| John Babcock | |
|---|---|
John Babcock during an Abbey Road Recording Session. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John F. Babcock |
| Genres | Rock, pop rock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, rock and roll, Instrumental music, pop, Hard rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitar, piano, keyboards, drums, vocals |
| Years active | Age 5 — Present |
| Labels | Indie |
| Associated acts | Beatlemania (musical), "Justin", The British Invasion, U.S. City, Four on The Floor, The Hawthorne Muchachos, The Pearl River Cadets |
| Website | www.babcockmusic.com |
John F. Babcock is a singer, songwriter and musician who currently performs and records in the central Florida area. Babcock has produced 10 studio albums spanning different styles, thoughts, hobbies and moments of his life, some having been recorded in the famed Abbey Road Studios. He has performed as Paul McCartney in Beatlemania's 2001 tour and as John Lennon during some of their 90's shows. He has also played as Paul McCartney and John Lennon in The British Invasion found playing regularly at Disney's Epcot Center. In 2008, Babcock completed his 11 year run with The British Invasion performing over 15,000 shows for more than 1 million people. He is now a freelancing solo artist and a Sir Paul McCartney impersonator. He has recently completed a series of interviews for "The Valley" Ligonier radio streaming stereo station online 24-7.[1] John also recently played for the first time with Canada's Classic Albums Live performing with the troupe at The Duncun Theater in Palm Beach, Florida. The show was The Beatles "Revolver" where John played bass and sang.
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Babcock was born in Nyack, New York to a Korean War U.S. Navy Vet and jazz drummer. At age six, his father introduced him to the drums, teaching him various styles of Rock, Jazz, Latin and Swing. Babcock was considered a prodigy on the drums before his age reached double-digits. He grew up in the golden ages of the 60's enjoying the music which encompassed it, falling in love with The Beatles. Lifelong, he has pursued his ideal of writing catchy, well-constructed pop gems in a similar style to the Fab Four (and other favored artists). Having already mastered drums, John turned his attention toward other instruments. Acquiring a bass guitar from a friend in middle school, John proceeded to absorb every McCartney-esque bass run and styling.
His family recalls how one evening his Dad's band was considering canceling a gig because their bassist couldn't make it. John, barely 11, pleaded with his father - trying in vain to convince him that he could, in fact, pull off standing in for the AWOL musician. Finally, at the urging of his fellow band members, Jack Babcock figured "What the hell, let's see what the kid's got" - and John proceeded to blow away not only the crowd at the live venue but his father's fellow band mates as well. The "kid" didn't just keep up with the arrangements (most of which he had NEVER heard before that night) but he summarily impressed with his seemingly instinctual feel for all of the tunes in the 4-plus hours of the evening's act. ~Mr. Arlen Creedy, Oak Island, North Carolina.
When John reached eleven, he auditioned for The Pearl River Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps and got a spot in the drumline. There, his father's instruction served him well. He performed with the Corps for six years, developing his technique and winning numerous percussion awards. In 1972, the Cadets performed for United States President, Richard M. Nixon. In 1975, the Corps won seven captions in a single competition and became the 1975 American Drum Corp and Heritage Color Guard Circuit Champions.[2]
By the time he had reached high school his reputation within his local community was as not just being a musician - but being the young musician in the Hudson Valley. Before his 18th birthday he had already been invited to appear on the Donny & Marie Show and had passed the first battery of auditions to play the "Paul" role in Beatlemania on Broadway - only to have to decline both roles due to his parents' insistence that he finish his secondary education, first.
By the fall of 1976, John joined The Muchachos from Hawthorne, New Jersey, a corps considered one of the best in the country.[3][4] He played in The Muchachos snare line for two years, performing with the Corps at the CYO Nationals "Dream" Contest, the U.S. Open, the American International Open, the World Open and many other top national shows. On August 14, 1977, the Corps performed at Giants' Stadium in the Meadowlands to a sold-out audience of 77,691. They also played at Shea Stadium April 17, 1977.
