Denny DeMarchi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Denny DeMarchi
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Denny DeMarchi on keyboard during Cranberries concert in Oct 2010 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
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| Background information | |
| Born | 28 November 1962 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 15 May 2020 (aged 57) |
| Genres | Rock, alternative rock, indie rock, modern rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, vocalist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, hammond organ, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, flute, wind instruments. |
| Years active | 1990–2020 |
| Labels | Indie |
| Associated acts | Dolores O'Riordan, ALIAS, Hedrek, Rockizoid, Killer Bee, The Cranberries. |
Denny DeMarchi (born November 28, 1962 – died May 15, 2020) was a talented Canadian musician. He was best known for playing keyboards and writing songs. Denny was also a skilled guitarist, sang backup vocals, worked as an audio engineer (someone who records and mixes music), and produced music.
He played with the famous Irish band The Cranberries during their reunion tour from 2009 to 2011. Before that, he also performed with Dolores O'Riordan (the lead singer of The Cranberries) as her keyboardist and guitarist during her solo world tour in 2007. Denny played the well-known keyboard parts for the 1990 hit song "More Than Words Can Say" by the band Alias. His brother, Steve, played guitar in that band.
Contents
Career
1990s: Alias and Other Projects
In the mid-1980s, Denny helped his brother Steve and their friend Freddy Curci build a music recording studio. They called it Platinum Sound. This studio was in the DeMarchi family basement. Many songs for the Alias album were written and recorded there. Denny also helped with some of the production and engineering work for that album.
Denny was the keyboard player and sang backup vocals for the 1990 No. 1 Billboard hit song "More Than Words Can Say". This song was from the ALIAS album. He also helped write the last song on the Alias album, called "Standing in the Darkness."
In 1994, Denny played keyboard and bass for Freddy Curci's Dreamer's Road album. He also helped produce and engineer some of the music. Denny co-wrote and produced the song "Diamonds" on this album.
2007–2008: Working with Dolores O'Riordan
Denny and his older brother Steve were old friends with Don Burton, who was Dolores O'Riordan's husband. One day, Denny visited Burton and O'Riordan's family home in Canada. He played on O'Riordan's piano. Dolores was so impressed by his talent that she decided to hire him. Denny became her keyboardist for her solo music projects.
Denny was the keyboard player for Dolores O'Riordan's solo albums, Are You Listening? and No Baggage. In 2007, he also went on tour with Dolores O'Riordan for her solo world tour. In May 2007, Denny and other band members appeared with O'Riordan on TV shows. These included the Carson Daly Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and True Music on HDnet. They also appeared on Heaven and Earth on BBC Manchester.
Dolores O'Riordan won a European Border Breakers Award in 2008. Denny supported her at the award ceremony. He played keyboard and sang backup vocals. The event took place at Midem 2008 in Cannes, France, on January 27, 2008.
2009–2011: Touring with The Cranberries
Denny toured with The Cranberries as their keyboard and guitar player. He also sang backup vocals. They performed at big concert places across the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia. Denny's performance at The Cranberries concert in Los Angeles was mentioned in two newspapers. The Orange County Register said that Denny "provided welcome background support all evening by bolstering the sound and enriching vocals." Variety reported that the band, "augmented by keyboardist-guitarist Denny DeMarchi... brings sufficient energy to the set."
Denny was the opening act for The Cranberries on July 5, 2010. This was at the Roma Rock Festival in Rome, Italy. This festival is a big event in Europe. Denny opened the show with 8 songs from his own solo project, called Rockizoid.
On August 28, 2009, Denny joined Dolores O'Riordan for a live performance. This was on CBC Radio in Toronto, Canada. Dolores O'Riordan talked about her second solo album, No Baggage. She also discussed The Cranberries reunion tour planned for November 2009. Dolores introduced Denny on the radio show as her keyboard player. They performed the songs "Linger", "It's You", and "Zombie". They played these songs between interviews with other guests. One guest was Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov from Star Trek.
2012: Producing for Killer Bee
Denny was a very talented musician. He also loved audio engineering and producing music. From his own recording studio, Denny DeMarchi Studios, he worked on an album. This album was called From Hell and Back. It was by a Swedish/Canadian hard rock band named Killer Bee. Denny also played keyboard and rhythm guitar on this album. An English record label, Z-Records, released it on October 22, 2012.
Solo Projects
Denny DeMarchi was a very active singer and songwriter. He wrote and recorded his own music. He used the name Rockizoid from 2007 to 2010. In 2011, he formed a band called HedRek. Denny wrote more than 200 songs during his musical journey. He started recording some of these songs when he had time. He released 10 tracks on his MySpace profile's music player.
Denny's music was a type of rock that explored new sounds. It had a strong rhythm and lyrics that people could understand. He believed a song should sound good even when sung with just one instrument. If it felt good that way, it was worth recording.
In July 2009, Denny's song "All Your Fault" became popular. It had been released in May 2009. The song entered Fame Games Radio. Within three weeks, it quickly moved up the charts. It reached Number 2 in the quarter-final show and Number 3 in the semi-final show. These shows were broadcast nationwide in the United States on the Citadel Media (formerly ABC radio) networks in mid-August 2009.
Personal life
Denny DeMarchi was born in Toronto, Canada. His parents moved to Ontario, Canada, from Italy. Denny was an executive at a company that worked with the dental industry in the Toronto area. For fun, he enjoyed riding ATVs, snowmobiling, boating, and riding his unicycle.
Death
On May 15, 2020, the website iHeartRadio reported that Denny DeMarchi had passed away. He died from cancer.
Discography
Alias
- Alias (1990)
- Never Say Never (2009)
With Freddy Curci
- Dreamer's Road, (1994)
With Dolores O'Riordan
- Are You Listening? (2007)
- No Baggage (2009)
With Killer Bee
- Hell and Back, (2012)
