DeCurtis' liner notes for the Eric Clapton box set Crossroads won a Grammy Award in the Best Album Notes category, and he has appeared as a commentator on MTV, VH1, The Today Show, and many other news and entertainment programs. He's additionally served as the co-editor of The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll and The Rolling Stone Album Guide, which is currently in its third edition.

DeCurtis also co-wrote Clive Davis' autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life, which went on to be a New York Times bestseller, and he has three times received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Deems Taylor Award for excellence in writing about music. DeCurtis has served as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee for more than 20 years. In 2018, he received the College of Arts and Sciences' Distinguished Alumni Award.

He lives in New York City.