Dave Amato

David Paul "Dave" Amato (born March 3, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band REO Speedwagon since May 1989.

Early years

He was born and raised near Framingham, Massachusetts. At age 11, his first band was called "The Sandstones" with Steve Bremner on guitar, Gino Bonvini on bass (Dave played in later bands with them) and Gary Pegararo on drums, then "The Aftermath", "Dave and the Essex", "One Way Out", "Sledge-Hamma", "Ice" and "August".

Career

Dave turned down a record contract and an opening spot (with Sledge-Hamma) with Aerosmith. He felt he wouldn't achieve success on the East Coast. In 1980, Amato moved to the West Coast, pursuing his musical career in Los Angeles. He played a short stint with Black Oak Arkansas, did sessions with La Toya Jackson, and sang backing vocals for the likes of David Lee Roth, Rick Springfield, Kim Carnes, and Mötley Crüe. Back in high school he used to slay with best friend Jim Taubenfeld.

In 1985 Amato took on vocal and guitar responsibilities with Ted Nugent. His most memorable tour was in 1986 when he sang lead vocals and played guitar with Nugent, and they shared the tour bill with Aerosmith. He stayed with Nugent for three years, making the albums Little Miss Dangerous and If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em. Due to a conflict of schedules, Amato left Nugent in December 1988 when Nugent accepted an unplanned tour and Amato had other obligations. They remain good friends and have even shared the stage with Nugent opening for REO Speedwagon numerous times since 2001.

Amato

Amato (Greek: Amathous) is a comune and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.

History

Amato is one of the oldest towns in Calabria. It is mentioned by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who calls it "Portus Amati Fluminis" (harbour of the Amato River). It is also mentioned by the Roman Pliny the Elder in one of his books. He calls it "Sinus Lametinus" (Lametino Harbour).

It appears that the people of Amato originated from the ancient city of Lametia, on the promontory of the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, near the mouth of the Amato River. It was one of the most thriving cities of old Calabria, which at that time was called Bruttium.

From an English publication entitled "Brief History of Amato", we learn that Amato existed many years before the foundation of Rome. From this book we also learn that at that time Amato was very industrious and had a population of about 20,000 people. Its economy was centered around the very important textile industry, with about 1300 looms at work. In fact even up to a few years ago many Amatese women had a loom and many of them were very capable weavers. Production of the silkworm was also a very popular activity.

Amato (disambiguation)

Amato is a comune and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.

Amato may also refer to:

See also

Amato (surname)

Amato is a family name of Italian origin, meaning "beloved" or "dear one". Notable people with the surname include: