Liberty DeVitto - His Reconciliation with Billy Joel

Renown drummer Liberty DeVitto, best known as drummer for Billy Joel, just released his memoir, Liberty: Life, Billy and the pursuit of Happiness. More than just a tell-all about rock and roll, DeVitto's story covers his Long Island roots, his climb through the club scene, and the excess that would come with touring with Billy Joel. Liberty DeVitto dropped in on Mike McKelly and Stefani Bishop on the Rocker Morning Show to talk about the new book and his ties to Michigan, including having married a gal from Kalamazoo.

"I did. And I must also add that I divorced a woman from Kalamazoo." DeVitto joked. From the outside looking in, DeVitto certainly must have lived the life of Riley. Atop his drum throne, he must have experienced one hell of a ride. His appearance in the 2016 documentary Hired Guns afforded him a moment to set the record straight. "Nobody knew my story or what had happened with me and Billy (Joel). You know everybody thinks because the artist is am millionaire, you're a millionaire. They don't know what it's really like."

But don't expect his memoir to be a rehashing of what you saw on Hired Guns. This story is much more personal. "The book, now, it's me, my life, and how I got to the point of playing on 23 of 24 Billy Joel top 40 hits and how I played on all his Grammy hits and how we had the falling out and reconciled at the end," DeVitto shared. "It's a strange business to be in . Believe me, if you don't have the passion for it and if you're not strong enough to take criticism, and things like that - you have to bow down to the almost mega-god who's name is on the billboard - if you don't have the strength to do that, you don't belong in this business.

"You have to understand that (Billy Joel) was the biggest single artist almost ever. Ringo was in The Beatles. I played for Billy Joel. What was the difference between what I did and Ringo did? Ringo got to share the wealth because he was in the band
The Beatles. We're just hired help, us guys."

Check out the complete Rocker Morning Show interview with Liberty DeVitto below.

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