Russell Javors- Guitarist

Liberty DeVitto & Billy Joel

Sometimes Rock ‘N’ Roll dreams come true, and in the case for guitarist Russell Javors, it happened with Billy Joel.
When Javors was a teenager, he sought out folks to be in a band to play his songs. When he heard his friend Liberty DeVitto playing-out one night in the popular band, New Rock Workshop at the club, My House, in Plainview, New York, he knew that he found his drummer. Soon they included friends Doug Stegmeyer on bass and Howard Emerson on lead guitar, and formed the band, Topper. Another band that was popular at My House was The Hassles, featuring Billy Joel. As time went on, the members of Topper did various gigs to make money, and Billy Joel went to LA to record his first three albums. Joel moved back to New York, and asked  Doug Stegmeyer, who toured on his last album, Streetlife Serenade, to find him a band. So Stegmeyer called DeVitto, and soon after, called Javors, Emerson, and saxophonist Richie Cannata. They recorded Joel’s next album,Turnstiles. Javors, DeVitto, Stegmeyer, and Cannata stayed with Joel on The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, and Songs in the Attic. Javors played rhythm guitar with Joel until 1989.

The Lords of 52nd Street

In 2014, the original Billy Joel Band,  consisting of Javors, Cannata, and DeVitto (with Stegmeyer, posthumously), were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. After the reunion, Javors, Cannata, and DeVitto officially formed The Lords of 52nd Street band. The group took the name from producer, Phil Ramone,who had named them that when he recorded with them. The trio set out to find other musicians, most notably singer and pianist David Clark of the Joel tribute band, Songs in the Attic