Stories from the 1990's...
Story # 1
How the 'Clapton thing' got started...
January 2019
Welcome...
When I was about 40, I woke up one day and decided that I would learn to sing! It sort of came out of 'nowhere'... I mean, as a young boy I thought I would be a drummer, but my folks never bought me a drum kit. The truth for me is that I dreamed of playing in the NBA. Haha... like about ten million other 12 year old boys.
If you had told me back then that at the age of 70... I would be promoting The Clapton Project, I would have said that you were totally out of your mind. But life has a way of throwing a 'curve ball' when you least expect it.
My Story - Installment # 1
When I started singing at the age of 40, I hired a vocal coach in NYC and began at the basement level. We did scales and after our first session, my coach Melissa said, "Dan, you have a nice voice, but your hearing is messed up". In other words... as a novice, my singing and my hearing were not in sync. So over the past 3 decades (with 5 different vocal coaches)... I've had to practice scales. A lot! (smile)
Then a few months after beginning my journey into music, I grew a beard - just prior to making a business trip to Boston... and like magic, 'everything changed for me'.
How the Clapton thing started...
After work, I was with a friend in a bar called Clarke's, in Faneuil Hall having a few drinks...
When all of a sudden a complete stranger comes up to me and says, "Hey dude, me and my friends over there thought you were Eric Clapton - and we want to buy you a beer". I chuckled a little bit and thanked him, turned to my friend and shrugged my shoulders in disbelief.
Apparently, the Clapton phase of my life was just beginning...
Thirty minutes later, another guy taps me on the shoulder and says, "Yo... dude, me and my friends over there (he points to the other side of the bar) thought you were Eric Clapton and we want to buy you a beer!" Again, I'm in a state of disbelief, when all of a sudden the first group and the second group both start chanting in unison, "ERIC, ERIC, ERIC, ERIC"... and at this point, there was about 100 people chanting! I'll admit that I got freaked out and bugged out of there as quickly as possible.
So that was the start of my 'Eric Clapton Journey' - and it continues to this day. I now realize that I've been chosen to keep the music alive. And I love doing this with Doreen and my wonderful band.
I first heard songs like 'Sunshine Of Your Love' back in 1967, as a 16 year old - and it blew my mind back then. And here I am doing this now! It blows my mind even more today that I'm able to perform these songs and that I have Doreen as 'my partner in crime'. And we have so much fun doing it!
We now have a fabulous 7 piece band... And TWO killer guitarists (Mike Smith and Mario Giampaglia). Wait until you hear this duo perform! And we also have professionals at every other position. All the details are up on our web site... You can check out all of the bios for the band members... our [entire] set list... and lots of photos, videos and more. Be sure to forward our link to your friends, so they can join our mailing list, too!
This is a 'Celebration of Life' - and of following 'the horse in the direction it's going'... and it's a time to come together to have some good ole' Rockin FUN!
So we hope you’ll join us... and we look forward to seeing everyone at our next gig!
Meanwhile, keep rockin'...
Dan Molloy
