Richie Cannata
Richie Cannata ( born March 5, 1948 in New York City ) is an American music producer and rock musician who was best known as the longtime saxophonist Billy Joel.
Career
Cannata studied piano and clarinet and also learned flute, keyboard and saxophone. From 1975 to 1981 he was a member of the Billy Joel band and opened after leaving the Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York where he produced, among other albums by Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. He has also appeared in productions of Phoebe Snow, Rita Coolidge, Corey Hart and Tommy Shaw. With the latter, he also wrote the theme music for the film Remo - unarmed and dangerous. He also took a role in the 1989 comedy Slaves of New York.
In the 1990s, Cannata has participated in several tours and recordings by the Beach Boys, for which he played the saxophone, woodwinds and synthesizers. In 1999, he appeared as a guest musician on the Millennium Concert by Billy Joel, which eventually under the name 2000 Years - The Millennium Concert was released on CD. In 2006 he returned to the Billy Joel band back and worked among other things on the live album 12 Gardens Live with, which is a compilation of twelve sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.