Joe Lala
This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source.(March 2014) |
Joe Lala | |
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Born | Joseph Anthony Lala November 3, 1947 |
Died | March 18, 2014 Tampa,Florida, U.S. | (aged 66)
Occupations |
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Years active | 1966–2014 (musician) 1977–2006 (acting) |
Spouse | |
Musical career | |
Genres | Rock |
Instrument(s) |
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Joseph Anthony Lala(November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded therockbandBlues Image.
Life and career
[edit]Lala was born inYbor City, Tampa, Florida,[1]to parents fromContessa Entellina(an ethnicAlbanian communityinSicily). 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 bandBlues Image.He also occasionally sang lead vocals, most notably on the song "Leaving My Troubles Behind". As a drummer and percussionist, he worked withThe Byrds,Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,Manassas,The Stills-Young Band,The Bee Gees,Whitney Houston,Joe Walsh,Andy Gibband many others. He played the trademark congas that drove the Bee Gees' 1976 US chart-topperYou Should Be Dancing,subsequently included on the multi-million selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Lala provided the wide selection of percussive effects onBarbra Streisand's 1980 worldwide No. 1 albumGuilty,and contributed to Whitney Houston's eponymous 1985 debut album.[1]Throughout his career, Lala accumulated 32gold recordsand 28 platinum records. He played on the movie soundtracks ofSaturday Night Fever,Staying Alive,D.C. Cab,Streets of Fire,All the Right Moves,Breathless,Defiance,The Lonely GuyandAirplane!.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 disintegratingByrds.
He made the most of his Italian-American background and his mastery of Spanish, Cuban and Puerto Rican accents with TV roles inMiami Vice,General Hospital,Melrose Place,Seinfeld,[1]Hunter,andWho's the Boss?,and starred in a summer replacement show namedKnight & Daye.He portrayed another native of Ybor City, Dr.Ferdie Pacheco,inAli: An American Hero,and co-starred withAndy GarciainFor Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.His films includedActive Stealth,Sugar Hill,On Deadly Ground,Deep Sleep,Havana(with Robert Redford),Out for Justice,Marked for Death,Eyewitness to Murder,andBorn 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 New Woody Woodpecker Show,and many more. Additionally, he voiced Kun Lan in the 2005 video gameKiller7.
Lala was married to voice directorGinny McSwainfrom 1996 until their divorce in 2004.[3]
In the mid-2000s, Lala retired from acting 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 from complications oflung canceron March 18, 2014, at the age of 66.[5]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Out for Justice | Vermeer | |
1997 | Demolition University | Carlos Ramos | Direct-to-video |
1999 | Golgo 13: Queen Bee | Don Roccini, Gomez (voice) | English dub; direct-to-video |
1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Reporter, Demonstrator (voice) | Direct-to-video[6] |
2000 | An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster | Bootlick (voice) | Direct-to-video[6] |
2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Augustus "Spike" Jones (voice) | |
2002 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame II | Guard (voice) | Direct-to-video[6] |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Pinky and the Brain | Francois (voice) | Episode: "Napoleon Brainaparte"[6] |
1995 | What-a-Mess | Additional voices | 3 episodes |
1996–1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Electrician, Maitre D' (voice) | 2 episodes[6] |
1997 | The Legend of Calamity Jane | Additional voices | 13 episodes |
1998 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Fox, Old Timer, Max (voice) | 2 episodes[6] |
1999–2002 | Hey Arnold! | Miller, GIs, Cops (voice) | 2 episodes[6] |
1999 | The Angry Beavers | El Grapadura, Alien (voice) | Episode: "Norberto y Daggetto en El Grapadura y el Castor Malo"[6] |
