Doug Stegmeyer was a musician best known as the bassist for Billy Joel

Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

.

Career

Doug Stegmeyer met Russell Javors

Russell Javors

Russell Javors is an American rock guitarist. He is best known as a primary guitarist for Billy Joel from 1976 to 1989.-Career:...

 in high school. At age 15, Javors was performing songs with childhood friend Liberty DeVitto

Liberty DeVitto

Liberty DeVitto is an American rock drummer. He is best known as the drummer for Billy Joel, but has also played with the NYC Hit Squad and has been a session drummer on recordings of other artists.-Career:...

. From then, the boys, along with Howard Emerson, formed the band Topper.

Together they performed the songs that Russell wrote. The band Topper soon became noticed by Billy Joel, a recognizable fan. Soon, Joel found he needed a bassist on his Streetlife Serenade

Streetlife Serenade

Streetlife Serenade is Billy Joel's third album, and his second with Columbia Records.Streetlife Serenade was released in 1974 , after the hit songs "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack" from the album Piano Man...

tour. Stegmeyer played bass and backing vocals on every one of Joel's studio albums from Turnstiles

Turnstiles

Turnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. In part, the album was made to celebrate Joel's return to New York City after his sojourn in California. Three of the album's tracks reference New York: "Summer, Highland Falls", "New York State of Mind" and "Miami 2017 "...

through The Bridge

The Bridge (Billy Joel album)

The Bridge is Billy Joel's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1986 and was his final album to be produced by Phil Ramone...

and the live albums Songs in the Attic

Songs in the Attic

Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981 .At the time of its release, it was unique as being the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, Cold Spring Harbor from 1971....

and КОНЦЕРТ. Throughout his tenure with Joel, Stegmeyer was dubbed "The Sargeant Of The Billy Joel Band."

Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates

Hall & Oates

Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...

.

Death

After being released from Joel's band in 1989 (along with Javors), Stegmeyer maintained a busy schedule recording and producing. On August 25, 1995, Stegmeyer committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 in his home via a gunshot to the head.

Credits

All albums listed are Billy Joel releases unless otherwise noted.

• 1976 Turnstiles
  Turnstiles
  Turnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. In part, the album was made to celebrate Joel's return to New York City after his sojourn in California. Three of the album's tracks reference New York: "Summer, Highland Falls", "New York State of Mind" and "Miami 2017 "...
  
  
• 1977 The Stranger
  The Stranger (album)
  The Stranger is the fifth studio album by musician Billy Joel, released in 1977 . While his four previous albums had been moderate chart successes, this was his breakthrough album, and is generally regarded by critics as his magnum opus, spending six weeks at #2 in the U.S. album charts...
  
  
• 1978 52nd Street
  52nd Street (album)
  52nd Street is the sixth studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1978. It was also the first of many Joel albums to top the Billboard charts, along with his third and fourth Grammy win....
  
  
• 1980 Glass Houses
  Glass Houses
  Glass Houses is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1980 . It features Joel's first song to peak at #1 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." The album itself topped the Pop Albums chart for six weeks and was ranked number 4 on...
  
  
• 1981 Songs in the Attic
  Songs in the Attic
  Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981 .At the time of its release, it was unique as being the first widely available appearance of music from his first album, Cold Spring Harbor from 1971....
  
  
• 1982 The Nylon Curtain
  The Nylon Curtain
  The Nylon Curtain is the eighth studio album by Billy Joel. It was released by Columbia Records on September 23, 1982 and produced by Phil Ramone....
  
  
• 1983 An Innocent Man
  An Innocent Man
  An Innocent Man is the ninth album by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1983 .This album is Joel's tribute to the music of his childhood...
  
  
• 1985 Greatest Hits Volume I & II
  Greatest Hits (Billy Joel albums)
  Billy Joel's Greatest Hits is a collection released in two sets, 12 years apart. The first set, consisting of two discs, titled Volume I and Volume II, was released in 1985. The second, single disc titled Volume III was released in 1997. All songs but the last three on Volume III, "To Make You Feel...
  
  
• 1986 The Bridge
  The Bridge (Billy Joel album)
  The Bridge is Billy Joel's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1986 and was his final album to be produced by Phil Ramone...
  
  
• 1987 КОНЦЕРТ