PROSPECT HEIGHTS — One would never guess that the unassuming, down-to-earth Liberty DeVitto once sat in the drum throne for one of the biggest and most successful artists of all time.
Known for his big feel, deep pocket and tasteful fills rather than flashy technical prowess, DeVitto is known by many as “the American Ringo Starr.”
The Brooklyn-born former drummer accompanied musical icon Billy Joel and was a key element in the iconic sound that drove the band throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, contributing to sales of more than 150 million records.
Liberty DeVitto rocking out with his new band, The Slim Kings, in Williamsburg.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
DeVitto spoke to the Brooklyn Eagle about his meeting, decades-long tenure and ultimate breakup with Joel, in addition to their reconciliation, DeVitto’s plans and his love for the borough of Brooklyn.
Beginnings
A child of Sicilian immigrants, Liberatori (Liberty) DeVitto was born in Brooklyn on Aug. 8, 1950. His mother, Josephine Sardisco, was raised on the Lower East Side, and his father, Vincent, was brought up in East New York. Vincent was a police officer in Brooklyn’s 77th Precinct. “He knew the tough side of Brooklyn,” DeVitto said.
DeVitto recalled one of his first exposures to music. “My mom had a radio on the top of her dresser and she always played it,” he noted. “It’s funny, because I remember when I became a musician and would drum at weddings, we’d have to play some of the old classics. Because of my mom and her radio, I would recognize the song immediately. That is probably where I got my love for music.”
The back cover of the 1977 Billy Joel album “The Stranger,” featuring Liberty DeVitto, top right, and Joel, bottom right, and DeVitto’s 2020 memoir, “Liberty: Life, Billy and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Photo by Steve Milone
Years later, DeVitto saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 and there was no looking back, he recalled. “Ringo Starr was my first and probably most major influence and inspiration,” DeVitto said.
Other drummers DeVitto holds in high regard are jazz virtuoso Buddy Rich and several Motown and R&B drummers.
Meeting Billy Joel
Two years later, DeVitto first connected with Joel.
“I played on Long Island, in Plainview, at a club called My House,” he explained. “I was in a house band called The New Rock Workshop, and we would alternate with this band called The Hassels that Billy was in. Sometimes both bands would play together. We were teenagers at the time. I would watch Billy and he would watch me, but we only said ‘hi’ in passing.”
DeVitto said the first time he recognized Joel’s talent was when he performed the song “Coloured Rain” by Traffic.
“I thought I was the only one that knew about this song, but one night, Billy did it with the Hassles and he played it really well,” said DeVitto. “I thought to myself, ‘This guy’s got it!’”
Liberty DeVitto alongside Camila Soto, co-founder of Cafe de Martini, 609 Vanderbilt Ave.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
That early connection was the beginning of their relationship long before they officially worked together in Joel’s band nine years later.
In 1975, DeVitto auditioned in New York and was chosen for Joel’s new band. Prior to DeVitto, Joel enlisted the talents of studio drummers in addition to Elvis Presley’s drummer Ron Tutt.
DeVitto’s aggressive, driving style and tough energy was a strong selling point. This would officially become known as the “Turnstiles” era.
The end of an era
DeVitto played on nearly every major Billy Joel hit, including “Only the Good Die Young,” “Just the Way You Are,” “My Life,” “You May Be Right,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.”
He created the grooves behind 13 platinum albums, more than 22 “Top 40” hits and six Grammy Award-winning recordings. His tenure with Joel lasted through 1993.
However, DeVitto said the decline began in 1989.
Liberty DeVitto is Brooklyn through and through.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
“Before we did the ‘Storm Front’ album, we were on tour in Australia,” he said. “Billy called me into his dressing room and said, ‘What do you think if we go in the studio to make the new album, just me and you and a whole bunch of other guys?’ I was like, oh man, these are my friends. I’ve known some of these guys since they were kids. But what was I going to do? At the time, I was raising children. So we made ‘Storm Front’ without the band that had been together for so long.”
For the next album, “River of Dreams” (1993), Joel used a different producer, the final proverbial nail in the coffin.
“We did the demos for ‘River of Dreams,’ and producer Danny Kortchmar came in and said, ‘I love the songs, I love the vocals, I love the piano playing, but the rest of it sucks!’” recalled DeVitto.
DeVitto ended up playing only one track on that album, resulting in the end of the line with Joel. “Billy admitted to me after a while that in retrospect, he would never do that again,” DeVitto said.
Joel and DeVitto became estranged for more than a decade. In 2009, things got ugly and DeVitto sued Joel, reportedly over royalties and unpaid earnings from his time in the band. But DeVitto explained, “The reason I sued him was for intellectual properties. When we made song videos, they were just supposed to be used for promotion, and then all of a sudden, they were being sold at Kmart. So I said, ‘My likeness is on here, and I want money for it.’ Some people twisted it like I wanted songwriter royalties, but I didn’t want that at all.”
The lawsuit was settled out of court.
Reconciliation
Joel and Devitto reconciled in the mid-2000s, and their first widely recognized public reunion took place in 2006. In December that year, DeVitto joined Joel onstage at Madison Square Garden where they performed live for the first time since 1993.
Today, their relationship can be described as “cordial” and one of mutual respect.
Liberty DeVitto’s tenure with Billy Joel ran from 1975 through 1993.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
“We basically email back and forth,” said DeVitto. “Our last email was probably a week or so ago. We’re trying to get lunch together. Anytime we’re in the same area we’ll meet up. We talk about the past — never any negative stuff, always good stuff.”
Could a full-fledged reunion be in the works anytime soon? DeVitto, with a smile, told the Eagle, “The ball is in Billy’s court.”
Life after Billy
DeVitto currently performs with his Brooklyn-based rock and soul band, The Slim Kings.
At a recent performance in Williamsburg, it was obvious that he has not lost his touch. Energetic, passionate, soulful and creative DeVitto, 75, plays with the energy and enthusiasm of a man 50 years his junior.
After the concert, he spoke with everyone who approached him while always wearing a smile.
When asked what he attributes his unpretentious and grounded nature to, in spite of all he has achieved in his life, DeVitto summed it up in one word: family.
“My parents grew up with nothing, and they taught me a lot about humility and respect. The people you meet on the way up you may meet again on the way down,” DeVitto said.
DeVitto, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Anna, and daughter, Mae, had nothing but positive things to say about the borough.
“If you are a musician, this is the place to be,” he said. “The people in Brooklyn are great. Also, I like the fact that it’s so multicultural. I can walk down the street and literally hear 10 different languages. The bottom line is: no matter where I go in life, I suppose I will always be a Brooklyn guy through and through.”