Alan, Debbie and Don
© Don Hamilton
Don has written several songs which
Debbie and other artists have recorded.
Multitalented, yes. But, Castagno
doesn't sound like a baguette-eating,
beret-wearing lastname to me. |
Don Castagno, Bio
Born and raised in Illinois, Don's post-high school years were spent alternating between college music courses and travelling across America. It didn't take him long to realize that New York City was where he wanted to re-locate to pursue his music career. And Manhattan's cultural mecca did not disappoint him. Soon Don was a regular on the New York club scene, playing all kinds of music in a variety of bands. But his love and special affinity for the blues soon caught the attention of blues man Bobby Rodcliff, and Don began to focus more and more on the blues.
Don was next recruited by New York blues artist Popa Chubby and with that band (which also included bassist Mike Merritt, now of Max Weinberg/Conan O'brien fame), spent two years as the house band at the legendary Manny's Car Wash. The club brought a lot of blues legends through, including Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, and Earl King, and the house band backed up all of them. Remouned New Orleans Blues Man, Earl King, liked the tight little blues unit so much, he hired them to back him on his tours of the North East. Don was getting the opportunity to play with his long time idols.
The "Big Apple" also afforded Don the opportunity to pursue his passion for theater and comedy when he became the drummer for a comedy troupe, the "Blue Light Club." One of the comic players just happened to be Denis Leary, and as Denis' star began to rise, he took the Blue Light band into the studio to record both of his comedy albums; No Cure For Cancer and Lock & Load.
Don was free-lancing around New York in 1995, doing shows with Bobby Radcliff and the late great Johnny Copeland when he received a call from Debbie Davies, asking him to join her band. With Debbie, Don has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, recorded two albums, Loose Tonight and I Got That Feeling, and he has contributed songs on four of her five CD releases. Other blues artists are discovering Don's songs too: Coco Montoya, Tab Benoit, Kenny Neal, and Popa Chubby have all recorded songs by Don Castagno.
Discography
Popa Chubby - It's Chubby Time - Laughing Bear Records
Denis Leary - No Cure For Cancer and Lock and Load - A&M Records
Debbie Davies - Loose Tonight andI Got That Feeling - Blind Pig Records |
Don shows us his suave European pose. |
Don in action. |
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Alan J. Hager
Born in Brooklyn and raised in New Jersey, Alan cut his teeth playing with New York City blues guitarist Paul Mark before joining Debbie's band in 1998. He's shown here at 1998's Fleet Blues Festival in Albany. Paul Mark & the Van Dorens took the stage just before Debbie Davies that day. An omen, perhaps.
Alan has appeared on both of Paul Mark and the Van Dorens cds, Disposable Soul (1996) and Metropolitan Swamp (1994). He has performed around the country at most of the nation's premier blues clubs. Alan studied bass in New York with both John Lennon's and Carly Simon's bass players. Don't let his boyish charm fool you -- Alan is as solid as they come. |
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I asked Alan
for some head shots.
I guess he thinks
he's pretty smart. |
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Alan and I, gettin' down! |
Alan's gear - patiently
waiting for the funky one
to take the stage
B.B.King's, Memphis |
For Alan, it's a love thang,
Fender jazz bass through his
Hartke amp! |
Click on the Amps to get to the following pages:
TOUR DATES |
THE ALBUMS |
THE ARCHIVES |
DEBBIE'S BIO |
THE GEAR |
NEWS, PIX AND LETTERS
FROM THE ROAD |
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