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Joe "Seven" Franco (born 1951) is an American drummer best known for his work with the band The Good Rats in the late 1970s and later as a member of Twisted Sister. Biography. Joe Franco, a 1969 graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, became a member of the band The Good Rats in 1972.
Formed in late December 1972 as cover band Silver Star, the group changed its name to Twisted Sister in February 1973 and originally included lead vocalist Michael "Valentine" O'Neill, guitarists Jay Jay French and Billy "Diamond" Steiger, bassist Kenny Neill and drummer Mel "Starr" Anderson.
Mar 16, 2024 · Joe "Seven" Franco (born 1951) is an American drummer best known for his work with the band The Good Rats in the late 1970s and later as a member of Twisted Sister. [1] Joe Franco, a 1969 graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, [2] became a member of the band The Good Rats in 1972. [3]
- Early Life and Education
- Career
- Awards and Honors
- Discography
- Personal Life
- Death
- Further Reading
- External Links
DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 1971. He was born into a musical family that included three generations of jazz musicians. He was named after his grandfather, Joseph DeFrancesco, a jazz musician who played the saxophone and clarinet. His father, "Papa" John DeFrancesco, is an organist who played nationally and receiv...
Recording
DeFrancesco was 16 years old when he signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia Records. The following year he released his first record, titled All of Me. His performance on All of Me has been attributed as helping bring back the organ to jazz music during the 1980s. That same year, DeFrancesco joined Miles Davis and his band on a five-week concert tour in Europe. He followed up with playing keyboards on Davis' album Amandla, which reached No. 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums char...
Touring
DeFrancesco began touring with his own quartet at the age of 18. In the early 1990s, he began collaborating with John McLaughlin, former guitarist for Miles Davis and the leader of Mahavishnu Orchestra. At the age of 22, he became a founding member of the group The Free Spirits, along with McLaughlin and drummer Dennis Chambers. He toured with the group for 4 years and was part of several recordings, including the albums Tokyo Live and After the Rain.DeFrancesco also played trumpet on the for...
Music style
DeFrancesco's music style was referred to as a swinging Philly sound which he "embellished with his own ferocity and improvisation." He played 200-plus nights a year throughout the course of his career, a feat that he cut back on as of 2013. He received numerous accolades for his performances, including being called the best B3 player on the planet by JazzTimes. The New York Times described DeFrancesco as a "deeply authoritative musician, a master of rhythmic pocket, and of the custom of stom...
DeFrancesco was a four time Grammy Award-nominee, with more than 30 recordings as a leader. In addition to Grammy nominations in 2004, 2010, and 2020, DeFrancesco was a 9-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll (organ) and won the Down Beat Readers Poll every year since 2005. He won a number of JazzTimes Awards as well. DeFrancesco was an inaugur...
DeFrancesco's discography consists of albums released on Columbia, Muse, Highnote, Big Mo Records, Concord Jazz, Doodlin' Records, and Mack Avenue.
In addition to his father and grandfather, DeFrancesco's brother Johnny is also a musician, focusing on bluesguitar. DeFrancesco was married to his wife Gloria until his death. She served as his manager.DeFrancesco had one daughter with his 1st wife and her name is Ashley Blue DeFrancesco. She is his only child.
DeFrancesco died of a heart attack on August 25, 2022, at the age of 51.The following week, at a concert in Boston, Van Morrison paid tribute to his one-time collaborator, dedicating a song to him.
Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, & Brian Priestley. Jazz: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides. ISBN 1-85828-528-3.Richard Cook & Brian Morton. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 6th edition. ISBN 0-14-051521-6.Joey DeFrancesco discography at DiscogsJoey DeFrancesco at IMDbSep 6, 2023 · Joe Franco has played for a lot of distinctly un-metal artists such as Mariah Carey, Sheena Easton, Taylor Dane, Hall & Oates.
Mar 19, 2009 · Twistory:The story of how five rock and roll thugs from New York City defied the odds, donned hideous outfits and fought their way to the top. “I have to tell you,” says Jay Jay French, sitting back and taking a moment to reflect on the more than 30-year history of his band, the New York glam-metal act Twisted Sister.
Joe Franco. Drummer, producer, engineer, writter and founder of Beatstreet Productions born in New York, USA, in 1951. Joe started his career as a professional drummer in the clubs of NYC and landed his first major gig in the mid 70’s with the New York band “Good Rats”.
