Neil Giraldo
Neil Giraldo (born December 29, 1955 in Cleveland / Ohio ) is an American guitarist and songwriter .
childhood
Neil Thomas Giraldo grew up as the son of Sicilian immigrants and was interested in music from an early age, both through his fondness for Elvis Presley , as well as through his musical sister and supportive father. He started playing the guitar at the age of six and expanded his repertoire to include the piano at the age of twelve.
Early career
He made his first appearance at the age of twelve during a church service. At that time Cleveland was one of the most important music metropolises in the USA, so that, inspired by Jeff Beck , Eric Clapton and above all Scotty Moore , he quickly made good contacts with the local music scene. His first professional job was as a keyboardist on Rick Derringer's 1979 album Guitars and Woman. Unfortunately, Giraldo was more of a guitarist than a keyboardist, so that job didn't fill him up. In the same year he moved to New York .
Pat Benatar
In New York Giraldo met producers Mick Chapman and Jeff Aldridge from Chrysalis Records, who brought him together with Pat Benatar . In 1979 the Pat Benatar album In The Heat Of The Night was released, which reached platinum status in the USA and thus helped Pat Benatar to become very well known. Other platinum albums such as Precious Time or Tropico followed and made Pat Benatar one of the biggest female stars in the USA. Neil took on the leading role in the band right from the start and was, along with Pat Benatar himself, its figurehead. In 1985 the first Benatar album, Sex As A Weapon , came on the market, which could not reach platinum, the two following albums also only achieved gold status.
With True Love from 1991 Giraldo broke new ground, because True Love was no longer rock, but a jazz and blues album. With Gravity's Rainbow , the last album under Chrysalis came out in 1993, which could have a distinct 1990s sound. After the contract with Chrysalis was not extended, the band behind Pat Benatar broke up. From then on, Benatar and Giraldo continued their work together and published Innamorata in 1997 and Go in 2003 . To this day they continue to tour the USA very successfully.
In addition to working with Pat Benatar, Neil has also worked for numerous other artists, such as: Kenny Loggins , John Waite or Rick Springfield , but also for his daughter Haley, who followed in her parents' footsteps with the girl group Glo .
Private
While working with Pat Benatar, it wasn't just about the music very early on, a romance developed that led to the wedding in Maui in 1982 . In 1985 a daughter was born. This is also related to the slow decline in success, as the family had priority for both. Both of them no longer pursued the promotion of their albums intensively, which was noticeable in the charts. Shortly after the release of the album Gravity's Rainbow in 1993, another daughter was born.
Discography
The publications are listed with Pat Benatar, as this can be viewed both as a band and later as a duo.
Albums
year | album | US | DE | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | In the heat of the night | 12 | - | Debut album |
1980 | Crimes of Passion | 2 | - | - |
1981 | Precious Time | 1 | - | - |
1982 | Get nervous | 4th | - | - |
1983 | Live From Earth | 13 | - | Live album with extra studio tracks |
1984 | Tropico | 14th | - | - |
1985 | Seven the Hard Way | 26th | - | - |
1988 | Wide Awake in Dreamland | 28 | - | - |
1989 | Best shots | 67 | - | Best of album |
1991 | True love | 37 | - | - |
1993 | Gravity's Rainbow | 85 | - | - |
1997 | Innamorata | 171 | - | - |
2003 | Go | 187 | - | - |
Only the official albums were performed, but not the various samplers.
Singles
year | title | US | DE | album |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Heartbreaker | 23 | - | In The Heat Of The Night |
1980 | We Live For Love | 27 | - | In The Heat Of The Night |
1980 | You Better Run | 42 | - | Crimes Of Passion |
1980 | Hit Me With Your Best Shot | 9 | - | Crimes Of Passion |
1981 | Treat me right | 18th | - | Crimes Of Passion |
1981 | Fire and Ice | 17th | - | Precious Time |
1981 | Promises In The Dark | 38 | - | Precious Time |
1982 | Shadows Of The Night | 13 | - | Get nervous |
1983 | Little Too Late | 20th | - | Get nervous |
1983 | Looking For A Stranger | 39 | - | Get nervous |
1983 | Love Is A Battlefield | 5 | 3 | Live From Earth |
1984 | We Belong | 5 | 9 | Tropico |
1985 | Ooh ooh song | 36 | - | Tropico |
1985 | Invincible | 10 | 31 | Seven the Hard Way |
1985 | Sex As A Weapon | 28 | - | Seven the Hard Way |
1986 | Le Bel Age | 54 | - | Seven the Hard Way |
1988 | All fired up | 19th | - | Wide Awake In Dreamland |
Web links
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Giraldo, Neil |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American guitarist and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 29, 1955 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Cleveland , Ohio |