Billy Joel’s backing band to play at Leelanau Sands Casino
By Ross Boissoneau
Sun contributor
When Billy Joel was creating his hit records in the ’70s and ’80s, he wasn’t working by himself. While he wrote the bulk of the material and sang and played piano, he also led a band of top-flight musicians.
Now The Lords of 52nd Street, featuring members of those recordings and tours, are performing Joel’s music, including a stop at Leelanau Sands Casino March 20. Guitarist Russell Javors says playing the music again with those who helped create it was a full-circle moment for him. “Lib and I have played together since we were kids, and with Doug since before Billy,” he says of drummer Liberty DeVitto and bassist Doug Stegmeyer.
After recording his first albums mostly with studio musicians, then taking another group out on the road, Joel moved back to New York City and began looking for a group of musicians who could bring the energy of the city to his music.
Bassist Stegmeyer was the only member of his touring group Joel kept onboard. He eventually brought in Javors and DeVitto, his friends from Topper, the band they’d formed years earlier. Stegmeyer’s brother Al was a sound engineer and recommended saxophonist Richie Cannata.
When Cannata joined the other four, the musical sparks generated all those hits. Javors says it all goes back to the chemistry and attitude the members of the band brought to the recordings all those years ago. “We brought that chemistry to Billy.”
The quintet recorded Turnstiles before working with Joel and producer Phil Ramone on The Stranger. That’s when the two dubbed the band “The Lords of 52nd Street.” Next up was the album 52nd Street. The hits were huge – “Just The Way You Are,” “Only The Good Die Young,” “New York State Of Mind,” “Movin’ Out,” “Big Shot” and more.
Fast forward a few decades, and the band had dispersed as Joel searched for other sounds and inspirations. After leaving Joel’s band, they performed with an array of stars, together or singly, including Paul McCartney, Rick Wakeman, Karen Carpenter, Phoebe Snow, Stevie Nicks, the Beach Boys and more.
It wasn’t until the group’s induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame that they played together again as a unit, and they enjoyed it so much they regrouped sans Joel and Stegmeyer, who died in 1995. Together again, the three recruited a pianist and lead vocalist to fill the role of Joel, along with a bassist, a keyboardist and a guitarist. They play for crowds still hungry for the music Javors says they tell him is “the soundtrack to their lives.”
They play faithful renditions of the music the group made famous along with some other gems they’ve discovered along the way. “We cover the gamut. We switch it up,” says Javors, who creates the set lists.
Javors praises the members of the band, noting they’re all successful musicians and solo artists in their own right. ““These guys are all the real deal,” Javors says. “It’s such a kick-ass band, but not show-offs. The songs always rule.”
It’s evident from the enthusiasm in Javors’s voice that he’s thrilled to be back on the road with his pals, making music that for them and the audience is timeless. “The highlight is always the guys. When we were kids this is what we wanted to do.
“For a bunch of old guys we have the same amount of energy,” Javors says. “Liberty is still pounding the hell out of the drums. You’ll be amazed. We’re still playing with the same intensity and energy.”
For tickets or more information, go to leelanausandscasino.com/events and scroll down to the Lords of 52nd Street.
