Joe "Bean" Esposito (born May 5, 1948) is an American

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ge ...

whose career spans from the 1970s to the present day. Esposito's songs have been recorded by

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular m ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". ...

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has co ...

and others.

Biography

Esposito was a member of the band Brooklyn Dreams, best known for their collaboration with

on the US top ten hit " Heaven Knows". Esposito collaborated with producer

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

on the 1982 ''Solitary Men'' project, which became Esposito's first solo album. In 1983, Esposito contributed the song " Lady, Lady, Lady" to the ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend a ...

'' soundtrack album; the song also appeared on the ''Solitary Men'' album. In 1984, his song " You're the Best" was included in ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and ...

'' film and soundtrack. In 1984, the ''Flashdance'' soundtrack was nominated for Album of the Year at the

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

; the soundtrack album contained one of Esposito's songs ("Lady, Lady, Lady") as well as songs from various other acts. In 1988,

Brenda Russell Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations. Li ...

and Esposito were nominated for Best Pop Duo for the song " Piano in the Dark", as he supplied vocals on the song as well. Also in 1988, he duetted with

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a ...

on the song " Come into My Life" which appeared on the soundtrack to the film ''

Coming to America ''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Hea ...

''.

Personal life

Joe Esposito was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in Brooklyn. He is the father of Mike Esposito, who pitched in 2005 for

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors F ...

. He is also the father of Joey Esposito, Nicole Esposito, and Shauna Esposito. He is married to Lynda Esposito.

Discography

*1983: ''Solitary Men'' - Giorgio Moroder and Joe Esposito, produced by

Oasis Records Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

*1987: ''Joe, Bruce and Second Ave'' - produced by

Michael Omartian Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He spe ...

EMI America EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s, EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which lat ...

*1996: '' Treated and Released'' - produced by Joe Esposito, Pool Party Records

Soundtrack appearances

*'' American Hot Wax'' (1978) Kenny Vance on lead vocals with Brooklyn Dreams performing as The Planotones on backup *''

Foxes Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

'' (1980) Lyrics: "Shake It" performed by the Brooklyn Dreams *''

Zapped! ''Zapped!'' is a 1982 American teen sex comedy film directed by Robert J. Rosenthal and co-written with Bruce Rubin. The film stars Scott Baio as a high school student who acquires telekinetic powers. Plot At Ralph Waldo Emerson High School, b ...

'' (1982) performer: "Updikes Theme" - Joe "Bean" Esposito *''

'' (1983) performer: "Lady, Lady, Lady" - Joe "Bean" Esposito *'' Staying Alive'' (1983) Lyrics: "Hope We Never Change", "Moody Girl", "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up", "The Winning End" *''

'' (1984) performer: " You're the Best" - Joe "Bean" Esposito *''

Lovelines ''Lovelines'' is the posthumous thirteenth studio album by American music duo Carpenters, the second Carpenters album released after the death of Karen Carpenter. It was released in 1989 and is a compilation album assembled by Richard Carpenter ...

'' (1984) performer: "A Time Like This Again" - Joe "Bean " Esposito *'' Thief of Hearts'' (1984) performer: "Just Imagine (Way Beyond Fear) - Joe "Bean" Esposito *''3:15 - The Moment of Truth'' (1986) performer: "Out of Control" -

Bob Conti Bob Conti (born December 27, 1947) is an American percussionist best known for his double platinum compositions and performance works with Donna Summer, '' Bad Girls'', Diana Ross and decades performing with Jose Feliciano. Conti also served as ...

and Joe "Bean" Esposito *''

'' (1988) performer " Come into My Life" -

and Joe Esposito *''Butterbrot'' (1990) performer: "Take Me Home" - Joe Esposito *''Freak City'' (1999) performer: "Two Bad Boys" - Joe Esposito

Other appearances

* 1981: '' I'm a Rainbow'' -

, performing "I Believe in You" * 1988: '' Get Here'' -

, performing "Piano in the Dark"

Current work

Esposito lives in Las Vegas where he performs as a vocalist at various casino hotels. During the early 1990s, he and Eddy Hokenson (of Brooklyn Dreams) toured with Kenny Vance and the Planotones, a vocal group created for the film '' American Hot Wax''. In May 2013, Esposito became the lead singer for the Brooklyn Bridge band, formerly known as

Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge (also known as The Bridge and as Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge since the 1980s) is an American musical group, best known for their million-selling rendition of Jimmy Webb's " Worst That Could Happen" (1968). History N ...

References

External links

* https://eastcoastmusichalloffame.org/nominees/joe-esposito/ * Joe Espositoat AllMusic * {{DEFAULTSORT:Esposito, Joe 1948 births American male singers American male songwriters American soft rock musicians American soul musicians American people of Italian descent Singers from New York City Living people