Joe Pizzulo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joe Pizzulo |
| Born | June 15, 1951 Youngstown, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, pop, soft rock, dance-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1969–present |
Joe Pizzulo (born June 15, 1951) is an American vocalist best known as one of the lead singers on 1980s hit singles credited to Sérgio Mendes, including "Never Gonna Let You Go"[1] (from Mendes' self-titled 1983 album) and "Alibis" (from the 1984 album Confetti). Pizzulo has had several singles and soundtrack appearances, but he is also a prominent background singer for many artists. He is also known as the singer of English version of the 1988 Olympic theme song "Hand in Hand".[2]
Joe Pizzulo started his music career with a band called Roadshow in 1969 after attending Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio. His singing partners in that band were Buddy Cattafa and Debbie Komara. He later became a member of Brainchild. He eventually moved to California in 1974 and started a new band called White Licorice. By the time 1979 came around, he was touring with Alice Cooper as a background singer. His career quickly took off after that with his recording of "Never Gonna Let You Go" for Sérgio Mendes.
Pizzulo's daughter auditioned in the seventh season of The Voice under the name of Sugar Joans and earned a spot in coach Gwen Stefani's team.[3]