Liberty DeVitto
Encyclopedia
Liberty DeVitto is an American
rock
drummer
. He is best known as the drummer for Billy Joel
, but has also played with the NYC Hit Squad and has been a session drummer on recordings of other artists.
at the New York Police Department. He taught himself to play the drums after seeing The Beatles
on their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
in February 1964.
After working with Billy Joel for 30 years, DeVitto was discharged from drumming duties for the 2006 Billy Joel tour for an unknown reason. Up to that point, he had the longest running tenure in Joel's band, starting with the recording of 1976's Turnstiles
.
On May 19, 2009, DeVitto filed a lawsuit in Manhattan's state Supreme Court claiming Joel and Sony Music owed DeVitto over 10 years worth of royalty payments. DeVitto has never been given songwriting credit on any of Joel's songs, but he claims that he helped write some of them. DeVitto's lawyer added that he does not know exactly how much DeVitto is owed, and that Joel's record sales are subject to an audit. In April 2010, it was announced that Joel and DeVitto "amicably resolved" the lawsuit.
, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. Liberty has personally delivered instruments to children in the program, performed at benefit events for the cause, and sits on the organization's Honorary Board of Directors.
. He currently endorses Mapex drums, Sabian
cymbals and Pro-Mark
drumsticks. He has endorsed Tama Drums and Zildjian
cymbals in the past.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. He is best known as the drummer for 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...
, but has also played with the NYC Hit Squad and has been a session drummer on recordings of other artists.
Career
DeVitto was born in New York City of Italian ancestry where his father was a police officerPolice officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
at the New York Police Department. He taught himself to play the drums after seeing The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
on their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
in February 1964.
After working with Billy Joel for 30 years, DeVitto was discharged from drumming duties for the 2006 Billy Joel tour for an unknown reason. Up to that point, he had the longest running tenure in Joel's band, starting with the recording of 1976's Turnstiles
Turnstiles
Turnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. In part, the album was made to celebrate Joel's return to New York City after his sojourn in California. Three of the album's tracks reference New York: "Summer, Highland Falls", "New York State of Mind" and "Miami 2017 "...
.
On May 19, 2009, DeVitto filed a lawsuit in Manhattan's state Supreme Court claiming Joel and Sony Music owed DeVitto over 10 years worth of royalty payments. DeVitto has never been given songwriting credit on any of Joel's songs, but he claims that he helped write some of them. DeVitto's lawyer added that he does not know exactly how much DeVitto is owed, and that Joel's record sales are subject to an audit. In April 2010, it was announced that Joel and DeVitto "amicably resolved" the lawsuit.
Philanthropy
In 2003, Liberty DeVitto signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids RockLittle Kids Rock
Little Kids Rock is a nonprofit organization that provides free instruments and lessons to children in under-served public schools. The organization is supported by a number of music industry luminaries including Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Joe Satriani, BB King, Jason Newsted, Linkin Park's Brad Delson,...
, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. Liberty has personally delivered instruments to children in the program, performed at benefit events for the cause, and sits on the organization's Honorary Board of Directors.
Personal
DeVitto is the father of actress Torrey DeVittoTorrey DeVitto
Torrey Joel DeVitto is an American actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her roles as Zoe in the 2006 horror film I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, Karen Kerr in the short lived television series Beautiful People, Carrie in The CW series One Tree Hill, and most recently...
. He currently endorses Mapex drums, Sabian
Sabian (company)
Sabian is a Canadian cymbal designer and manufacturer. It is a leading manufacturer of cymbals along with other top companies such as Zildjian, Paiste, and Meinl.-History:...
cymbals and Pro-Mark
Pro-Mark
Pro-Mark is a Houston, Texas-based American drumstick company owned by founder Herb Brochstein. It is a widely known stick company generally played in drum set, drum and bugle corps and concert bands.-History:...
drumsticks. He has endorsed Tama Drums and Zildjian
Avedis Zildjian Company
The Avedis Zildjian Company is a cymbal manufacturer founded in Istanbul by Armenian Avedis Zildjian in the 17th century during the Ottoman Empire. At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian is one of the oldest companies in the world...
cymbals in the past.
Credits
All albums listed are Billy Joel releases unless otherwise noted.- 1976 TurnstilesTurnstilesTurnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. In part, the album was made to celebrate Joel's return to New York City after his sojourn in California. Three of the album's tracks reference New York: "Summer, Highland Falls", "New York State of Mind" and "Miami 2017 "...
