A SWEET RELIEF-A TRIBUTE TO JOEY SPAMPINATO

Description

Joseph Nicholas “Joey” Spampinato (born August 16, 1948, Bronx, New York) is a multi-instrumentalist and was a founding member and bassist of NRBQ. He was also one of the lead singers and principal songwriters of the group. Before NRBQ, he played in several bands, including The Seven of Us, which in 1967, while he was in Miami, Florida, met another band, The Mersey-Beats USA. The bands merged to form NRBQ. On the group’s first two albums, NRBQ (Columbia, 1969) and Boppin' the Blues (With Carl Perkins, Columbia, 1970), Spampinato is credited as “Jody St. Nicholas.” Spampinato, known for getting an acoustic and upright bass sound from his instrument, played bass on many albums, including Keith Richards’ Talk Is Cheap, Bonnie Raitt’s Fundamental, and was one of the bassists on Eric Clapton’s 24 Nights in 1991. His songs have been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Shakin' Stevens, Los Lobos, Dave Edmunds, and others. In 1986, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones invited Spampinato to play in the band Richards put together to back Chuck Berry for the rock legend’s 60th birthday concert, which was recorded for the documentary Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll. Terry Adams, band member and cofounder of NRBQ, wrote the song “Spampinato” to celebrate his friend’s surname; the song appears on the band’s 1994 album Message for the Mess Age. Spampinato appeared with NRBQ in several feature films and television shows. During his tenure with NRBQ, he and his bandmates Johnny Spampinato, Adams, and Tom Ardolino were featured in animated form in an episode of The Simpsons. The band served as an unofficial “house band” for The Simpsons during the season 10-12 period in which Mike Scully, a longtime NRBQ fan, was head writer and executive producer of the series. Several NRBQ songs were featured on The Simpsons, including “Mayonnaise and Marmalade,” which was written specifically for the show. The band also appeared in non-animated form on camera during the closing credits performing the series theme song in the episode Take My Wife, Sleaze. NRBQ also recorded a song called “Birdman” for an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast titled “Pilot.” The same lineup also appeared in films including Day of the Dead, Shakes the Clown, and 28 Days. When NRBQ stopped touring and recording in 2004 due to Adams’ throat cancer diagnosis, Spampinato and his brother Johnny continued for a short time with Tom Ardolino in the band Baby Macaroni. In 2008, Spampinato formed a new band called The Spampinato Brothers with his younger brother Johnny Spampinato, who himself toured, recorded, and played lead guitar with NRBQ from 1994 to 2008. Johnny replaced former NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson, who left the band in 1994 to pursue a career as a songwriter, producer, and session musician in Nashville. In 2011, The Spampinato Brothers announced the release of their new album, titled Pie in the Sky, which includes eleven songs written by the brothers. In 2012, The Spampinato Brothers embarked on a tour of Japan, presenting their new material in addition to fan favorites from their years with NRBQ. In 2013, it was announced that they were finishing a new EP, Smiles, which was released later that year on the Revolve Records label. In October 2015, Spampinato was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing long-term treatment. In 2016, Sarah Burrell, a musician from Cape Cod, created a YouCaring fundraising page to help with the expected expenses. While her goal was $50,000, it quickly surpassed that amount, reaching $90,830 by February 2016. This tribute album was recorded to help fund his cancer treatment once again.