Joe Lala
Joseph Anthony Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image.
Also recorded as Joseph Anthony "Joe" Lala · Joseph Anthony Lala
Joe Lala

Beeld Geluid Unknown photographer · FTA001015993 009 con.png Beeld en Geluid Wiki. TopPop Specials 1971-1972 · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
- Name
- Joe Lala
- Birth Name
- Joseph Anthony Lala
- Born
- November 3, 1947
- Birthplace
- Ybor City, Florida, U.S.
- Place of death
- Tampa, Florida, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Musician
- Full name
- Joseph Anthony Lala.
- Died
- 2014.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Education
- Thomas Jefferson High School.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Joseph Anthony Lala (November 3, 1947 – March 18, 2014) was an American musician and actor. In 1966, he co-founded the rock band Blues Image.
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Note VALÉORINE
Joe Lala (1947–2014) was an actor, musician and percussionist, of American nationality. The actor was born Joseph Anthony Lala in Ybor City.
Joe Lala was educated at Thomas Jefferson High School. The actor was a member of The Stills-Young Band. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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museum · 75be2461-487b-49e7-9300-f16311977db8 · wikidata · Q6210838 · wikipedia · Joe Lala
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Joe Lala • Birth Name — Joseph Anthony Lala • Born — November 3, 1947 • Birthplace — Ybor City, Florida, U.S. • Place of death — Tampa, Florida, U.S. • Occupation — * Musician • actor • Years Active — 1966–2014 (musician) 1977–2006 (acting)
Life and career
Life and career
Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, into a family of Italian-American background. His father left the family when Joe was a child, so he was raised by his mother on her own. Lala's mother, Janie Cacciatore, an avid dancer, took her son to as many shows as she could. Lala spoke fluent Spanish and Italian. He started out playing the drums in several Florida bands, before forming the band Blues Image. He also occasionally sang lead vocals, most notably on the song "Leaving My Troubles Behind". As a drummer and percussionist, he worked with The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, The Stills-Young Band, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, Joe Walsh, Andy Gibb and many others. Lala played the trademark congas that drove the Bee Gees' 1976 US chart-topper "You Should Be Dancing", subsequently included on the multi-million-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Lala provided the wide selection of percussive effects on Barbra Streisand's 1980 worldwide No. 1 album Guilty, and contributed to Whitney Houston's eponymous 1985 debut album. Throughout his career, Lala accumulated 32 gold records and 28 platinum records. He played on the movie soundtracks of Saturday Night Fever, Staying Alive, D.C. Cab, Streets of Fire, All the Right Moves, Breathless, Defiance, The Lonely Guy and Airplane!. A severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome ended Lala's career as a percussionist. It kept him from performing full-time, but he continued to record with Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, the acoustic band Firefall, Dan Fogelberg, Dolly Parton, Rod Stewart and many others. Joe Lala was the last in the drummer stool for the handful of concerts given in February 1973 by the disintegrating Byrds. He made the most of his Italian-American background and his mastery of Spanish, Cuban and Puerto Rican accents with TV roles in Miami Vice, General Hospital, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, Hunter, and Who's the Boss?, and starred in a summer replacement show named Knight & Daye. He portrayed another native of Ybor City, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, in Ali: An American Hero, and co-starred with Andy Garcia in For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story. His films included Active Stealth, Sugar Hill, On Deadly Ground, Deep Sleep, Havana (with Robert Redford), Out for Justice, Marked for Death, Eyewitness to Murder, and Born in East L.A., plus many more. Lala also guest-starred on several animated shows: Batman: The Animated Series, Pinky and the Brain, Quack Pack, The Angry Beavers, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Danger Rangers, ChalkZone, Johnny Bravo, Ozzy & Drix, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Woody Woodpecker Show, and many more. Additionally, he voiced Kun Lan in the 2005 video game Killer7. Lala was married to voice director Ginny McSwain from 1996 until their divorce in 2004. In the mid-2000s, Lala retired from acting to care for his mother, who had dementia. Lala coached young actors at the Italian Club in his native Ybor City. Joe Lala died from complications of lung cancer on March 18, 2014, at the age of 66.