Oh man...so sad. I was at one of the last couple of shows Danny played (Albany) last fall and the first one at which they played "Sandy" and "E Street Shuffle" in something like 98787678575 years. He truly was an amazing talent.
From Pitchfork:
Danny Federici, Bruce Springsteen's longtime keyboardist, died yesterday, April 17, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The 58-year-old E Street Band member had been fighting melanoma for three years.
Posting about Federici's death on his website, Springsteen wrote, "Danny and I worked together for 40 years - he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much...we grew up together."
It was also requested that donations be made in Federici's memory to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund.
Federici, who also played the organ and the accordion, began working with Springsteen in local Asbury Park, New Jersey bands in the late 1960s. He was one of the founding members of the E Street Band, and stuck with the group until Springsteen disbanded it in the late 1980s. When Springsteen reunited with the E Streeters in 1999, he was back on board, and remained in the group until taking time off in late 2007 to undergo cancer treatment. Federici's last performance with the band took place on March 20, 2008 in Indianapolis.
Federici's playing can be heard on Springsteen classics throughout his career, from Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town through Born in the U.S.A. and Tunnel of Love to The Rising and Magic. He also recorded as a solo artist. Springsteen and the E Street Band have postponed their concerts in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando tonight and tomorrow, but promise to replace them soon.
A friend whom I had emailed with the news said it best:
crap...
i'm tired of this...
it's not right...
in the immortal words of Lewis Black...
'the good die young...but PRICKS...they seem to live FOREVER!!!'...
i hope he's wearin a cool hat right now...
and playin a Hammond B3...
rest in peace Vinyl Dan...
Indeed...
Great post about Danny over here at Deeper Shade of Soul with some of Danny's best songs via mp3.
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