The man who now plays keyboards for rock and roll legend John Fogerty will be back in the Tallahassee area for two performances this weekend. New Jersey native Bob Malone has toured the world for some twenty years. He's played keyboards behind some of the biggest names in the business, like Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett and Rickie Lee Jones. Then, one day in 2011, the phone rang and some guy named John Fogerty was on the other end of the line.
“I got a call out of the blue to go audition,” he recalled, speaking by telephone from yet another road trip. “So I went and auditioned and it was in his garage and I thought, ‘Man, I’m playing Creedence tunes in a garage! Who hasn’t done this?’ Of course, John Fogerty was there, so that was the real difference.”
Malone passed the audition and has been part of the John Fogerty Band ever since. That included playing on Fogerty's 2012 album, "Wrote a Song for Everyone". One of the tracks featured a Fogerty duet with Bob Segar on the remake of the old Creedence hit "Who'll Stop the Rain".
“When we cut with Segar, John was like, ‘Make it sound more like Bob than like me.’ You know, I grew up on those records and I love those records, so I kind of quoted an ‘Against the Wind’ piano vibe a little bit and I’m thinking, ‘They’re never going to let that fly; it just sounds too much like that song.’ But we got done with it and we all came in and they were like, ‘Wow! That’s perfect!’”
Besides playing with great hit makers, Malone has also had an active solo career. That's what has led him to the Tallahassee area on two previous occasions.
“I played Bradfordville (Blues Club) and they recommended that I get ahold of Rick and one thing led to another. I wound up playing at the (Sopchoppy) Worm Gruntin’ Festival.”
The "Rick" Malone is referring to is Rick Ott, local impresario and owner of the Heart of Sopchoppy studio and performance venue. That's where Malone will be playing this Friday and Saturday night. It'll be a chance to hear songs from his newest recording "Mojo Deluxe".
“I’ll be doing a lot of tunes from my new record and some of the old ones that I’m known for. I don’t have a set list yet, but it’ll be my normal set.”
The music kicks off at seven-thirty both nights. And, if you absolutely can't make this weekend's performance, Bob Malone promises he'll be back.
“I was hoping to make it this year, but I had other tour dates and couldn’t do it. But as soon as I can, I’m down for the next Worm Gruntin’ Festival.”