John left his drum corps days behind in 1978 when he was offered an artist development deal with Suede Productions and New Jersey producer Bob Suede - a man of indomitable faith in his young charge. Coming of age in the early, rough-and-tumble days of arena rock, Bob had built a communications empire in the then-economically-rebounding area of Hackensack, NJ. Over the next couple of years, John composed and recorded dozens of original songs, developing and refining his work. John worked with Singer songwriter Leslie Pearl (If The Love Fits Wear It) who sang background vocals on his sessions, along with session guitarist Keith Loving (Killing Me Softly. The closer I Get To You). To understand how far the industry has evolved in the time John Babcock has been in the business, one has to remember that this was a little while before cassettes were the regular, let alone digital technology. John first had to have his friends and family listen to his handiwork via a crude, self-contained tape loop machine with eager listeners sharing headphones. Also, long before the word "Indie" carried any credibility there was John and Bob, knocking on doors, trying to earn the respect of the "big boys". John was hawked as both a solo project, under his initials: JB and also was encouraged to get involved with various group projects. At various junctures in his early career John cut his teeth as a member in good standing of bands like Spectrum, ShadowFax, Four On The Floor, and a memorable pop/early-new wave unit that he would record with called "U.S. City". Headlining at C.B.G.B.s in the early-80's to capacity crowds John penned one of his best early tunes during this period for this band; "The Car Tune".
In 1985, John traveled to London, England to begin recording his first solo album at the famed EMI Abbey Road Studios. The finished disc, Outta De Bleu, an independent release, was a Northeast regional success with the single "Always Be Around" charting at #20[5] based solely on listener requests on New York radio station WGRC. However, its real magic was felt on the other side of the Atlantic where DJs in British stations spun it with fearless abandon.
In 1988, for the 25th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's Assassination, John composed a tribute song, "Passing the Torch," and created a video with producer Bob Suede that was aired nationally on "The Joe Franklin Show" on WOR Channel 9. The following year, he was invited to take part in a concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of Woodstock, at the original site on Yasgar's farm in Bethel, New York. He shared the stage with Woodstock veterans Richie Havens and Wavy Gravy.
The first of several trips overseas, these sessions were pivotal in helping to reaffirm his pop and beat music roots; one night after a particularly exhilarating session he stopped by the famous Hippodrome where the BBC was broadcasting, live. A per chance meeting with one of the producers at the bar resulted in a spontaneous decision to air "Always Be Around" in a broadcast heard by a few million listeners. Later on, during those same sessions, upon inquiry by a star-struck Mr. Babcock,[6][7][8] the engineers at Abbey Road actually pulled the original keyboard that John Lennon had used for the Strawberry Fields Forever recording (and promo video in 1967) out of a closet where it had been shut away for years, and pressed its retuned carcass back into service on a tune that he had written as his personal statement regarding the starving masses in Africa: "Through Their Eyes".
The bulk of the "Abbey" sessions would form the majority of JB's debut album, "Outta De Bleu". Some of his best songwriting efforts would surface here, including "Always Be Around", "Through Their Eyes" and such unforgettable pop high points as "Pennies In Her Eyes", "So Complicated", "I Don't Need You All That Bad" and the salsa-inspired single: "Singer Without A Song", which became Mr. Babcock's second music video.
By the late 80's John was leaning toward scrapping the JB moniker. He felt a need to start anew, having ended a long-term relationship and dealing with the depression surrounding that and the terminal illness that would eventually rob him of his Dad, and mentor, Jack, John elected to go with a "character", very much in the style of a David Bowie-like muse. He and Bob originally settled on the name "Justin Case", however, after a long, introspective consideration he decided to scrap that in favor of the first name, simply: Justin. It was under this name that he released his long-awaited follow up for "Bleu". Again, a strong album with solid hooks and great melodies all over the place, the compilation gave us one of John's best tunes yet: "This Thing Called Love".
There were more trips to England; songs were placed on European television. A tune he had written, purely as a labor of love for his favorite historic figure, John Kennedy, upon the 25th Anniversary of his assassination, was turned into a heartfelt video homage which premiered on the nationally syndicated Joe Franklin television program. In short, John Babcock was never without a project to bury himself in.
