The Spampinato Brothers were a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band from

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

. They played music combining a variety of styles including

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

jazz rock Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music Music genre, genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, a ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

Americana music Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of Music of the United States, American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States of America, with particul ...

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

and

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

. The group features

Joey Spampinato Joseph Nicholas Spampinato (born August 16, 1948) is a multi-instrumentalist and was a founding member and bass player of NRBQ. He was also one of the band's lead singers and chief songwriters. Before NRBQ he played in several bands, includi ...

, a founding member, former singer, songwriter and bass player of

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed circa 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...

from 1967 to 2008. Spampinato is also known for his bass playing on numerous albums including

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...

' album “Talk Is Cheap”,

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

's “Fundamental”, and was one of the bassists on

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

's “24 Nights: Live From Albert Hall” in 1991. He appeared in the film “Hail, Hail Rock N’ Roll”, with rock legends

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

and Keith Richards. Spampinato's songs have been covered by

Shakin' Stevens Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s. His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although ...

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh retired singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock and New wave music, new wave, having many hit record, h ...

and others. Joey Spampinato formed The Spampinato Brothers with his younger brother Johnny Spampinato ( The Incredible Casuals), who toured, recorded and played lead guitar with

from 1994 until 2008. Johnny replaced

's previous guitarist Big Al Anderson, who left the group in 1994 to pursue a fruitful musical career as a respected songwriter, producer and session player in Nashville.

The Spampinato Brothers in TV & Film

During their tenure with NRBQ, bandmates Joey Spampinato, Johnny Spampinato, Terry Adams and Tom Ardolino were featured in animated form on an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. The group served as the unofficial "house band" for ''

'' for the season 10-12 period in which longtime NRBQ fan

Mike Scully Michael C. Scully (born October 2, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, ...

was head writer and executive producer. Several of NRBQ's songs were featured on ''

'', including "Mayonnaise and Marmalade", which was written specifically for the show. The band also appeared in non-animated form on camera during the end credits to perform the show's theme song during the episode " Take My Wife, Sleaze". NRBQ also recorded a song entitled "Birdman" for an episode of ''

Space Ghost Coast to Coast ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' is an American live-action/ adult animated hybrid television series created by Mike Lazzo for Cartoon Network and first broadcast in 1994. It takes the form of a surreal parody of talk shows, hosted by a reimagi ...

'' entitled "

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

". The same lineup also appeared in motion pictures, including ''

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...

'', '' Shakes the Clown'', and '' 28 Days''.

New Projects

In 2011, The Spampinato Brothers released their first full-length album, entitled "Pie In The Sky," which featured eleven songs written by Joey and Johnny with input from the band's guitarist Aaron Spade and drummer J. Cournoyer. During 2012, The Spampinato Brothers embarked on a tour in Japan, showcasing their new material in addition to fan favorites from their years with NRBQ. In 2013, the band released a 6-song CD entitled "Smiles". Former Captain Beefheart guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) is featured on the title track. In 2019 and onward, Johnny Spampinato and the Value Leaders were touring regularly in Cape Cod, MA and elsewhere.

Members

Current members

– lead vocals, bass, guitar (2008–present on) * Johnny Spampinato – lead guitar, vocals, keyboard, steel guitar (2008–present on) *Aaron Spade – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboard (2008–present on) *J. Cournoyer – drums, percussion (2008–present on)

References

Connecticut Post interview with Joey SpampinatoThe Boston Globe interview with Terry Adams regarding NRBQ without Joey Spampinato or Johnny Spampinato

External links

Official website for The Spampinato BrothersOfficial Facebook page New recording projects from The Spampinato BrothersBlog by Spampinato - December 2011Spampinato Brothers YouTube Videos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spampinato Brothers, The Musical groups from Massachusetts American power pop groups Musical groups established in 2008