Steve Augeri

Steve Augeri married Lydia Cirillo, and their son Adam was born in 1996. He and his wife support many charities like Journey to the Cure (Breast Cancer Foundation), Little Baby Face Foundation, Diamond Angels (Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital), and March of Dimes, with personal appearances and live performances.

Steve Augeri was born on January 30, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York City, USA, as the son of Joseph and Emma. He was raised in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn.

He attributes his love and passion for music to his father, and many years of listening to Sinatra, R&B, Soul, and Country music on an old Emerson clock radio. He also shows gratitude to his grammar school music teacher, Fredrick Torregrossa, who recognized his talent for music, and encouraged him to develop his potential for singing.

For some time, he studied woodwinds at New York City’s High School of Music and Art. Soon he realized his love for classical music, and switched to bassoon. He also attended the summer camps of the French Woods Festival for the Performing Arts, which he stated was a great experience. There he supervised children of the Rock Band classes.

He dropped out of college due to financial constraints, and started a rock and roll band. “I had a music addiction, and I had to do everything to feed it,” Steve Augeri later stated in an interview. So he did everything from bartending to waiting tables while working on developing his career in music.

Steve Augeri worked as a session vocalist for some time during the early years of his musical career. In 1984, he was hired as a background vocalist for the renowned hard rock guitarist, Michael Schenker of UFO and Scorpions fame.

While Steve was looking for a new guitar at Manny’s Music on NYC’s 48th St., he met guitarist Jack Morer, and together they formed Tall Stories, a band that consisted of Steve as the vocalist, Jack as the guitarist, Kevin Totoian as the bass guitarist, and Tom DeFaria as the drummer.

A few times a week, Tall Stories performed at The Bitter End on Bleeker Street, where notable musicians like Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and George Carlin have also performed. In the meantime, they worked on their upcoming album.

In 1991, Tall Stories released their eponymous album on Epic Records, an American major record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, and rose to prominence. The group changed the rock scenario with their innovative music which was influenced by diverse sounds ranging from Blues to Rock, Funk to Punk, and Country to Reggae. As a result, their music was unique and different from the standard rock genre.

Despite receiving overwhelming response from fans and critics, the evolving musical climate in the US forced the band to take a backstage and hibernate after its last performance in Paris on New Year's Eve in 1995.

Steve Augeri is well-known for his contribution to the album ‘Tall Stories.’ When the album was released in 1991, the musical scenario in the US was going through a metamorphosis. As a result, ‘Tall Stories’ was accepted as a breath of fresh air in the melodic rock scene. The unique album immediately created a sensation among the rock fans and received critical acclaim.