Doug Stegmeyer
| Doug Stegmeyer | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Douglas Alan Stegmeyer |
| Born |
December 23, 1951 Flushing, Queens New York City, New York U.S. |
| Died |
August 25, 1995 (aged 43) Smithtown, New York |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
| Instruments | Bass, Vocals |
| Years active | 1966–1995 |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Billy Joel, Topper, Debbie Gibson, Hall & Oates |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Fender Telecaster Bass Rickenbacker 4001 | |
Douglas Alan "Doug" Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 — August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as the bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates.
Biography
He was born on December 23, 1951 in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York. Doug Stegmeyer met Russell Javors in high school. At age 15, Javors was performing songs with childhood friend Liberty DeVitto. From then, the boys, along with Howard Emerson, formed the band Topper.
Together they performed the songs that Javors wrote. Topper soon became noticed by Billy Joel. Soon, Joel found he needed a bassist on his Streetlife Serenade tour. Stegmeyer was the first musician that Billy took from Topper; at Stegmeyer's recommendation a year and a half later, Emerson,[1] Javors, and DeVitto joined Joel in the studio for his Turnstiles album and for the accompanying tour. Stegmeyer became a core member of Billy Joel's band, playing bass on all of Joel's studio albums from Turnstiles through The Bridge and the live albums Songs in the Attic and КОНЦЕРТ. Throughout his tenure with Joel, Stegmeyer was dubbed "The Sergeant Of The Billy Joel Band."[2]
After being released from Joel's band in 1989 (along with Javors), Stegmeyer maintained a busy schedule recording and producing.
On August 25, 1995, Stegmeyer died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Smithtown, New York home.[3][4]
Legacy
On October 23, 2014, Stegmeyer was inducted, posthumously, into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, along with his Topper and Joel bandmates Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors. The four were inducted primarily for their work with Joel.[5]
See also
Credits
All albums listed are Billy Joel releases.
- 1976 Turnstiles
- 1977 The Stranger
- 1978 52nd Street
- 1980 Glass Houses
- 1981 Songs in the Attic
- 1982 The Nylon Curtain
- 1983 An Innocent Man
- 1985 Greatest Hits Volume I & II
- 1986 The Bridge
- 1987 КОНЦЕРТ
External links
- https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/DougStegmeyer?fref=ts (Official Facebook Page dedicated to Doug Stegmeyer)
- Memorial page for Stegmeyer
References
- ↑ piano-man.de - Archiv: "...but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?" (interview with Howie Emerson) @piano-man.de Retrieved 8-22-2013.
- ↑ Long Island Music Hall of Fame
- ↑ "Ex-band Leader For Billy Joel Found Dead". Spokesman-Review. 27 August 1995. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ↑ Baltimore Sun Obit
- ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (October 23, 2014). "Billy Joel Band set to join Piano Man in Long Island Music Hall of Fame". New York Newsday. Retrieved July 14, 2016.