Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Richie Cannata studied classical piano and clarinet. He also plays flute and keyboards in addition to tenor, alto, soprano, and baritone sax, with tenor sax being his forte. Richie has recorded and toured with Billy Joel's band since 1975 and still can be seen with him today. For over a decade, Richie has also been a member of The Beach Boys, playing on their recordings as well as all of the world concert tours. Richie's talent as a performing artist doesn't even outshine his accomplishments behind the scenes.
Offstage, Richie is an established writer and director, currently working as the musical director for the Bernie Williams Band. He also wrote the theme music for the Barcelona Olympics. He is the musical director of the "Monday Night Jam Band", New York's best open mic jam for over twenty years. The jam is now located at the Bitter End where it's found its home in the village in NYC. He is the founder and co-owner of the world class recording studio Cove City Sound Studios, and is currently in the process of recording and producing his own album, soon to be released.