Danny Federici
Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, where he was its organist, accordionist and glockenspiel player. Federici appeared on ten of Springsteen's studio albums.
Danny Federici
Phantom Dan
January 23, 1950
Flemington, New Jersey, U.S.
April 17, 2008 (aged 58)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Musician
Keyboards, accordion, glockenspiel
1968–2008
Hip-O Records, V2 Records, Music Masters Jazz, Columbia
In 2014, Federici was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
Illness and death[edit]
On November 21, 2007, it was announced that Federici would take a leave of absence from Springsteen and the E Street Band's ongoing Magic Tour to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano.[5] Springsteen stated at the time: "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."[5]
Federici made his only return to the stage on March 20, 2008, when he appeared for portions of a Springsteen and E Street Band performance at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.[6] Federici died on April 17, 2008, at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City,[4] having suffered for three years with melanoma.[7][8] Springsteen's album Working on a Dream is dedicated to him. Federici's final show with the band on November 19, 2007, was released as an archival recording on nugs.net. Federici was featured as soloist on organ and accordion more than he usually was, and Springsteen gives a special introduction to him, to great audience response.[2]
The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund[edit]
The Danny Federici Melanoma Fund was started after his death, and is dedicated to the research and development of treatments for melanoma through funding for clinical trials at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The fund also aims to help raise awareness for the disease.[9]
On July 15, 2008, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, through Columbia Records, released an EP of audio and video tracks for digital download, entitled Magic Tour Highlights, with all proceeds going to the fund. The tracks are taken from the Magic Tour, and feature a performance of "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from Federici's final March 20 Indianapolis appearance with the band.[10]