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1995 — Pinky and the Brain — Francois (voice) — Episode: "Napoleon Brainaparte" • What-a-Mess — Additional Voices — 3 episodes • 1996–1997 — Superman: The Animated Series — Electrician, Maitre D' (voice) — 2 episodes • 1997 — The Legend of Calamity Jane — Additional Voices — 13 episodes • 1998 — Oh Yeah! Cartoons — Fox, Old Timer, Max (voice) — 2 episodes • 1999, 2002 — Hey Arnold! — Miller, GIs, Cops (voice) — 2 episodes • 1999 — The Angry Beavers — El Grapadura, Alien (voice) — Episode: "Norberto y Daggetto en El Grapadura y el Castor Malo" • Johnny Bravo — Raoul (voice) — Episode: "Mama's New Boyfriend" • Batman Beyond — Spike, Sailboat Captain (voice) — 2 episodes • 2001 — Static Shock — Security Guard (voice) — Episode: "Replay" • Time Squad — Leonardo da Vinci (voice) — Episode: "Daddio DaVinci" • 2002 — Samurai Jack — Owner, Engineer, Passenger, Baba Looey (voice) — Episode: "Couple on a Train" • 2003 — Ozzy & Drix — Hector's Dad (voice) — 2 episodes • 2004–2006 — The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius — Harp Estevez (voice) — 4 episodes • 2004–2005 — The Batman — Crime Bosses, Bomb Technician (voice) — 2 episodes • 2005 — All Grown Up! — Enrique, Doctor (voice) — Episode: "Dude, Where's My Horse?" • Danger Rangers — Hector, Joey Clams, Raccoon Dad (voice) — Episode: "Water Works" • 2006 — W.I.T.C.H. — Guard, Mayor (voice) — Episode: "X is for Xanadu" (Final role)
Video games
Video games
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1992 — It Came from the Desert — Koolman • 1999 — Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned — Train Conductor, Vittorio Buchelli, Bartender • 2005 — Killer7 — Kun Lan
Collaborations
Collaborations
With Gypsy • In the Garden (Metromedia Records – KMD 1044, 1971) With Barbra Streisand • Guilty (Columbia Records, 1980) With Stephen Stills • Manassas (Atlantic Records, 1972) • Down the Road (Atlantic Records, 1973) • Stills (Columbia Records, 1975) • Illegal Stills (Columbia Records, 1976) • Thoroughfare Gap (Columbia Records, 1978) • Right by You (Atlantic Records, 1984) • Man Alive! (Pyramid Records, 2005) With Dionne Warwick • Heartbreaker (Arista Records, 1982) With David Crosby • Oh Yes I Can (A&M Records, 1989) With Joe Walsh • The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (ABC Records, 1973) With Dan Fogelberg • Souvenirs (Epic Records, 1974) • Nether Lands (Epic Records, 1977) • Twin Sons of Different Mothers (Epic Records, 1978) • The Innocent Age (Epic Records, 1981) • Windows and Walls (Epic Records, 1984) • Exiles (Epic Records, 1987) With Don Felder • Airborne (Asylum Records, 1983) With Bill Wyman • Monkey Grip (Atlantic Records, 1974) With Ringo Starr • Stop and Smell the Roses (RCA Records, 1981) With Neil Diamond • Beautiful Noise (Columbia Records, 1976) With Jackson Browne • Hold Out (Asylum Records, 1980) With Kenny Rogers • Eyes That See in the Dark (RCA Records, 1983) With Graham Nash • Earth & Sky (Capitol Records, 1980) • Innocent Eyes (Atlantic Records, 1986) With Neil Young • Trans (Geffen, 1982) With Rod Stewart • A Night on the Town (Warner Bros. Records, 1976) With Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young • CSNY 1974 (Rhino Records, 2014)
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The following is established of the heading itself.
Origins and background
Origins and background
The following is established of origins and background. Born in 1947 at Ybor City. Lala died in 2014. It is also recorded that joe Lala is recorded at birth as Joseph Anthony Lala.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. It is also recorded that joe Lala is recorded as human. Recorded with the occupation actor. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded with the occupation dub actor. Institutional cataloguing adds that joe Lala is recorded with the occupation television actor. Institutional cataloguing adds that joe Lala is recorded with the occupation percussionist. Institutional cataloguing adds that joe Lala is recorded with the occupation voice actor. Recorded with the gender male. Born on 3 November 1947. Lala died on 18 March 2014.
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1991 — Out for Justice — Vermeer • 1997 — Demolition University — Carlos Ramos — Direct-to-video • 1998 — Golgo 13: Queen Bee — Don Roccini, Gomez (voice) — English dub; direct-to-video • 1999 — Our Friend, Martin — Reporter, Demonstrator (voice) — Direct-to-video • Active Stealth — Salvatore — Direct-to-video • 2000 — An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster — Bootlick (voice) — Direct-to-video • 2001 — Monsters, Inc. — Augustus "Spike" Jones (voice) • 2002 — The Hunchback of Notre Dame II — Guard (voice) — Direct-to-video
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Joe Lala”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6210838: Joe Lala
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Joe Lala
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Perrone, Pierre. Joe Lala: Sought-after percussionist who switched careers when illness struck to become an actor and voice-over artist. The Independent. May 7, 2014.
- 2.Meacham, Andrew. Legendary Tampa percussionist Joe Lala dies at 66. March 19, 2014.
- 3.Giles, Jeff. Drummer Joe Lala Dead at 66. Ultimate Classic Rock. March 19, 2014.
- 4.Guzzo, Paul. Drummer Lala, who teamed with a generation of rock stars, dead at 66. The Tampa Tribune. March 18, 2014.
- 5.Behind The Voice Actors. Joe Lala (visual voices guide).
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Joe LalaMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
This entry is compiled from 8 catalogued sources across 4 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Wikidata, MetaBrainz Foundation and Wikipedia. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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