Yosi Piamenta

Yosi Piamenta (; 29 November 1951 – 23 August 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. – as well as secular American music, such as Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. Piamenta described his music style saying, "I do klezmer with electric guitar". 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. He married his 16-year-old cousin, Vivian, and they raised six children together; the couple separated in 2005. His father, Yehuda, has since died. On 14 April 2015, Piamenta's Facebook page disclosed that "Yosi is not doing well" and asked fans to "Please pray your hearts out". On 17 April 2015 Piamenta fell into a coma; he woke up from the coma two days later. Piamenta underwent surgery for cancer at the Sheba Medical Center. He died in New York on 23 August 2015. Piamenta was 26 years old when he arrived in New York and embarked on a tour with Getz throughout the United States. Most of Piamenta's concerts and albums were performed or recorded in conjunction with his brother, Avi.

Discography

Albums Let's Dance with the Piamentas (1981) Ezreinei K-l Chai: A Medley of Chassidic Hits (1982) Mitzvah (1984) Tismach (1988) Piamenta 1990 (1989) Songs of the Rebbes (1991) The Way You Like It! (1995) Strings of My Heart (1997) Big Time (with Avi Piamenta) (2000) Piamenta Live NYC Performance Sason V'simcha: A Piamenta Wedding (with Avi Piamenta) (2003) Live at Crash Mansion (with the Heavenly Jams Band) (2004) Sameach - Sephardic Dance Mix (with Avi Piamenta and Shlomo Haviv) (2004) Yihiyu Leratzon (with Naftali Kalfa) (2007)