Phillip Sampognaro (March 13, 1958 – May 3, 2021), known professionally as Phil Naro, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist, known for his participation in the hard rock bands Talas, Chain Reaction, and Coney Hatch. He was the singer of the 2009

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winning song for the television show

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Biography

Musical career

Naro began his singing career in the 1970s in high school bands. In 1979, he moved to Toronto to join the Canadian group Chain Reaction, with which he recorded the albums X-Rated Dream 1 and X-Rated Dream 2. When he returned to the United States, he joined the hard rock band Talas, led by bassist

Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...

. When David Lee Roth left the Van Halen line-up in the mid-1980s and became a solo act, he hired Sheehan as his bassist for his band, leading to Naro leaving Talas. Naro then returned to Canada, where he became the lead singer of the band Coney Hatch, replacing James LaBrie, a vocalist who became popular for his work with the progressive metal group Dream Theater. Producer

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contacted Naro in the early 1990s and invited him to become the lead singer of the new solo band of

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, the original drummer for

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. The songs "Blue Moon Over Brooklyn" and "Bad People" with Naro as singer were included on Criss Cat # 1 album. Since then, the musician has recorded a large number of collaborations and appearances with bands and artists such as

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, John Rogers, DDrive, Druckfarben and King Friday, in addition to recording some albums as a soloist. In August 2020, Billy Sheehan reported that a new Talas studio album was in the works, and that it would feature Naro as the vocalist.

Health problems and death

Naro had to undergo surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his neck, diagnosed in 2013. After the procedure, the musician managed to control his disease through various alternative therapies. In 2020, he stated in an interview with IHeartRadio that he was again dealing with tongue cancer and that he was receiving chemotherapy treatment. Naro died on May 3, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naro, Phil 1958 births 2021 deaths Musicians from Rochester, New York Deaths from cancer in New York (state) American rock guitarists American rock singers Coney Hatch members