Salvatore John Maida

Sal Maida, a New York born musician whose nimble bass playing anchored recordings and live performances by such esteemed artists as Roxy Music, Sparks, the Runaways, Cracker, the Shangri-Las’ Mary Weiss, Annie Golden, Velveteen and other collaborations with his wife, Lisa and his own pioneering power-pop band Milk ‘N’ Cookies, has passed away at the age of 76 from complications resulting from a fall in December 2024. The announcement was made by his wife, singer-songwriter Lisa Burns-Maida.

A devoted Anglophile, Maida first traveled to London after graduating from Fordham University with a BS in Economics. He quickly got the opportunity to be the bass player in Roxy Music in 1976, and later that year became a member of Milk ‘N’ Cookies, who were signed to Island Records by the label’s A&R head Muff Winwood.

Sal loved recording and playing live, which he did with several New York musicians/bands. He also loved The Yankees (unless when he didn’t!), ordering off the ‘specials’ menu at restaurants, collecting 45’s and most of all his family, wife Lisa and his late son, Dylan who passed away in December 2019 of melanoma.

In recent years, Maida hosted a radio show, Spin Cycle, and wrote an acclaimed memoir for HoZac Books, Four Strings, Phony Proof and 300 45s. HoZac recently published an updated edition of the book, adding Bottoms Up, where he wrote about his top bass players from 1960-1970. Also for HoZac, Maida co-authored and co-edited two volumes of the White Label Promo Preservation Society, collections of essays on underachieving classic albums.

He is survived by his wife Lisa Burns-Maida, late son Dylan’s Godparents, Anthony and Kathleen Lifrieri and countless friends who loved him dearly.

A gathering for Salvatore will be held Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Conway Funeral Home, 41-45 58th Street, Woodside, NY 11377.