Staten Island-born musician, multi-instrumentalist and member of Blue Oyster Cult, Richie Castellano, celebrates his 41st birthday today.
Growing up in Staten Island, New York, Castellano is a fifth-generation musician who developed his musical talents at a young age. He is also an audio engineer.
Castellano earned his degree in Music Production at the State University of New York at Purchase. In 2001, he produced and engineered Regina Spektor’s debut album, 11:11. During his undergraduate career, he won three awards for his talents, including first place in the Songwriter Hall of Fame’s songwriting competition, 1998.
His versatile musical talents led him to Blue Oyster Cult. Beginning in 2000, Richie Castellano was one of their engineers. However, in early 2004, he received a call that would change his life: Eric Bloom of the band asked him to play bass. A few years later, in 2007, Castellano switched from bass and became the full-time guitarist.
His cover of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, in which he played every instrument and sung each harmony, went viral.
Today, Castellano continues to be a creative force in music. He sometimes works at his family’s music store in Staten Island, while also running a podcast called Band Geek, and continues to engineer and produce music.
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