Doug Stegmeyer
Doug Stegmeyer | |
|---|---|
| Error creating thumbnail: File missing Stegmeyer in 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Douglas Alan Stegmeyer December 23, 1951 |
| Origin | New York City |
| Died | August 25, 1995 (aged 43) |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass, vocals |
| Years active | 1966–1995 |
| Labels | Columbia |
Douglas Alan Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 – August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as a bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates.
Life and career
[edit | edit source]Stegmeyer was born on December 23, 1951, in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York. In high school, he met Russell Javors, who at age 15 was performing songs with childhood friend Liberty DeVitto. Along with Howard Emerson, the boys formed the band Topper, which performed songs by Javors and attracted Billy Joel's attention. Joel hired Stegmeyer to play bass in his backing band on the Streetlife Serenade tour. 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 Joel's studio albums from Turnstiles through The Bridge and on the live albums Songs in the Attic and Kohuept. Stegmeyer was dubbed "The Sergeant Of The Billy Joel Band".[2]
Stegmeyer (and Javors) left the band in 1989; according to DeVitto, he was forced out. Stegmeyer subsequently 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
[edit | edit source]On October 23, 2014, Stegmeyer was posthumously inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, along with Topper and Joel bandmates Richie Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors. The four were inducted primarily for their work with Joel.[5]
See also
[edit | edit source]Credits
[edit | edit source]With Billy Joel
- 1976 Turnstiles
- 1977 The Stranger
- 1978 52nd Street
- 1980 Glass Houses
- 1982 The Nylon Curtain
- 1983 An Innocent Man
- 1986 The Bridge
With Phoebe Snow
- 1978 Against the Grain
- 1981 Rock Away
With Melanie
- 1983 Seventh Wave
With Hall & Oates
- 1990 Change of Season
With Debbie Gibson
- 1990 Anything Is Possible
External links
[edit | edit source]- https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/DougStegmeyer?fref=ts (Official Facebook Page dedicated to Doug Stegmeyer)
- Memorial page for Stegmeyer
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ piano-man.de - Archiv: "...but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?" (interview with Howie Emerson) @piano-man.de Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 8-22-2013.
- ^ Long Island Music Hall of Fame Archived May 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- American session musicians
- 1951 births
- 1995 suicides
- 1995 deaths
- People from Long Island
- American rock bass guitarists
- American male bass guitarists
- Record producers from New York (state)
- Musicians from Queens, New York
- People from Flushing, Queens
- Suicides by firearm in New York (state)
- 20th-century American singers
- American rock singers
- Guitarists from New York City
- American male guitarists
- 20th-century American bass guitarists
- 20th-century American male singers
- Billy Joel Band members