Danny Federici

A pause from our usual sports banter to remember the life of E Street keyboardist, Danny Federici who earlier this week lost his battle to melanoma.

While Federici never grabbed the spotlight like Bruce or the other endearing personalities of the E Street Band (Miami Steve or Clarence Clemons), his contributions never went unnoticed. ‘The Wild, the Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle’ has long been my favorite of all the Springsteen releases. The album captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the boardwalk and beach life. Every time I listen to it I have to lick my teeth because it is as if sand is in my mouth – that’s how vivid the images are. Federici’s organ playing is a vital part of this. I can’t imagine ‘4th of July, Asbury Park’ and ‘Incident on 57th Street’ without Danny Federici on accordion and organ.

Remembering Federici causes me to think of Harper Lee’s words: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

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