Joey DeFrancesco was an American jazz musician who released at least 30 albums before he passed away on August 25, 2022. He started music early, playing instruments like the piano, saxophone, and trumpet as a child. The Springfield native made his first record titled All of Me as a young adult. Afterward, he recorded multiple albums, including Incredible! Live at the San Francisco Jazz Festival (1999) and Legacy (2004).
Moreover, he was a four-time Grammy Award nominee. He was also a 9-time Down Beat Critics Poll winner among several awards and honors that he clinched in his musical career.
Joey DeFrancesco was Born into a Musical Family and He Began Playing Organ when He turned 4
Joey DeFrancesco was born into a musical family on April 10, 1971, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, U.S. His family comprised of 3 generations of jazz musicians. His grandfather, Joseph DeFrancesco was a jazz musician who played clarinet and the saxophone. Unlike his grandson, Joseph did not enter the music world until he was about 30 years old. However, the music prodigy displayed an innate ability to learn and play any instrument he laid his hands on.
Similarly, Joey’s father, “Papa” John DeFrancesco, is a vocalist and organist who played nationally and received the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Living Legend Award in 2013. He has been active since the 1960s and has spent over 6 long decades in the jazz music industry.
Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, Joey started playing the organ at the age of 4 and by the time he turned 5, his father began taking him to gigs. The entertainer later joined a band in Philadelphia when he turned 10. While in the band, he played alongside great jazz musicians like Hank Mobley and Philly Joe Jones.
He Studied Music in High School
Given his musical gifts from an early age, DeFrancesco decided to formally begin to hone his musical skills from high school. He enrolled at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and while he was there, he studied music and specialized in piano and organ. He won several awards while he was a student, some of which are the Philadelphia Jazz Society McCoy Tyner Scholarship. He was also a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition.
He Became a Household Name After Releasing the Album, All of Me
Joey signed a contract with Columbia Records at the age of 16. A year later, he released his first album titled All of Me. The album received positive reviews from lovers of jazz music and was described as a channel that helped bring back the organ to jazz in the 1980s.
In addition to his skills on the organ, Joey learned how to play the trumpet. He also went on several tours with popular jazz musicians like Miles Davis who originally spotted him during a performance on the television show, Time Out.
Meanwhile, before his recording deal with Columbia elapsed, Joey recorded 5 albums consecutively including Where Were You? (1990), Part III (1991), Reboppin’ (1992), and Live at the 5 Spot (1993).
Throughout his life, Joey recorded several albums and collaborated with many jazz musicians. Unfortunately, he died of a heart attack on August 25, 2022 (aged 51).
SEE ALSO: Joey DeFrancesco: Bio, Career Highlights, Wife, Cause Of Death
Joey DeFrancesco’s Discography
