Liberty DeVito

Biography

Liberty DeVito is an American rock drummer best known for his long-running partnership with singer, pianist, and songwriter Billy Joel. Born on July 8, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, DeVito developed his musical identity in the city’s active club and rehearsal circuit, drawing inspiration from the hard-driving drummers of rock, rhythm and blues, and soul. He became known for a powerful, highly controlled approach that combined a strong backbeat with dynamic fills and an unusually emphatic relationship to the song’s vocal and piano parts. His work with Joel helped establish the muscular, live-band character that distinguished many of Joel’s most successful recordings from the late 1970s onward.