib is like going home and being with family. The one you dig. 

Liberty DeVitto Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Wednesday, 8/24/22, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

Streamed Live on my Facebook

Replay here:

[myvinylplaylist]

Billy Joel: Glass Houses (1980)

2022 Limited Edition Walmart Billy Joel 50th Anniversary on Sky Blue Vinyl

Columbia Records

[rainingmusic]

Billy Joel - The Stranger

[charlies-current-obsession]

[hanramakers]

Doug Stegmeyer 8/1995

August 25, 1995 – Douglas Alan ‘Doug’ Stegmeyer was born on December 23rd 1951 in Flushing Queens, New York.

Doug along with high school friend Russell Javors, Liberty DeVitto and Howard Emerson, formed the band Topper, performing songs that Russell wrote. The band soon became noticed by Billy Joel, and when Joel found he needed a bassist on his Streetlife Serenade tour, he asked Doug.

From then…

[mitjalovse]

When I discussed Archie Shepp, I recalled he worked with Whitney Houston and that caused me to wonder – how many jazzists ended up playing in the popular music? I am sure there are many cases of that, since the idiom served as a huge influence to a variety of successful musicians. For instance, I am positive Billy Joel counts jazz as an important building block of his sound, though his music rarely ventured into that landscape. Nonetheless, he did employ many jazz instrumentalists in his career and their proficiency made his songs soar. Listen to the tune in the link, he collaborated with Phil Woods on that ballad. Sure, you cannot call that jazz, but the bits of the style provide a good seasoning for the composition, the melody would not be that great without these elements.