Joe Lala

Joseph Anthony "Joe" Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician, percussionist, actor, voice actor and singer. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image.

Joe Lala
Lala (Manassas, TopPop) in 1972
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Anthony Lala
BornNovember 3, 1947
Ybor City, Florida, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 2014(2014-03-18) (aged 66)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Drummer, actor, voice actor and percussionist
InstrumentsPercussion, vocals
Years active1966-2014 (musician)
1977-2006 (acting)
Associated actsBlues Image, Stephen Stills, Manassas, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil Young, The Stills-Young Band, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, Joe Walsh

Life and career

Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida,[1] to parents from Contessa Entellina (one of the Albanian communities in Sicily). His father was Sicilian, and he left the family when Joe was a child, so he was raised by his mother on her own. Lala's mother, Janie Cacciatore, an avid dancer, took her son to as many shows as she could. Lala spoke fluent Spanish and Italian.[2] He started out playing the drums in several Florida bands, before forming the band Blues Image. He also occasionally sang lead vocals, most notably on the song "Leaving My Troubles Behind". As a drummer and percussionist, he worked with The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, The Stills-Young Band, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, Joe Walsh, Andy Gibb and many others. He played the trademark congas that drove the Bee Gees' 1976 US chart-topper You Should Be Dancing, subsequently included on the multi-million selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Lala provided the wide selection of percussive effects on Barbra Streisand's 1980 worldwide No. 1 album Guilty, and contributed to Whitney Houston's eponymous 1985 debut album.[1] Throughout his career, Lala accumulated 32 gold records and 28 platinum records. He played on the movie soundtracks of Saturday Night Fever, Staying Alive, D.C. Cab, Streets of Fire, All the Right Moves, Breathless, Defiance, The Lonely Guy and Airplane!. A severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome[1] ended Lala's career as a percussionist. It kept him from performing full-time, but he continued to record with Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, the acoustic band Firefall, Dan Fogelberg, Dolly Parton, Rod Stewart and many others.[2] Joe Lala was the last in the drummer stool for the handful of concerts given in February 1973 by the disintegrating Byrds.

He made the most of his Italian-American background and his mastery of Spanish, Cuban and Puerto Rican accents with TV roles in Miami Vice, General Hospital, Melrose Place, Seinfeld,[1] Hunter, and Who's the Boss?, and starred in a summer replacement show named Knight & Daye. He portrayed another native of Ybor City, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, in Ali: An American Hero, and co-starred with Andy Garcia in For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story. His films included Active Stealth, Sugar Hill, On Deadly Ground, Deep Sleep, Havana (with Robert Redford), Out for Justice, Marked for Death, Eyewitness to Murder, and Born in East L.A., plus many more.

Lala also guest-starred on several animated shows; Batman: The Animated Series, Pinky and the Brain, Quack Pack, The Angry Beavers, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Danger Rangers, ChalkZone, Johnny Bravo, Ozzy & Drix, Superman: The Animated Series, The Woody Woodpecker Show (the 1999 version), and many more. Additionally, he voiced Kun Lan in the 2005 video game Killer7.

Lala was married to voice director Ginny McSwain from 1996 till their divorce in 2004.[3]

He had ultimately walked away from the entertainment business in the mid-2000s in order to care for his mother, who had dementia. Lala coached young actors at the Italian Club in his native Ybor City.[4] Joe Lala died suddenly from complications of lung cancer on March 18, 2014, at approximately 7:00 AM, at the age of 66.[5]

Filmography
YearFilmCharacterNotes
1992It Came from the DesertKoolmanVideo game
1995Pinky and the BrainFrancois1 episode
1995What-a-MessAdditional Voices3 episodes
1997Demolition UniversityCarlos RamosDirect-to-video
1997The Legend of Calamity JaneAdditional Voices13 episodes
1999Golgo 13: Queen BeeDon Roccini, GomezVideo
1999Our Friend, MartinReporter #2, DemonstratorDirect-to-video
1999Batman BeyondSpike, Sailboat Captain1 episode
1999Johnny BravoRaoul1 episode
1999The Brothers FlubAdditional Voices1 episode
1999An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night MonsterBootlickDirect-to-video
1999-2002Hey ArnoldMiller, Cop #1, Cop #22 episodes
2001Static ShockSecurity Guard1 episode
2001Time SquadLeonardo Da Vinci1 episode
2001Monsters, Inc.Spike JonesDirect-to-video
2002Hunchback of Notre Dame IIGuard #1Direct-to-video
2002Samurai JackPassenger #1, Owner, Engineer1 episode
2003Ozzy and DrixHector's Dad2 episodes
2004Jimmy Neutron: Win, Lose and KaboomSr. EstevezTV Movie
2004-2005The BatmanCrime Boss 1, Crime Boss 3, Bomb Tech2 episodes
2005All Grown UpEnrique, Doctor #12 episodes
2005Danger RangersHector Delgado, Joey Clams, Raccoon Dad1 episode
2005Killer7Kun LanVideo game
2006W.I.T.C.H.Guard #1, Mayor1 episode

Collaborations

With Barbra Streisand

  • Guilty (Columbia Records, 1980)

With Stephen Stills

With Dionne Warwick

With David Crosby

With Joe Walsh

With Dan Fogelberg

With Don Felder

With Bill Wyman

With Ringo Starr

With Neil Diamond

With Jackson Browne

With Kenny Rogers

With Graham Nash

With Neil Young

With Rod Stewart

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References
  1. Perrone, Pierre (May 7, 2014). "Joe Lala: Sought-after percussionist who switched careers when illness struck to become an actor and voice-over artist". The Independent. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. Meacham, Andrew (March 19, 2014). "Legendary Tampa percussionist Joe Lala dies at 66". Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  3. www.independent.co.uk
  4. Jeff Giles (March 19, 2014). "Drummer Joe Lala Dead at 66". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  5. "Drummer Lala, who teamed with a generation of rock stars, dead at 66". Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
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