Don DeVito
Encyclopedia
Don DeVito was an American
record producer
, music business executive and guitarist. His career was spent at Columbia Records
, where his production credits included Bob Dylan
's albums Blood on the Tracks
, Desire and Street-Legal.
's band. After a year touring, he returned to college where he achieved a degree in English, before forming his own band, the Sabres. The band broke up while on a cross-country tour, leaving DeVito stranded in Fort Smith, Arkansas
. There, he fortuitously met Johnny Cash
. In 1967, DeVito began training as an executive with CBS
, and worked as A&R
manager covering Miami, Florida
before transferring to New York City in 1971 to head up a new marketing initiative, later moving to the main Columbia A&R department. He also began spending time in recording studios to learn from such producers as Bob Johnston
, James William Guercio and Phil Ramone
.
Having been introduced by Cash to Bob Dylan, DeVito helped in the process of returning Dylan to Columbia from Asylum Records
in 1975, and then produced the albums Blood on the Tracks and Desire, which both reached no. 1 on the Billboard
album chart
. He also joined Dylan on tour and produced his albums Hard Rain, Street Legal and At Budokan
. DeVito also worked with such musicians as Billy Joel
, Bruce Springsteen
, James Taylor
, Simon and Garfunkel
, Aerosmith
, Tony Bennett
and Carole King
.
In 1981 he was appointed National Vice President of A&R for Columbia. He was nominated for a Grammy Award
on five occasions, winning in the category of Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1989 for the album Folkways -- A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly. In 2001, he was instrumental in organizing and promoting The Concert for New York City
, which raised over $ 1 million in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He retired from Sony Music in 2007.
He died in 2011 at the age of 72, after a prolonged period with prostate cancer
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, music business executive and guitarist. His career was spent at Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where his production credits included Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's albums Blood on the Tracks
Blood on the Tracks
Blood on the Tracks is Bob Dylan's 15th studio album, released by Columbia Records in January 1975. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia after a two-album stint with Asylum Records....
, Desire and Street-Legal.
Life
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and in his late teens began playing as a guitarist in Al KooperAl Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
's band. After a year touring, he returned to college where he achieved a degree in English, before forming his own band, the Sabres. The band broke up while on a cross-country tour, leaving DeVito stranded in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
. There, he fortuitously met Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. In 1967, DeVito began training as an executive with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and worked as A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
manager covering Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
before transferring to New York City in 1971 to head up a new marketing initiative, later moving to the main Columbia A&R department. He also began spending time in recording studios to learn from such producers as Bob Johnston
Bob Johnston
Donald William Robert 'Bob' Johnston is a noted American record producer, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Willie Nelson and many Nashville recording artists, as well as Simon and Garfunkel.-Early days:Johnston was born into a professional musical family...
, James William Guercio and Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
.
Having been introduced by Cash to Bob Dylan, DeVito helped in the process of returning Dylan to Columbia from Asylum Records
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
in 1975, and then produced the albums Blood on the Tracks and Desire, which both reached no. 1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. He also joined Dylan on tour and produced his albums Hard Rain, Street Legal and At Budokan
Bob Dylan at Budokan
Bob Dylan at Budokan is a live album by Bob Dylan, released in 1979 by Columbia Records. It was recorded during his 1978 world tour and is composed mostly of the artist's "greatest hits"...
. DeVito also worked with such musicians as Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
and Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
.
In 1981 he was appointed National Vice President of A&R for Columbia. He was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
on five occasions, winning in the category of Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1989 for the album Folkways -- A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly. In 2001, he was instrumental in organizing and promoting The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks...
, which raised over $ 1 million in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He retired from Sony Music in 2007.
He died in 2011 at the age of 72, after a prolonged period with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
.