- 1977 The StrangerThe Stranger (album)The Stranger is the fifth studio album by musician Billy Joel, released in 1977 . While his four previous albums had been moderate chart successes, this was his breakthrough album, and is generally regarded by critics as his magnum opus, spending six weeks at #2 in the U.S. album charts...
- 1978 52nd Street52nd Street (album)52nd Street is the sixth studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1978. It was also the first of many Joel albums to top the Billboard charts, along with his third and fourth Grammy win....
- 1980 Glass HousesGlass HousesGlass Houses is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1980 . It features Joel's first song to peak at #1 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." The album itself topped the Pop Albums chart for six weeks and was ranked number 4 on...
- 1981 Dead RingerDead Ringer (album)Dead Ringer is a 1981 album by Meat Loaf and is the second of three Meat Loaf albums written entirely by Jim Steinman. The album cover features an illustration by comic book artist and horror illustrator Bernie Wrightson....
- Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor... - 1981 The Burning - Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
- 1981 Songs in the AtticSongs in the AtticSongs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981 .At the time of its release, it was unique as being the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, Cold Spring Harbor from 1971....
- 1982 The Nylon CurtainThe Nylon CurtainThe Nylon Curtain is the eighth studio album by Billy Joel. It was released by Columbia Records on September 23, 1982 and produced by Phil Ramone....
- 1983 An Innocent ManAn Innocent ManAn Innocent Man is the ninth album by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1983 .This album is Joel's tribute to the music of his childhood...
- 1985 Greatest Hits Volume I & IIGreatest Hits (Billy Joel albums)Billy Joel's Greatest Hits is a collection released in two sets, 12 years apart. The first set, consisting of two discs, titled Volume I and Volume II, was released in 1985. The second, single disc titled Volume III was released in 1997. All songs but the last three on Volume III, "To Make You Feel...
- 1985 Spoiled GirlSpoiled GirlSpoiled Girl is the 12th studio album by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released in 1985.The album was recorded with a variety of producers in New York. It was Simon's only album for Epic Records, and peaked at #88 on the U.S...
- Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work... - 1986 The BridgeThe Bridge (Billy Joel album)The Bridge is Billy Joel's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1986 and was his final album to be produced by Phil Ramone...
- 1987 КОНЦЕРТ
- 1989 Storm FrontStorm Front (album)Storm Front is the 11th studio album by Billy Joel. Released in 1989 , the album featured one of Joel's three #1 hits, "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song, mentioning some of the major historical events that took place in his time, and "Leningrad", Joel's take on the end of the Cold...
- 1989 Mick JonesMick Jones (album)Mick Jones is singer-songwriter Mick Jones's self-titled debut/studio album, released in 1989. Jones is one of the original members of the group Foreigner. The album was Mick Jones' only solo release....
- Mick Jones - 1993 River of DreamsRiver of DreamsRiver of Dreams is the 12th studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1993. This is the last pop album made by Joel, and presented a much more serious tone as a whole, dealing with issues such as trust and long-lasting love; it was rumored that the themes of trust and betrayal, particularly certain...
- 1996 Karen CarpenterKaren Carpenter (album)Karen Carpenter is a solo CD released by A&M Records in 1996. All of the songs on the album were from the New York solo sessions recorded with producer Phil Ramone in 1979 and 1980. During this time, her brother Richard was being treated for an addiction to Quaaludes and Karen wanted to remain...
- Karen CarpenterKaren CarpenterKaren Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
(Recorded in 1979-80) - 1997 Greatest Hits Volume IIIGreatest Hits (Billy Joel albums)Billy Joel's Greatest Hits is a collection released in two sets, 12 years apart. The first set, consisting of two discs, titled Volume I and Volume II, was released in 1985. The second, single disc titled Volume III was released in 1997. All songs but the last three on Volume III, "To Make You Feel...
- 2001 Chiller Theatre - John BabcockJohn Babcock (musician)John F. Babcock is a singer, songwriter and musician who currently performs and records in the central Florida area. Babcock has produced 10 studio albums spanning different styles, thoughts, hobbies and moments of his life, some having been recorded in the famed Abbey Road Studios...
- 2007 Queen Anne's Revenge - Sean J. Kennedy
- 2010 Gargoyles and Weathervanes -The White RavensThe White RavensThe White Ravens are an indie rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, featuring brother/sister singer songwriters, Amy and Will Bennett. Amy and Will are currently 18 and 17 years old and formed their band over five years ago. Will composes the music and plays piano and guitar. Amy writes the lyrics,...