On the Road With John Fogerty’s Keyboard Player
Bob Malone. In case you don’t know the name, I am happy to be the one bringing this remarkable and talented keyboard wizard into your orbit…
There are some people you encounter in life who immediately stand out in some inexplicable way. You may have heard it described as the X Factor, or that “IT” factor. An aura. Bob has that.
I still remember like it was yesterday… several members of the National Academy of Songwriters (now The Songwriters Guild) had volunteered to help repaint their offices. Bob and I were among that group and so I was on the floor placing masking tape along the wall above the molding. Malone was coming from the other direction and we met in the middle where we struck up a conversation. Turned out he was a keyboard player. A new kid in town from New Jersey who like many of us , had trekked out to L.A. to seek their fame and fortune. We immediately struck up a friendship.
Eventually, I ended up recording some demos for him (and with him) at my home studio in Venice and helped him get a steady gig at the Chimneysweep, where I was acting as entertainment coordinator. I played there on Sunday nights, myself. The Hal Show. Acoustic Sunday.
Bob eventually started making a name for himself in L.A. as a music transcriber, singer/songwriter, arranger, session musician, and music supervisor. He has performed and or recorded with living legends, and in fact he’s been touring with John Fogerty, a founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival, for the last decade. He’s opened for the Neville Brothers (recently, we said goodbye to Art Neville).
On their last tour, Bob got to share the stage with Mr. Springsteen, himself.
I wish I had more time to talk to Bob – – – When I finally caught up with him, he was on his way back from a recording session on a new project. What else is new? Mr. Malone is ALWAYS working on something new. That’s why he’s always got such good stories! So, our conversation barely touched the tip of the iceberg. Talk a bout a road warrior? He was literally in his car during the entire conversation, so the audio might have been a little funky in patches. Which is fitting, because Bob Malone really knows how to bring the funk!
Some the topics we covered include:
Old Bob Malone songs.
New Bob Malone songs.
A brand new video called Good People (and I’M in it!). Yay! … for about a second.
The iconic accordion solo he before John Fogerty and the rest of the band break into Looking’ Out My Back Door
Touring Europe – Italy and Paris in particular.
Shark week and the Sparkly Shark song by Bob’s wife, Karen Nash who is also a shellologist.
Bob’s epic photos of the crowds taken from a stage-eye view
An encounter with Jackson Browne while playing keyboards for Ricki Lee Jones (who I’ve seen naked – in my worst Jon Lovitz voice). Hey, no biggie… it was the 70’s. Everyone sat in a hot tub naked back in the day.
BOB MALONE LINKS AND RESOURCES
THE OFFICIAL BOB MALONE WEBSITE – Go there. Sign up for the Bob Malone Mailing list and purchase his music and merchandise there!
Personal Favorites:
Chinese Algebra (The full, live version of the one at the end of the interview)
Watching Over Me (Official Live Video)
This is based on a true story about how one time Bob went to Las Vegas and only had a single one dollar bill to his name. The song tells the rest of this amazing experience.
Meet Me In Manhattan – Bob wrote this for his – well I’ll let him tell you…
Bob Malone’s Blog Posts
Crawl Across Texas – a story by Bob Malone. First published in Song Talk Magazine, later one of the original Tales of the Road Warriors in the Li’l Hank’s Guide For Songwriters website. It’s still there!
Bob Malone Blog – Bob’s more current thoughts and adventures on Blogspot
Hal’s Rainy Day Rant – Gimme Shelter
