Joey DeMaio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joey DeMaio is an Italian American bass player and main songwriter for the Heavy Metal band Manowar which he co-founded in 1980.

Born in Auburn, New York, DeMaio played bass in several school bands. He worked as a pyro-tech for Black Sabbath during their "Heaven and Hell" tour. DeMaio uses a very "guitar-esque" playing style, resulting to a very powerful and technical sound. He is known to display his technical abilities and playing speed during bass solos both on Manowar studio recordings and live shows, often covering classical parts such as "Flight of the Bumblebee", which DeMaio has retitled "Sting of the Bumblebee" in reference to his high-speed renditions of the piece.

DeMaio is a practitioner of martial arts and weightlifting, and is also a great fan of motorcycles (Manowar frequently ride on to stage on Harleys).

In 2003, shortly after creating the record label, Magic Circle Music, he became manager of the Italian power metal band Rhapsody of Fire.