JOE HAMPTON
Joe Hampton has an acoustic duo with Kevin Ryan. Joe also has a classic rock band called Joe Hampton and The Kingpins. Catch Joe in 2024 at Osprey's Vineyard, The River's Edge, Riverhead American Legion, and more!
Joe Hampton's story ....
Joe Hampton started playing music in clubs in the late seventies. He played at famous New York clubs with his band Joe Hampton and the Mindless Members. They appeared at C.B.G.B.'s, Max's Kansas City and The Mudd Club. The Mindless Members also played other NYC clubs as well as many east end clubs. In 1980 Joe Hampton recorded the single titled Dogs In Traffic and he hosted one of the first cable music video shows in New Jersey called Cable Rock.
Through the eighties Joe Hampton played with an off-the-wall group called The Phantoms of the Opera. They did some sensational shows at the Parrish Art Museum, The Hansom House and other spots in the Hamptons. The Phantoms recorded hundreds of songs written by Joe and Matt Wellen and also artist/musician Aage Bjerring, a.k.a. Howard Boring. In 1986 Joe Hampton's song Phone To Rome was included on the compilation album The Bands That Ate New York. In the late eighties, Joe published three books: two books of his poems and illustrations by Matt Wellen and a book of zany cartoons about a vacuum cleaner salesman called Vacuums. Around the same time, Joe played drums and sang in two other groups, Cold Comfort and The Jim Turner Band.
Joe Hampton formed The Kingpins in 1992 and they've been playing ever since. Through smoky bars, fancy restaurants and biker runs, The Kingpins have had their fun. Joe has worked very hard to keep things rolling. In 1999 Joe released his first c.d. Angry Joe and The Relatives - Revenge For Tomorrow with longtime cohort Dominick Cantasano and drummer Gerry Giliberti. In 2001 Joe Hampton and The Kingpins put out the Guilty As Sin disc, and appeared on the Cablevision program Neighborhood Journal. In 2003 Joe Hampton and The Mindless Members - Not Afraid Of Anything was released. It contained new recordings of songs from Joe's old bands The Mindless Members and The Phantoms. The next Joe Hampton and The Kingpins c.d., Alligator Shoes, came out the following year in 2004.
In 2010 Joe Hampton released his c.d., Joe Hampton Trio – Keep On Truckin’. It is a collection of cover songs that Joe plays with his acoustic act. Joe Hampton and friends are currently recording many awesome new songs for future releases. Through the years there have been many lineup changes but Joe has maintained the quality of the bands sound and is always trying to move ahead, write songs and play as many gigs as possible. Joe released his most recent cd's Back On Track in 2015, and Forget About The Past in 2018.
To see more about Joe as printed in The Independent, click HERE.
The Kingpins:
Kevin Ryan is an excellent musician. He sings and plays guitar with Joe Hampton in a duo act, and he is also the bass player in The Kingpins. He also plays with his brother, Mike Ryan, in a group called Just Friends. In the past he played with a band called Anomaly and has gigged all over the east end.
Eric Tonyes is a gifted guitar player. He plays in a duo with Joe Hampton, and is the guitar player in the Kingpins. Eric plays drums with a local group called The Crushing Violets. He initiated an organization called East End Music Alliance to support local musicians. He hosts an open mic every Thursday at Green Hill Kitchen in Greenport, and also does a weekly segment on WPPB with Gianna Volpe.
Gerry Giliberti has been playing drums in the New York area ever since he started with his first High School band, The Innovations. Later on, his band Topo played throughout the East End of LI and the Tri-State area. Gerry has played in New York City with various music agencies and commercial band organizations. He is currently with Joe Hampton and The Kingpins, and has played on four of Joe's cd's. He is also associated with the bands “Out East” and the Potter-Tekulsky Band both playing on the East End.
Glenn Zazzarino is our back-up drummer. He has played with many bands on the east end, and can keep up quite effortlessly with whatever the Kingpins choose to play. He also played with the Hendrix Tribute Band Blue Wild Angel, wThe Straightjackets, The Saynts, and The Reporters.
Quotes from local newspapers:
“Joy radiated from the stage when the musicians played their original recordings. Leads were passed effortlessly from one guitarist to the next and then back to lead vocalist Joe Hampton.” - The Southampton Press
“Mr. Hampton’s voice is deep and distinctive and projects easily across the room.” - The Southampton Press
“From the opening bar - blues riffs of “Bad News” you get the feeling that this record is going to bear good news.” - Newsday review of first CD “Guilty as Sin”
“The band played each of the cover tunes fairly close to well-loved renditions, while always allowing their musical style to make it’s mark on the music. The two-set performance ended with a rocking version of “Paint it Black” that the Rolling Stones could easily have approved.” - The Southampton Press
Purchase the above CD at Amazon, CD Baby, and iTunes.
