{"id":121623,"date":"2026-02-03T18:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121623\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T18:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:42:11","slug":"drummer-liberty-devitto-on-his-decades-long-tenure-with-billy-joel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121623\/","title":{"rendered":"Drummer Liberty DeVitto on his decades-long tenure with Billy Joel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>PROSPECT HEIGHTS \u2014 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Known for his big feel, deep pocket and tasteful fills rather than flashy technical prowess, DeVitto is known by many as \u201cthe American Ringo Starr.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201870s and \u201880s, contributing to sales of more than 150 million records.<\/p>\n

\"Liberty<\/a>Liberty DeVitto rocking out with his new band, The Slim Kings, in Williamsburg.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman<\/p>\n

DeVitto spoke to the Brooklyn Eagle about his meeting, decades-long tenure and ultimate breakup with Joel, in addition to their reconciliation, DeVitto\u2019s plans and his love for the borough of Brooklyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beginnings\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 77th Precinct. \u201cHe knew the tough side of Brooklyn,\u201d DeVitto said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeVitto recalled one of his first exposures to music. \u201cMy mom had a radio on the top of her dresser and she always played it,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt\u2019s funny, because I remember when I became a musician and would drum at weddings, we\u2019d 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.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The back cover of the 1977 Billy Joel album \u201cThe Stranger,\u201d featuring Liberty DeVitto, top right, and Joel, bottom right, and DeVitto\u2019s 2020 memoir, \u201cLiberty: Life, Billy and the Pursuit of Happiness.\u201d
Photo by Steve Milone<\/p>\n

Years later, DeVitto saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 and there was no looking back, he recalled. \u201cRingo Starr was my first and probably most major influence and inspiration,\u201d DeVitto said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other drummers DeVitto holds in high regard are jazz virtuoso Buddy Rich and several Motown and R&B drummers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meeting Billy Joel\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two years later, DeVitto first connected with Joel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI played on Long Island, in Plainview, at a club called My House,\u201d he explained. \u201cI 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 \u2018hi\u2019 in passing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeVitto said the first time he recognized Joel\u2019s talent was when he performed the song \u201cColoured Rain\u201d by Traffic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d said DeVitto. \u201cI thought to myself, \u2018This guy\u2019s got it!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Liberty<\/a>Liberty DeVitto alongside Camila Soto, co-founder of Cafe de Martini, 609 Vanderbilt Ave.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman<\/p>\n

That early connection was the beginning of their relationship long before they officially worked together in Joel\u2019s band nine years later.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1975, DeVitto auditioned in New York and was chosen for Joel\u2019s new band. Prior to DeVitto, Joel enlisted the talents of studio drummers in addition to Elvis Presley\u2019s drummer Ron Tutt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeVitto\u2019s aggressive, driving style and tough energy was a strong selling point. This would officially become known as the \u201cTurnstiles\u201d era.<\/p>\n

The end of an era\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeVitto played on nearly every major Billy Joel hit, including \u201cOnly the Good Die Young,\u201d \u201cJust the Way You Are,\u201d \u201cMy Life,\u201d \u201cYou May Be Right,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Still Rock and Roll to Me\u201d\u00a0 and \u201cScenes From an Italian Restaurant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He created the grooves behind 13 platinum albums, more than 22 \u201cTop 40\u201d hits and six Grammy Award-winning recordings. His tenure with Joel lasted through 1993.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, DeVitto said the decline began in 1989.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Liberty<\/a>Liberty DeVitto is Brooklyn through and through.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore we did the \u2018Storm Front\u2019 album, we were on tour in Australia,\u201d he said. \u201cBilly called me into his dressing room and said, \u2018What 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?\u2019 I was like, oh man, these are my friends. I\u2019ve 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 \u2018Storm Front\u2019 without the band that had been together for so long.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the next album, \u201cRiver of Dreams\u201d (1993), Joel used a different producer, the final proverbial nail in the coffin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did the demos for \u2018River of Dreams,\u2019 and producer Danny Kortchmar came in and said, \u2018I love the songs, I love the vocals, I love the piano playing, but the rest of it sucks!\u2019\u201d recalled DeVitto.<\/p>\n

DeVitto ended up playing only one track on that album, resulting in the end of the line with Joel. \u201cBilly admitted to me after a while that in retrospect, he would never do that again,\u201d DeVitto said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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, \u201cThe 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, \u2018My likeness is on here, and I want money for it.\u2019 Some people twisted it like I wanted songwriter royalties, but I didn\u2019t want that at all.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The lawsuit was settled out of court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reconciliation\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, their relationship can be described as \u201ccordial\u201d and one of mutual respect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Liberty<\/a>Liberty DeVitto\u2019s tenure with Billy Joel ran from 1975 through 1993.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman<\/p>\n

\u201cWe basically email back and forth,\u201d said DeVitto. \u201cOur last email was probably a week or so ago. We\u2019re trying to get lunch together. Anytime we\u2019re in the same area we\u2019ll meet up. We talk about the past \u2014 never any negative stuff, always good stuff.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Could a full-fledged reunion be in the works anytime soon? DeVitto, with a smile, told the Eagle, \u201cThe ball is in Billy\u2019s court.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Life after Billy\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeVitto currently performs with his Brooklyn-based rock and soul band, The Slim Kings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the concert, he spoke with everyone who approached him while always wearing a smile.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy 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,\u201d DeVitto said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DeVitto, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Anna, and daughter, Mae, had nothing but positive things to say about the borough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are a musician, this is the place to be,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people in Brooklyn are great. Also, I like the fact that it\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PROSPECT HEIGHTS \u2014 One would never guess that the unassuming, down-to-earth Liberty DeVitto once sat in the drum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121624,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[2571,5184,2572,98,100,99,53288,2538,9,24,63,2578,2579,4116],"class_list":["post-121623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-billy-joel","tag-bklyn-live","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-liberty-devitto","tag-music","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-premium","tag-premium-content","tag-wayne-daren-schneiderman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}