Joe Amato

Label : Canaan Lake Records Inc.

Instruments: Keyboards / Synth. / Organ

Discography : The Emotions, Dukes of Doo-Wop, The Del Vikings, SammySax & the M.D’s.

Has played with: Vito Picone’s- Elegance The Dubs, the Del Vikings, the Limelites, the Chantels,

The Duprees, Freddy Boom-Boom Cannon, The Emotions, The Chimes, Fireflies, the Channels,

the Marvalettes, The Chiffons, the Bobbetts, the Passions, the Classics.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Joe started taking accordion lessons at the age of seven.  By the time he was in the seventh grade, he was in his first garage band which was called “The Pace Setters” and was performing at local school dances.  A few years later, they changed the name to “The Mustangs” and then to “The Mustangs 2+2” (Even though there were five of them.).  The final group consisted of three cousins and another pair of cousins. In 1965 this group performed at the Worlds Fair in Flushing Meadow Park in the New Jersey Pavilion. It was in the eighth grade that he and the drummer from the group were invited into a wedding band where he learned to play all types and styles of music for weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, etc.  Joe tells us. “The older guys in these bands would not play rock and roll so we were brought in”.

    He attended The High School of Music and Art, & Joe found out that the accordion was not a recognized instrument and having played drums a little, He became the principal percussionist in a 125 piece orchestra.  Back then the school was all classics.  No other type of music was to be played within the building.  He knew that this is not what he was going to be doing after he graduated school, So,  Joe left Music and Art and went to his neighborhood High School.  Once there he was sought-out by the music teacher because he was the only one ( in the school ) who knew how to tune and play the tympani Drums .    Joe got involved in the “wedding and dance scene” as a Keyboard player for many years, and after awhile He formed his own band.  He brought in guys his own age, and always laughed when the guests came into the reception ( Expecting to see much older musicians.) as the guest groaned & moaned & that all they expected to hear was only Rock and Roll, but were blown away by there renditions of Glenn Miller and all other styles & genre’s of  music.

              BANDBIO