It was a warm August afternoon when I found myself sitting in a radio studio, preparing to interview one of the most legendary drummers of a bygone era—Joe Camilleri, fondly known as ‘il-Peace.’ With a career spanning over 50 years, Joe was in Malta for a holiday, and I knew there were countless stories waiting to be shared. Little did I know that the two questions I asked him would spark a narrative spanning decades, continents, and some of the biggest names in the music scene.
I started by asking Joe, “What, who, or when did you get the idea to become a musician, study music, and who were your early influences?” That’s all it took for Joe to dive straight into his story.
Joe smiled, settling into his story. "The beginning for me was when I was at St. Joseph’s School in Blata l-Bajda, 11 years old, back in the sixties. Me and Emilio Persiano, a schoolmate, got together one day. He said, ‘Joe, nghamlu band?’ And just like that, we started a band. I decided to play the drums because both my older sisters were dating well-known drummers at the time. One was Charlie, or Cristiano as we called him, who played with ‘We Five,’ and the other was Sonny, who was the drummer for ‘The Echoes.’ I got the bug from watching them rehearse, and that's how it all started."
Joe reminisced about those early days. "Our band was made up of schoolmates, including Noel Xerri on bass and John, and we mainly played Beatles songs. We practiced at a church auditorium near Emilio’s house and managed a few gigs. But then we grew up and went our separate ways. Fast forward to when I was 15—too young to go to dances, but my sisters snuck me in one night to see Sonny and 'The Echoes' at the Phoenicia Hotel. Sonny called me up to play the last song, and I was terrified. They wanted to play ‘Wipeout,’ and I was just a kid surrounded by adults in their twenties. I almost cried, but I didn’t disappoint. That was a big moment for me."
He then moved on to his first band experience. "At 15, I formed my first real band, ‘Purple Dream,’ with Winston Bugeja and Albert Buttigieg. We played Cream and Jimi Hendrix songs. One night, we invited Tanya Stevens, an English singer who was performing at the Preluna Hotel, to one of our rehearsals. She ended up opening doors for me. A few months later, I was in England, learning how to record at Tangerine Studio in London. I was only 15, but the studio owner arranged everything for me, even convincing my parents to let me stay."
Joe's voice carried the nostalgia of those early days. "I lived in an attic with Tanya Stevens on the second floor and a studio engineer below. I was paid a salary, and they even got me a tutor so my studies wouldn’t suffer. That year shaped my future, and from then on, I knew that music was what I wanted to do with my life. I never did anything else."
Returning to Malta a year later, Joe's career took off. "When I came back, I joined the hottest band at the time, ‘The Boys,’ with Marc Storace, Joey Chircop, Albert Buttigieg, and Cliff D’Ugo. This was some time after Albert Bernard approached me to join his new band, ‘Stonehenge Union,’ with his brother Anthony, who is now a surgeon. Marc Storace was also part of that band, and we became close friends.
Later, Joe teamed up again with Albert Bernard this time, to form ‘Slug,’ a progressive rock band with Tony Saliba, and Ray Demicoli. “We did Jethro Tull covers—Ray played the flute, so it was a no-brainier. We headlined the Aurora in Gozo, supported by ‘The Tramps’ and a young group called ‘Action.’” Another important chapter for Joe was his time with ‘Split,’ a band that recorded their own songs and opened for Marc Storace’s band, ‘Tea.’
As Joe moved through his twenties, his hunger to learn more led him across the Atlantic to New York. “A friend from Gozo and I found an apartment in downtown Manhattan. I studied music at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.”
His time in the U.S. shaped his career even further. "When I came back to Malta in 1984, I brought a container full of instruments with me. I turned a garage in Msida into a studio and started teaching at the School of Music before moving on to private lessons. I also played evenings at the Preluna Hotel. Later, I moved back to New York, got married, and started teaching music at Farmingdale High School on Long Island."
Joe’s love for teaching and performing never wavered. "In Florida, where I live now, I continued to play and teach. I even joined a business called ‘Lessons at Home,’ run by a guy named Dennis. It was during this time that Albert Bernard and I got back together, forming a rock band called ‘Third Floor.’ We had Brenda Bowers, an amazing singer, who could sing anything from Janis Joplin to Stevie Ray Vaughan. We played gigs on the weekends, but it was part-time because we all had day jobs."
In 2010, life threw Joe a curveball. “While on holiday in Malta, I had a health scare—a quadruple bypass. They told me to take three years to recover, but after three months, I was itching to play again. I joined a contemporary church band, which was a new experience for me. They played rock music with a religious twist, and it was like going to a concert every Sunday."
At this point, Joe remembered another part of his story. "I should mention that I joined ‘The Malta Bums’ in the early 70s, after Freddie Portelli left. We recorded ‘L-Ewwel Tfajla Li Habbejt’ in 1973, with ‘Mr. DJ’ on the B-side. Bayzo was such a talent, and Alfred Scicluna, Tony Camilleri—we all grew up together."
Our conversation had been rolling for over 90 minutes, but I had to ask one final question: “Where did you get your nickname from?”
"There are two stories to that," Joe explained with a grin. "When I went to England at 15, the peace movement was big, and people used to greet each other with the peace sign. I brought that back with me, and it stuck. The other story involves a boat trip where the guy rowing kept shouting ‘Piz, on the other end!’ to balance the boat, so thinking he was talking to me I obliged, and later, I also painted a peace sign on my bass drum."
Joe frequently visits his native Malta, and back in 1990, both he and Albert Bernard happened to be on the island at the same time. They reunited with John Gafa on guitar, Billy B on bass, and Mike Spiteri on vocals to form ‘The Blues Band,’ delivering a sold-out performance at the Palladium on March 16th. Manuel Busuttil also joined them, playing harmonica on two songs.
Another significant chapter in Joe's career was his time with the band Split, which he briefly mentioned during our chat. On June 29th, 1979, Split played to a full house at The Plaza, with William Mangion as the lead vocalist.
As we wrapped up the interview, Joe smiled and promised that there are many more stories to share, but those would have to wait for another time when we meet again!
You can listen to the full interview with Joe 'Peace' Camilleri, along with music from his repertoire featured on Rock Moods, by visiting these links:
Rock Moods - Joe 'Peace' Camilleri part one (aired Thursday 6th February 2025)
Rock Moods - Joe 'Peace' Camilleri part two (aired Thursday 13th February 2025)
Interview photos: Vica Mifsud
All other photos: Joe Camilleri
Author's note: Joe provided many more photos which shall be included in future articles concerning him or the bands mentioned.
Comments