1999 | Johnny Bravo | Raoul (voice) | Episode: "Mama's New Boyfriend"[6] |
1999 | Batman Beyond | Spike, Sailboat Captain (voice) | 2 episodes[6] |
2001 | Static Shock | Security Guard (voice) | Episode: "Replay"[6] |
2001 | Time Squad | Leonardo da Vinci(voice) | Episode: "Daddio DaVinci" |
2002 | Samurai Jack | Owner, Engineer, Passenger (voice) | Episode: "Couple on a Train"[6] |
2003 | Ozzy & Drix | Hector's Dad (voice) | 2 episodes[6] |
2004–2006 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius | Sir Estevez (voice) | 4 episodes[6] |
2004–2005 | The Batman | Crime Bosses, Bomb Technician (voice) | 2 episodes[6] |
2005 | All Grown Up! | Enrique, Doctor (voice) | Episode: "Dude, Where's My Horse?" |
2005 | Danger Rangers | Hector, Joey Clams, Raccoon Dad (voice) | Episode: "Water Works"[6] |
2006 | W.I.T.C.H. | Guard, Mayor (voice) | Episode: "X is for Xanadu" |
Video games
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1992 | It Came from the Desert | Koolman | |
1999 | Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned | Train Conductor, Vittorio Buchelli, Bartender | [6] |
2005 | Killer7 | Kun Lan | [6] |
Collaborations
[edit]WithGypsy
- In the Garden(Metromedia Records – KMD 1044, 1971)
WithBarbra Streisand
- Guilty(Columbia Records, 1980)
WithStephen Stills
- Manassas(Atlantic Records, 1972)
- Down the Road(Atlantic Records, 1973)
- Stills(Columbia Records, 1975)
- Illegal Stills(Columbia Records, 1976)
- Thoroughfare Gap(Columbia Records, 1978)
- Right by You(Atlantic Records, 1984)
- Man Alive!(Pyramid Records, 2005)
WithDionne Warwick
- Heartbreaker(Arista Records, 1982)
WithDavid Crosby
- Oh Yes I Can(A&M Records, 1989)
WithJoe Walsh
- The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get(ABC Records, 1973)
WithDan Fogelberg
- Souvenirs(Epic Records, 1974)
- Nether Lands(Epic Records, 1977)
- Twin Sons of Different Mothers(Epic Records, 1978)
- The Innocent Age(Epic Records, 1981)
- Windows and Walls(Epic Records, 1984)
- Exiles(Epic Records, 1987)
WithDon Felder
- Airborne(Asylum Records, 1983)
WithBill Wyman
- Monkey Grip(Atlantic Records, 1974)
WithRingo Starr
- Stop and Smell the Roses(RCA Records, 1981)
WithNeil Diamond
- Beautiful Noise(Columbia Records, 1976)
WithJackson Browne
- Hold Out(Asylum Records, 1980)
WithKenny Rogers
- Eyes That See in the Dark(RCA Records, 1983)
WithGraham Nash
- Earth & Sky(Capitol Records, 1980)
- Innocent Eyes(Atlantic Records, 1986)
WithNeil Young
- Trans(Geffen, 1982)
WithRod Stewart
- A Night on the Town(Warner Bros. Records, 1976)
WithCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- CSNY 1974(Rhino Records, 2014)
References
[edit]- ^abcdPerrone, 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.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-06-09.RetrievedApril 14,2015.
- ^abMeacham, Andrew (March 19, 2014)."Legendary Tampa percussionist Joe Lala dies at 66".RetrievedApril 15,2015.
- ^www.independent.co.uk
- ^Jeff Giles (March 19, 2014)."Drummer Joe Lala Dead at 66".Ultimate Classic Rock.RetrievedApril 15,2015.
- ^Guzzo, Paul (March 18, 2014)."Drummer Lala, who teamed with a generation of rock stars, dead at 66".The Tampa Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon March 19, 2014.RetrievedMarch 19,2014.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqr"Joe Lala (visual voices guide)".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedMay 23,2024.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
External links
[edit]- 1947 births
- 2014 deaths
- American rock drummers
- American male voice actors
- American male television actors
- Blues Image members
- Musicians from Tampa, Florida
- Male actors from Tampa, Florida
- Souther–Hillman–Furay Band members
- Thomas Jefferson High School (Tampa, Florida) alumni
- Male actors from Florida
- Deaths from lung cancer in Florida
- American rock percussionists
- American session musicians
- Timbaleros
- Conga players
- Bongo players
- Tambourine players
- Maracas players
- Güiro players
- American people of Italian descent
- American people of Arbëreshë descent
- Timpanists
- Manassas (band) members