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Richie Cannata (born March 3, 1949) is an American music producer, saxophonist, keyboardist and studio owner. He is most notable for playing
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
in Billy Joel's band alongside
Liberty DeVitto Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto (born August 8, 1950) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for New York singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has also been a session drummer on recordings ...
, Russell Javors, and
Doug Stegmeyer Douglas Alan Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 – August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as the bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates. Biography ...
. After leaving the band in 1981, he opened Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. Artists including
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
, Billy Joel, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have recorded in Cannata's studio.


Early life

Cannata was born 3 March 1949 in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, the son of Ernest (26 March 1914 – 14 April 1993) and Anna (February 25, 1926 — 1 April 2007) Cannata. Interested in music from a very early age, Cannata was introduced by his family first to the piano at the age of four and later to clarinet and
tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
at the age of eight. He also plays flute and keyboards in addition to alto, soprano and baritone sax. In 1950s his family moved to
Garden City South Garden City South is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,119 at the 2020 census. History Garden City South's name reflects upon ...
where Cannata blossomed as a musician. He played his first gig at the age of 13 and went on to play in school bands and with local musicians, perfecting his skills as a live performer and studio musician.


Career

In 1975 Cannata was introduced to Billy Joel's bass player Doug Stegmeyer through Stegmeyer's brother Al. At the time Billy Joel was looking for a sax player and Cannata was given a position in the band. Cannata played in
Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups includi ...
's band in the mid-1980s, performing on Shaw's first three solo albums. He also played for
Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will ...
in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and was a saxophonist with
Bernie Williams Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and a musician. He played his entire 16-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees from 1991 through 2006. ...
. From 1991 until 1998, Cannata toured with
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
, playing saxophone, woodwinds and synthesizers. In 2006, Cannata briefly toured again with Joel, and was part of his record-setting 12-show run at Madison Square Garden. Over the years Cannata's performing style has been influenced by
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...
,
Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, Gene Ammons, and
King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...
. In December 2013 Cannata and Sean J. Kennedy's educational jazz improv play-along series ''Improvising and Soloing In The Pocket'' ook/CD/DVD) was released by Carl Fischer Music to critical acclaim. The series includes books for all instruments, and features music from Cannata's 2011 solo album ''Richie Cannata'', featuring Cannata and Julio Fernandez, guitarist of jazz fusion/smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. On October 23, 2014, Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors (with Stegmeyer, posthumously) were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, primarily for their work with Joel. Shortly thereafter, Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors officially formed The Lords of 52nd Street band; the band also includes a pianist and lead vocalist, keyboardist, and a guitarist, and plays faithful renditions of the recorded Joel originals. On July 11, 2016, Cannata received special recognition from Glen Cove Mayor for his contributions to the city's music heritage. He was presented with the key to Glen Cove and named the downtown intersection of Bridge, School and Glen Streets as "Richie Cannata Place" for the city's summer music season.


See also

* Billy Joel Band * The Lords of 52nd Street


Billy Joel album credits

*1976 ''
Turnstiles A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a ...
'' *1977 '' The Stranger'' *1978 ''
52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...
'' *1980 '' Glass Houses'' *1981 ''
Songs in the Attic ''Songs in the Attic'' is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981. At the time of its release, it was the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, ''Cold Spring Harbor'', released in 1971. History In the lin ...
'' *1985 '' Greatest Hits Volume I & II'' *1993 ''
River of Dreams ''River of Dreams'' is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 10, 1993. ''River of Dreams'' presented a more serious tone than found in Joel's previous albums, dealing with issues such as trust and ...
'' *1997 '' Greatest Hits Volume III''


External links


Cove City Sound Studios
* *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannata, Richie Living people American rock saxophonists American male saxophonists 1949 births Musicians from New York (state) People from Glen Cove, New York American woodwind musicians American multi-instrumentalists Record producers from New York (state) American flautists American male organists American clarinetists 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century clarinetists 21st-century organists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American male musicians Billy Joel Band members American organists 21st-century flautists