Roy Bittan
Roy Bittan | |
---|---|
Roy Bittan | |
Background information | |
Also known as | The Professor |
Born | (1949-07-02) July 2, 1949 (age 74) Queens, New York, United States |
Genres | Rock and roll |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Keyboards, accordion |
Member of | E Street Band |
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949)[citation needed] is an American[1] musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.[2] Nicknamed "The Professor",[1] Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthesizers.[2][3] Bittan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the E Street Band.[4]
Aside from his membership in the E Street Band, Bittan has worked as a session musician for singer-songwriters and rock and pop artists.
Life and career
Bittan was born in Queens, New York[1] and is Jewish.[5] He is a longtime member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and has performed on the majority of Springsteen's albums, beginning with Born to Run (1975). In Springsteen's band introductions, Bittan's "Professor" moniker was given because (supposedly) he was the only member of the group with a college degree. Bittan provided background vocals for most of the songs on Born to Run, along with Steven Van Zandt. His voice is also featured slightly on the vocal weaving in "Out in the Street". However, from the Born in the U.S.A. Tour on, his voice was no longer used.[citation needed] When Springsteen decided to break his connection with the E Street Band in 1989, Bittan was the only member he retained.[2]
With the E Street Band, Bittan uses a Yamaha grand piano, preferring the bright sound to cut through the group's sound compared with other acoustic models. He has also been known to use Yamaha, Korg and Kurzweil keyboards as part of his live rig. Bittan is an avid accordion player, which was a skill he seldom used with the E Street Band until he played "American Land" as the closing number on the 2007–2008 Magic Tour and later played the instrument on "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" after the death of bandmate Danny Federici.
Aside from his membership in the E Street Band, Bittan has worked as a session musician for singer-songwriters and rock and pop artists, including Bonnie Tyler,[6] Jon Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, Tracy Chapman, Chicago, Catie Curtis, Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Ian Hunter, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger, Lou Reed, Celine Dion, Nelly Furtado, Patty Smyth, and Jim Steinman.
Bittan played piano on Meat Loaf's 1977 hit album Bat Out of Hell. Composer Jim Steinman wanted Bittan for the album due to his love for Springsteen's early work, particularly on Born to Run. Following those sessions, Bittan regularly and nearly exclusively collaborated with Steinman, appearing on three more Meat Loaf albums (most notably Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell), Steinman's solo album Bad for Good, an Air Supply single, a Barbra Streisand single, an album by Pandora's Box, Total Eclipse of the Heart, and others.
Bittan also played on the Dire Straits album Making Movies (1980). Mark Knopfler's decision to have the keyboardist on the album's lineup was reportedly influenced by his affection for "Because the Night",[citation needed] a keyboard-driven hit song cowritten by Springsteen and Patti Smith.[7]
Bittan played on the 1978 second solo album from Peter Gabriel, appearing on the songs "On the Air", "Mother of Violence", "D.I.Y." and "White Shadow". Bittan also played on two David Bowie albums, Station to Station (1976) and Scary Monsters (1980).
Bittan influenced the sound Stevie Nicks created for her solo debut away from Fleetwood Mac, Bella Donna (1981). About the time that the album reached number one in the United States (and Springsteen's The River Tour concluded), Bittan joined as a sideman on a short tour with Nicks along with some of the other top musicians of the day: Benmont Tench on organ, bass guitarist Bob Glaub, Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Russ Kunkel on drums, and Bobbeye Hall on percussion. Bittan also played on Nicks' second solo album The Wild Heart and has continued to play with her sporadically.
Bittan produced and played accordion on Lucinda Williams's album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. He also played accordion on Nelly Furtado's album The Spirit Indestructible on a track entitled "Waiting for the Night".
Bittan released his first solo album, Out of the Box, in 2014.[2]
References
- ^ a b c McCall, Tris (September 16, 2012). "Roy Bittan interview: spotlight on key member of the E Street Band". NJ.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Greene, Andy (January 15, 2015). "E Street's Roy Bittan on Collabs with Bowie, Bob Seger". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Hernandez, Raoul (April 3, 2009). "Kingdom of Days". The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ "E Street Band Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Video)". HuffPost.com. May 28, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ Hoffman, Jordan (April 5, 2023). "Proving it all night, 73-year-old Springsteen rocks a first-timer's socks off in NYC". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Faster Than the Speed of Night (LP liner). Bonnie Tyler. Columbia Records. 1983.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Schinder, Scott; Schwartz, Andy (2007). Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever. Greenwood. p. 323. ISBN 978-0313338458.
