Sideman By Mark Rivera
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\nWhile most successful sidemen are lucky to spend a decade in the music business, multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera is working on his fifth.
\nBest known as Billy Joel\u2019s saxophonist as well as Musical Director for Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Rivera has shared the stage with some of Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll\u2019s greatest performers, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Tony Bennett, Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Hall & Oates, and Peter Gabriel.
\nHow does he do it while avoiding the typical pitfalls\u2014falling out of favor with the band, burnout, depression?
\nA devoted father and husband for nearly forty years, Rivera\u2019s recollections in Sideman demonstrate that while he struggled to balance the two worlds\u2014a rock \u2018n\u2019 roller circling the globe and a regular guy worried about putting food on the table\u2014his body\u2019s compulsion to always be playing music kept him in constant pursuit of \u201cthe next gig.\u201d
\nThe sideman is put to the test as he recounts his past from the confines of a global pandemic, and the man accustomed to \u201ckeeping up with the music\u201d is forced to put down his instruments and reflect.
\nFull of optimism, humor, and candor, Rivera turns the spotlight on the sideman\u2019s life, revealing not only what it takes to climb the industry ladder (and stay there), but something more surprising: a bit of ourselves rocking out amongst all those superstars.
\n\nMark Rivera\xa0is best known as Billy Joel\u2019s saxophonist, as well as Musical Director for Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band. Rivera is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who over the past 50 years has shared the stage and supported some of Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll\u2019s greatest performers, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Tony Bennett, Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Hall & Oates, and Peter Gabriel.\n\n\n\n