Singer Eddie Money rose to fame in the ’80s behind radio staples such as “Baby, Hold On,” “Think I’m In Love,” and “Two Tickets To Paradise,” and the singer has spent the last three decades touring on the strength of these hits and numerous other recordings that followed.
It’s a long way off from the path the Brooklyn native originally thought he would follow. Although he admits he always dreamed of being a musician, many of the men in Money’s family were Boys in Blue and he entered the Police Academy in 1968. After two years of patrolling the streets of New York, he moved to Berkeley and began performing in local clubs. The rest is history.
“I had my first record deal in ’77 and have been out there rockin’ and rollin’ ever since,” Money says. “Everybody has seen me somewhere or knows someone out there who has seen me in the last 35 years.”
Money knew he “made it” after hearing “Baby Hold On” on the radio just before a gig at Madison Square Garden. He has travelled the world over, survived a drug overdose and experienced his share of ups and downs.
“You have to have a lot of luck out there. Also, the secret of success is you need to get out there and do a good show,” he says. “You have to look sharp, iron your shirt and give those people a show to remember.”
Along with having sold more than 28 million records, Money’s songs have appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, and have recently been included in hit video games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Guitar Hero.”
On Saturday, Nov. 1, Money will be playing the Barns at Wolf Trap, one of his favorite venues to play this time of year.
“People are raving about the show. We open with ‘Baby Hold On,’ and do some others and then I do a song for the ladies, because they love ‘Endless Night,’” he says. “If you think about it, I had 12 songs in the Top 100, so we can give them one hit after another. It’s a good set and everyone has a good time.”
When Money looks out into his audience today, he sees lots of people in their ’40s and ’50s, but also the kids of his truest fans.
“I’ll bring kids up on stage and they know the chorus of ‘I Think I’m in Love,’ and it’s amazing how many young fans are out there,” he says. “We also have a lot of college kids and we run into lots of veterans back from the war.”
At every show, Money will stop to tell stories, a few jokes and interact with his fans as best he can.
“It’s always a real rush to be out there and hear people clapping and enjoying what I do,” he says. “It just makes you feel good about what you are doing. I love the spontaneity of it all.”
It won’t just be the old hits Money will be singing, as he has continued to churn out new music and has one special song that will be included in the set list.
“We have a new song called ‘One More Soldier Coming Home,’ and we’re raising money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a non-profit organization for these kids coming back from Afghanistan,” he says. “Proceeds from my shirts, which are only about $25 dollars, will be helping out the troops.”
Money is also proficient on the saxophone and will be showcasing his skills throughout the night.
“I picked up the sax in junior college because I thought it was like an extension of a voice. You can hit notes on the sax that you can never hit otherwise,” he says. “The one thing that I love about the sax is that you can always get better with the horn and improve upon what you did.”
For those heading to Wolf Trap this Saturday, Money has one last message: “I got two tickets, but I’m taking everybody. Come on down and do some shaking with the Money man. It’s going to be a fun show.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.wolftrap.org.