External links
- Roy Bittan at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
- The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
- Born to Run (1975)
- Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
- The River (1980)
- Nebraska (1982)
- Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
- Tunnel of Love (1987)
- Human Touch (1992)
- Lucky Town (1992)
- The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
- The Rising (2002)
- Devils & Dust (2005)
- We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
- Magic (2007)
- Working on a Dream (2009)
- Wrecking Ball (2012)
- High Hopes (2014)
- Western Stars (2019)
- Letter to You (2020)
- Only the Strong Survive (2022)
- Live 1975–85 (1986)
- In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993)
- Live in New York City (2001)
- Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2006)
- Live in Dublin (2007)
- Springsteen on Broadway (2018)
- The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts (2021)
Archives
- Apollo Theater 3/09/12 (2014)
- The Agora, Cleveland 1978 (2015)
- Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 (2015)
- Nassau Coliseum, New York 1980 (2015)
- Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 (2015)
- LA Sports Arena, California 1988 (2015)
- Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 (2015)
- Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome 2013 (2015)
- Arizona State University, Tempe 1980 (2015)
- The Christic Shows 1990 (2016)
- HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY, 11/22/09 (2016)
- Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO, 8/23/08 (2017)
- Olympiastadion, Helsinki, July 31, 2012 (2017)
- Palace Theatre, Albany 1977 (2017)
- Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY 1977 (2017)
- The Summit, Houston, TX December 8, 1978 (2017)
- Greatest Hits (1995)
- 18 Tracks (1999)
- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003)
- Greatest Hits (2009)
- The Promise (2010)
- Collection: 1973–2012 (2013)
- Chapter and Verse (2016)
- Best of Bruce Springsteen (2024)
- The Born in the U.S.A. 12" Single Collection (1985)
- Tracks (1998)
- The Collection (2004)
- Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition (2005)
- The Collection 1973–1984 (2010)
- The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (2010)
- The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973–1984 (2014)
- The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015)
- Live Collection (1987)
- Chimes of Freedom (1988)
- Blood Brothers (1996)
- PBS Exclusive (2007)
- Magic Tour Highlights (2008)
- American Beauty (2014)
- Video Anthology / 1978–88 (1989)
- In Concert/MTV Plugged (1992)
- Blood Brothers (1996)
- The Complete Video Anthology / 1978–2000 (2001)
- Live in New York City (2001)
- Live in Barcelona (2003)
- VH1 Storytellers (2005)
- Wings for Wheels (2005)
- Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2005)
- Live in Dublin (2007)
- Magic Tour Highlights (2008)
- London Calling: Live in Hyde Park (2010)
- The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010)
- Springsteen & I (2013)
- Born in the U.S.A. Live: London 2013 (2014)
- A MusiCares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (2014)
- Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes (2014)
- High Hopes in South Africa (2014)
- Hunter of Invisible Game (2014)
- Born to Run tours (1974–77)
- Darkness Tour (1978)
- The River Tour (1980–81)
- Born in the U.S.A. Tour (1984–85)
- Tunnel of Love Express (1988)
- Human Rights Now! (1988)
- Bruce Springsteen 1992–1993 World Tour (1992–93)
- Ghost of Tom Joad Tour (1995–97)
- Reunion Tour (1999–2000)
- Rising Tour (2002–03)
- Vote for Change (2004)
- Devils & Dust Tour (2005)
- Seeger Sessions Band Tour (2006)
- Magic Tour (2007–08)
- Working on a Dream Tour (2009)
- Wrecking Ball World Tour (2012–13)
- High Hopes Tour (2014)
- The River Tour (2016)
- Summer '17 (2017)
- Springsteen on Broadway (2017–18; 2021)
- 2023 Tour (2023–24)
- Discography
- Songs
- E Street Band
- Steel Mill
- The Sessions Band
- The Miami Horns
- Born to Run autobiography
- E Street Radio
- Little Steven's Underground Garage
- Outlaw Pete
- Columbia Records
- 914 Sound Studios
- Record Plant
- Power Station
- The Hit Factory
- The Max Weinberg 7
- Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska
- Greetings from E Street
- Backstreets Magazine
- The Upstage Club
- The Stone Pony
- Fender Telecaster
- Freehold Borough, New Jersey
- Asbury Park, New Jersey
- "Because the Night"
- "Jersey Girl"
- "Springsteen"
- Blinded by the Light (film)
- Category