Doug Stegmeyer

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title: "Doug Stegmeyer" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-session-musicians", "1951-births", "1995-suicides", "1995-deaths", "people-from-long-island", "american-rock-bass-guitarists", "american-male-bass-guitarists", "record-producers-from-new-york-(state)", "musicians-from-queens,-new-york", "people-from-flushing,-queens", "suicides-by-firearm-in-new-york-(state)", "20th-century-american-singers", "american-rock-singers", "guitarists-from-new-york-city", "american-male-guitarists", "20th-century-american-bass-guitarists", "20th-century-american-male-singers", "billy-joel-band-members"] description: "American musician (1951–1995)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Stegmeyer" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American musician (1951–1995) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
image	Doug_Stegmeyer.jpg
landscape	yes
caption	Stegmeyer in 1976
birth_name	Douglas Alan Stegmeyer
birth_date
birth_place	Flushing, Queens
New York, U.S.
origin	New York City
death_date
death_place	Smithtown, New York, U.S.
instrument	Bass, vocals
genre	Rock, pop
occupation	Musician
years_active	1966–1995
label	Columbia
associated_acts	Billy Joel, Topper, Debbie Gibson, Hall & Oates
::

| image = Doug_Stegmeyer.jpg | landscape = yes | alt = | caption = Stegmeyer in 1976 | birth_name = Douglas Alan Stegmeyer | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Flushing, Queens New York, U.S. | origin = New York City | death_date = | death_place = Smithtown, New York, U.S. | instrument = Bass, vocals | genre = Rock, pop | occupation = Musician | years_active = 1966–1995 | label = Columbia | associated_acts = Billy Joel, Topper, Debbie Gibson, Hall & Oates | website = Douglas Alan Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 – August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as a bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates.

Life and career

Stegmeyer was born on December 23, 1951, in Flushing, Queens, New York City, New York. In high school, he met Russell Javors, who at age 15 was performing songs with childhood friend Liberty DeVitto. Along with Howard Emerson, the boys formed the band Topper, which performed songs by Javors and attracted Billy Joel's attention. Joel hired Stegmeyer to play bass in his backing band on the Streetlife Serenade tour. At Stegmeyer's recommendation a year and a half later, Emerson, Javors, and DeVitto joined Joel in the studio for his Turnstiles album and for the accompanying tour. Stegmeyer became a core member of Billy Joel's band, playing bass on Joel's studio albums from Turnstiles through The Bridge and on the live albums Songs in the Attic and Kohuept. Stegmeyer was dubbed "The Sergeant Of The Billy Joel Band".

Stegmeyer (and Javors) left the band in 1989; according to DeVitto, he was forced out. Stegmeyer subsequently maintained a busy schedule recording and producing.

On August 25, 1995, Stegmeyer died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Smithtown, New York, home.

Legacy

On October 23, 2014, Stegmeyer was posthumously inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, along with Topper and Joel bandmates Richie Cannata, DeVitto, and Javors. The four were inducted primarily for their work with Joel.{{cite news |last1=Gamboa |first1=Glenn |title=Billy Joel Band set to join Piano Man in Long Island Music Hall of Fame |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel-band-secures-spot-in-long-island-music-hall-of-fame-1.9530592 |accessdate=July 14, 2016 |work=New York Newsday |date=October 23, 2014}}

Credits

With Billy Joel

• 1976 Turnstiles
• 1977 The Stranger
• 1978 52nd Street
• 1980 Glass Houses
• 1982 The Nylon Curtain
• 1983 An Innocent Man
• 1986 The Bridge

With Phoebe Snow

• 1978 Against the Grain
• 1981 Rock Away

With Melanie

• 1983 Seventh Wave

With Hall & Oates

• 1990 Change of Season

With Debbie Gibson

• 1990 Anything Is Possible

References

References

1. link. (March 5, 2016 Retrieved 8-22-2013.)
2. [http://www.limusichalloffame.org/lirock/topper.html Long Island Music Hall of Fame] {{webarchive. link. (May 30, 2010)
3. (27 August 1995). "Ex-band Leader For Billy Joel Found Dead". [[Spokesman-Review]].
4. "Baltimore Sun Obit".

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