Don DeVito
September 6, 1939 – November 25, 2011
Don DeVito was a respected producer and label executive who, over a career that spanned five decades, produced landmark albums by Bob Dylan and played a key role in the successes of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, and Simon & Garfunkel, to name a few. After an early career as a musician – he played guitar for Al Kooper – DeVito went to work for CBS Records as part of their Executive Training Program. The year was 1967, and by 1971, he was running the marketing department of what had recently been re-named Columbia Records. He later moved over to A&R where he worked more closely with Columbia’s jaw-dropping stable of artists. In the studio, DeVito produced Dylan’s Desire and Street Legal, among others. He was nominated for five separate Grammys, winning in 1989 for Folkways: A Vision Shared – A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly. After the 9/11 attacks on New York City, DeVito was instrumental to the success of The Concert For New York City which raised over $1 million dollars for the victims and their families. On November 25, 2011, Don DeVito passed away following a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 72.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus for the assist.
Don was the best. I worked with him at Columbia and he was a great teacher to a young A&R guy and was full of great stories. He gave me one of my greatest moments, by bringing Bruce Springsteen to a Soul Asylum show at Tramps in NY where the Boss got on stage with them for an encore of “Tracks of My Tears”. He will be missed.