Yossi Piamenta
| Yosi Piamenta | |
|---|---|
Piamenta performing at a concert in Jerusalem's Old City in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Yoseph Piamenta |
| Also known as | Yosi Piamenta |
| Born |
29 November 1951 Jerusalem, Israel |
| Died | 23 August 2015 (aged 63) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jewish rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, nigunim |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, artist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1972–2015 |
| Associated acts | The Piamenta Band, Yosi Piamenta and the Heavenly Jams Band, Piamenta Brothers |
Yosi Piamenta (November 29, 1951 – August 23, 2015) was an Orthodox Jewish singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for introducing the electric guitar to Jewish music. Piamenta played rock and roll tunes, often infused with heavy rock licks and extended guitar solos – all while dressed in Orthodox Jewish religious clothing and singing Biblical Hebrew lyrics. Piamenta was widely acknowledged by rock critics as a guitar virtuoso.
In addition to being an original songwriter, Piamenta covered others' music in the religious Jewish music category – his album Songs of the Rebbes includes various Lubavitch, Belz, and Sephardi nigunim and zemirot – as well as secular American music, such as Eric Clapton,Carlos Santana, and Jimi Hendrix. Piamenta described his music style saying, "I do klezmer with electric guitar".
Piamenta was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1951 to Yehuda and Genia Piamenta. In 1962, when he was 12 years old, Piamenta moved with his family to Tel Aviv. There, he received his first guitar from his uncle, Albert Piamenta, an Israeli saxophonist. Growing up, he practiced traditional Judaism.
In his 20s, Piamenta moved to New York together with his brother, Avi Piamenta, with the intention of working on a joint album with American saxophone player Stan Getz. The album was a success, but Piamenta disapproved of the entertainment industry lifestyle and turned to religion, joining the Orthodox Jewish community. He married his 16-year-old cousin, Vivian, and they raised six children together. He separated from his wife in 2005.
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