Joe Lala

{{Infobox person

| name = Joe Lala

| image = Lala1972.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Lala, performing with Manassas (TopPop, 1972)

| birth_name = Joseph Anthony Lala

| birth_date = November 3, 1947

| birth_place = Ybor City, Florida, U.S.

| death_date = {{dda|2014|3|18|1947|11|3}}

| death_place = Tampa, Florida, U.S.

| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|actor}}

| years_active = 1966–2014 (musician)
1977–2006 (acting)

| spouse = {{marriage|Ginny McSwain|1996|2004|end=div}}

| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| genre = Rock

| instrument = {{hlist|Percussion|vocals}}

| associated_acts = {{hlist|Blues Image|Stephen Stills|Manassas|The Byrds|Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young|Neil Young|The Stills-Young Band|The Bee Gees|Whitney Houston|Joe Walsh}}

}}

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.

Life and career

Lala was born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida,{{cite news|last=Perrone|first=Pierre|title=Joe Lala: Sought-after percussionist who switched careers when illness struck to become an actor and voice-over artist |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-lala-soughtafter-percussionist-who-switched-careers-when-illness-struck-to-become-an-actor-and-voiceover-artist-9334826.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220609/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-lala-soughtafter-percussionist-who-switched-careers-when-illness-struck-to-become-an-actor-and-voiceover-artist-9334826.html |archive-date=2022-06-09 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=April 14, 2015|newspaper=The Independent|date=May 7, 2014}} into a family of Italian-American background.{{Cite news |last=Perrone |first=Pierre |date=7 May 2014 |title=Joe Lala: Sought-after percussionist who switched careers when illness struck to become an actor and a voice-over artist |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-lala-soughtafter-percussionist-who-switched-careers-when-illness-struck-to-become-an-actor-and-voiceover-artist-9334826.html |work=The Independent}} 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. He 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.{{cite news|last=Meacham |first=Andrew|title=Legendary Tampa percussionist Joe Lala dies at 66|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/obituaries/legendary-tampa-percussionist-joe-lala-dies-at-66/2171028/|access-date=April 15, 2015|date=March 19, 2014}} 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.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-lala-sought-after-percussionist-who-switched-careers-when-illness-struck-to-become-an-actor-and-9334826.html www.independent.co.uk]

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.{{cite news|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/pete-haycock-dies/|author=Jeff Giles|title=Drummer Joe Lala Dead at 66|date=March 19, 2014|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=April 15, 2015}}

Joe Lala died from complications of lung cancer on March 18, 2014, at the age of 66.{{Cite web |last=Guzzo |first=Paul |date=March 18, 2014 |title=Drummer Lala, who teamed with a generation of rock stars, dead at 66 |url=http://tbo.com/events/drummer-lala-who-teamed-with-a-generation-of-rock-stars-dead-at-66-20140318/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319162138/http://tbo.com/events/drummer-lala-who-teamed-with-a-generation-of-rock-stars-dead-at-66-20140318/ |archive-date=March 19, 2014 |access-date=March 19, 2014 |website=The Tampa Tribune}}

Filmography

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"
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{{cite web \|title=Joe Lala (visual voices guide) \|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Joe-Lala/ \|access-date=May 23, 2024 \|publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
1999 \| 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

class="wikitable sortable"

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{{cite web |title=Joe Lala (visual voices guide) |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Joe-Lala/ |access-date=May 23, 2024 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.

1999

| 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

= Television =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995 \| Pinky and the Brain \| Francois (voice) \| Episode: "Napoleon Brainaparte"
1995 \| 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"
1999 \| Johnny Bravo \| Raoul (voice) \| Episode: "Mama's New Boyfriend"
1999 \| Batman Beyond \| Spike, Sailboat Captain (voice) \| 2 episodes
2001 \| Static Shock \| Security Guard (voice) \| Episode: "Replay"
2001 \| 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 \| Sir 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?"
2005 \| 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"

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1995

| Pinky and the Brain

| Francois (voice)

| Episode: "Napoleon Brainaparte"

1995

| 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"

1999

| Johnny Bravo

| Raoul (voice)

| Episode: "Mama's New Boyfriend"

1999

| Batman Beyond

| Spike, Sailboat Captain (voice)

| 2 episodes

2001

| Static Shock

| Security Guard (voice)

| Episode: "Replay"

2001

| 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

| Sir 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?"

2005

| 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"

= Video games =

Year	Title	Role	Notes
class="wikitable sortable"
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 \|