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Billy Joel biography

In the mid 1970s, the touring and studio lineup of Joel's band stabilized. The main lineup consisted of:

• Billy Joel - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, harmonica
• Liberty DeVitto - drums, percussion
• Doug Stegmeyer - bass guitar, backing vocals
• Russell Javors - rhythm and lead guitars, harmonica, backing vocals
• David Brown - lead and rhythm guitars, 12-string guitar
• Richie Cannata - saxophones, flute, clarinet, piano, keyboards, percussion

This was also the lineup for Joel's first live album, ''Songs in the Attic.''

The 1980s and 1990s saw significant changes to Joel's band. By the ''River of Dreams'' tour, the only remaining long-standing member of the band was DeVitto. T-Bone Wolk joined playing bass guitar, as well as other instruments, including accordion. Multi-instrumentalists Crystal Taliefero and Mark Rivera joined and remain in his band to this day. Rivera had taken over the prominent saxophone solo in the song "New York State of Mind" that had previously been performed by Cannata (and was re-recorded by Phil Woods for the Greatest Hits version of the song). The 1993 ''River of Dreams'' tour saw the addition of David Rosenthal on keyboards who also remains with the band. Tommy Byrnes has become a frequent band member on guitar and was both a musical consultant and band member in the ''Movin' Out'' musical. For the 2006 tour, Joel did not invite DeVitto back as drummer. Chuck Burgi (from the Broadway production of ''Movin' Out'') replaced DeVitto. Cannata returns on saxophones, along with Rivera and Taliefero, with Cannata again performing the "New York State of Mind" solo. Carl Fischer plays trumpet and trombone when needed, most notably in the classic song, "Zanzibar."

Billy Joel's current lineup for the 2006-2009 tour was also featured on one of his newest albums 12 Gardens Live. They include:

• Billy Joel - Piano, Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
• Tommy Byrnes - Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Dennis Delgaudio - Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Backing Vocals
• Andy Cichon - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Dave Rosenthal - Keyboards, Synthesizers
• Chuck Burgi - Drums
• Crystal Taliefero - Percussion, Backing Vocals, Saxophone, Harmonica
• Mark Rivera - Saxophone, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Bongoes
• Carl Fischer - Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone (When Needed)
• Richie Cannata - Saxophone (Cannata will sometimes join up with the rest of the band for the Northeast leg of the tour but will not usually travel with them for its remainder.)

In August 1995, Billy Joel's long-time bassist Doug Stegmeyer committed suicide in his Long Island home. Stegmeyer had played on every one of Joel's albums from ''Turnstiles'' through ''The Bridge''. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist on Joel's live album ''KOHЦEPT''.

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