When John relocated to Orlando, Florida in 1990, he immersed himself in the local music scene, performing as a solo acoustic act that garnered him a nomination for Best Solo Performer by Central Florida's #1 music showcase, "the Jammy's" John's accomplishments continued to pile up. Among many of the musicians he had either collaborated with or had play on his recordings were Rainbow guitar-god Joe Lynn Turner, Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto and even an impromptu stage jam with actor John Goodman.
John finally began billing himself under his birth name and returned to Abbey Road Studios in 1991 to begin sessions for his fourth album, Mathew Street. He composed, performed and produced the disc and enlisted the vocal, lead guitar and engineering talents of friend David Mikeal. The single "Mathew Street" was released in Germany on Deep Cut Records in 1996 and received heavy airplay and excellent reviews. Furthermore, with its success, a music video was created to promote the album.[9] It features scenes of Europe and famous Beatles landmarks (as well as a brief scene with original Beatles manager, Allan Williams.) Besides the irresistible title cut, there were other breathtaking moments such as "Deep In The Heart", "Watching The World" and the moody, emotional "Wet Road". Steadfastly remaining centered in Central Florida, though, the album lacked the NYC-backed push that would have made it a college airplay staple. Still, hailed by friends, family and fans alike, it remains one of his best works to date.
In 1997, John joined The British Invasion, a Beatles/'60s tribute show at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center U.K. Pavilion. He also toured with the cast of Beatlemania, performing 18 concerts in 14 U.S. cities.
Between 1997 and 2003, John branched out into experimental and ambient music as well as writing for television and movies. Just recently he was able to add the title "author" to his impressive list of credits as Drum World Magazine deigned his touching recollection of his father's storied influence on his choice of Gretsch Drums found life as a featured article in the widely read industry periodical. John composed and recorded four more albums: "Life through the Looking Glass Vol. 1", an intricate assortment of creative instrumental compositions. "17 Castle Heights" and "The Gnomes of Marydell", which mine the inner recesses of his childhood and his search for inner peace through exploring his family's routes ("It Was Only An Irishman's Dream"). Prior to the latter, he explored his childhood penchant for "scary movies" with the quirky but definitely rocking ode to late-night, Saturday Evening monster movie broadcasts with "Chiller Theatre" featuring guests Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple) and Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel Band). Finally, the funky, upbeat album "Nothin' Mo' Betta". He also played with Byrds' founder and Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer, Rodger McGuinn for the Orlando Ballet fundraiser concert in 2002.
During 2003-2004, John saw the release of two albums of his earliest recordings, 1st Sessions and Hackensack Daze. He recorded and released The Gnomes of Marydell in 2005, a DVD electronic press kit (EPK) and a "best of" CD entitled Reel Music: A Collection. In 2006, he released CDs from his two original bands, US City and 4 on the Floor. He also released a CD and DVD of the many legendary Hawthorne Muchachos performances.
In 2008, John Released his 10th CD of original songs entitled "It Is What It Is".
In 2010, John has a compilation album in the works entitled "A State of Pop" which consists of his most catchy pop hits and singles spanning throughout his 1983-2008 material.
John currently lives with his wife, Paige in Wekiva Hills, FL with their two lovely "mutts" Bosco and Luke. Residing in Wildwood, FL is his son, McCartney "Mac" Kellam, of whom is also talented in music. John's life is one of a busy style, but with tact, style and attitude he makes it flow smooth. As stated, John still performs throughout the central Florida area playing Paul McCartney acts and gigs filled with an assortment of timeless favorites and his own unique tunes.
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1978-79 | 1st Sessions |
| 1980-83 | Hackensack Daze |
| 1986 | Outta De Bleu |
| 1990-95 | Mathew Street |
| 1999 | Life Through A Looking Glass |
| 2000-01 | 17 Castle Heights |
| 2001 | Chiller Theatre |
| 2003 | Nothin Mo Betta |
| 2005 | The Gnomes of Marydell |
| 2008 | It Is What It Is |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | "Reel Music" A Collection |
| 2006 | Hawthorne Muchachos Anthology 1970-1977 (A Mabootu Production) |
| 2010 | "A State of Pop" A Best of Collection |
For extended information on John Babcock please visit the links provided in the References and External Links section.
