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Eddie Money Ready To Perform At SFCC

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Rock vocalist Eddie Money, with hits such as “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Take Me Home Tonight,” will be performing at 7:30 p.m., June 27 at the South Florida Community College Auditorium.

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By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: June 16, 2008

AVON PARK — As a Long Island, N.Y. police officer, Eddie Mahoney couldn't see himself in a uniform with short hair for 20 years.

Trading in his badge for a microphone and with a slight name change, Eddie Money couldn't "Walk on Water," but he would go on to belt out a string of powerful rock songs from the late '70s and the 1980s.

Continuing to be one of the hardest working men in rock and roll, Money and his band will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., June 27 at the South Florida Community College Auditorium.

The younger crowd is taking notice of his music, Money commented Friday from his tour bus during a phone interview with Highlands Today.

On his way to play the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Money said, "Take Me Home Tonight" has been a top fraternity song for the past 10 years. "So we get a lot of young people at the shows these days, which is crazy."

Money enjoys singing and performing more than 100 shows a year, but he has other reasons to keep a busy tour schedule.

"I've got a great band," Money said. "If I didn't go to work every weekend somebody from Styx, R.E.O. Speedwagon or some of these other bands would pick up these guys because they are great musicians.

"You know I've got five kids, I'll do anything to get out of the house," he added with a chuckle.
After his two-year stint as a police officer, Money moved to California and signed a contract with rock concert promoter Bill Graham.

His string of hits includes: "Two Tickets to Paradise," "Baby Hold On," "Think I'm In Love" and "Shakin.'"

Martha Davis, of the Motels was slated to sing the "be my little baby" part on Money's huge hit "Take Me Home Tonight."

"I said 'we've got to get the original,'" referring to Ronnie Spector, the lead singer of the Ronnettes who sang "Be My Baby."

"I called up Ronnie, and it was funny, she was home, she had dropped out of the business," Money said. "I heard a bunch of clinks and clang ... she said she was doing the dishes."

She was married and had a couple of kids, but Money talked her into doing the song and video.
She decided to go back out on the road doing all her songs, Money said.

"It was very nice of her to thank me when she got inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I appreciated that very much," he said.

Money's new album – "Wanna Go Back," features songs he grew up with and sang in high school such as Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher", Sam & Dave's "Hold On I'm Comin'" and The Foundations' "Baby Now That I Found You."

The Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup," will probably be his next single, Money said.
With 26 songs in the Top 100 it's real easy to write a set list, he said.

"We've been getting great reviews and, knock on wood, everybody has been very kind to us," he said. "A lot of people have been showing up for the shows and it's been a lot of fun,"

Along with singing and writing songs, Money is an accomplished musician with his primary instruments being saxophone and harmonica. He used to play keyboards on stage.

"When I was playing keyboards all I was doing was staring at the keys," he said. "My job was to entertain the crowd like a James Brown or a Mitch Ryder so I like to keep my weight down, my voice happening and get out there and kick some ..."

Money's performance will be the sixth show of SFCC's Summer Series, which was created in 2005 strictly to raise funds to renovate the auditorium. After four years of fundraising, SFCC has started planning for renovation to tentatively begin in April of 2009.

Tickets are still available for the Eddie Money concert. Buy tickets online at www.southflorida.edu or call the SFCC Box Office from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday or Thursday at 863-784-7178. Tickets range from $25, $35 and $45.

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