Domenic “Donnie” Troiano passed away peacefully in his home on Wednesday, May 25 at age 59, after a courageous seven month battle with prostate cancer. Born in Modugno, Italy, Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Domenic Troiano began his musical career replacing Robbie Robertson (one of his early influences) in Ronnie Hawkins’ band. ~Later he became a member of various bands, including the Mandala and the James Gang – the latter replacing the departing Joe Walsh. Troiano then struck out on his own and released his first, self-titled, solo album in 1972. By the mid ‘70s, Domenic’s profile was raised to another level when he became a member of the famed rock group, The Guess Who. When they disbanded Troiano began to dabble in diverse genres such as jazz and funk. These influences began to show in his subsequent solo releases in the late ‘70s.
More recently, Domenic had concentrated his efforts on composing for film and television, while still making guest appearances as a session player for other artists. He handled music supervision for films and TV, including the CBS series “Night Heat,” “Diamonds” and “Hot Shots,” among many others. In demand for session work in both Toronto and Los Angeles in the ’80s, Troiano appeared then on recordings by Steely Dan, Diana Ross, Joe Cocker and David Clayton-Thomas. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
A funeral is planned for Monday in north Toronto. Further information is available upon request.
He will be missed greatly by all of his family and many friends.
