Billy Joel’s former drummer is suing him — alleging that the Piano Man failed to pay him royalties. For…ten years. Oops. Liberty DeVitto, and no that’s not a made-up name, drummed for Joel for 30 years, but filed suit against the “Captain Jack” legend and Sony Music in Manhattan Supreme Court last Tuesday. DeVitto characterized himself as “shocked” when he got an abrupt boot from Joel’s backing band in 2005, the same year Joel checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse. Suspect the inclusion of that detail is not a coincidence? Correct! For more allegations, join us post-jump. DeVitto told the New York Post, “Everybody always assumes that you make a lot of money because you worked with Billy Joel. It didn’t happen that way. People get fired, they get severance or insurance for a certain period of time. I didn’t even get a phone call. It was cold.” The drummer now works as a studio musician, and believes he got that gate as a result of joining in interventions with Joel over his boozing. DeVitto said, “I thought I could say things to him as a friend… I think he’s insensitive to other people. This is what I would tell Billy: ‘If you only had talked to me…this probably never would have happened.’” DeVitto doesn’t know how much he’s owed, because he hasn’t seen accounts for Joel’s sales in about ten years; those sales exceed 110 million albums in the U.S. alone over the course of Joel’s career. DeVitto’s attorney, Brian Gucciardo, said, “It’s all subject to an audit. We’re talking a long period of time and worldwide sales.” No comment from Joel thus far… | 
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