John Molo

American musician

John Molo
John Molo in 2009.
Background information
Born	(1953-12-05) December 5, 1953 (age 70) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Genres	Rock, jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Drums, percussion
Labels	RCA Records, Columbia Records, Arista Records

Musical artist

John Molo (born December 5, 1953, Bethesda, Maryland) is an American rock and jazz drummer and percussionist. He has played with a variety of bands, combos, and soloists. Best known for being the drummer for Bruce Hornsby and the Range, he has also played with The Other Ones, Phil Lesh and Friends, Delaney Bramlett, John Fogerty, Keller Williams, Mike Watt, Paul Kelly, David Nelson, Jemimah Puddleduck, and Modereko.

Biography

Early years

John Molo was born in Bethesda, Maryland of mostly Irish descent. His surname is Swiss-Italian but his other three grandparents all emigrated from Ireland. He was raised Catholic in Washington, D.C.^[1] His father was an oceanographer who became increasingly concerned about the safety of the inner city and, when Molo was 12, the family moved to suburban Virginia, where Molo attended Langley High School in nearby McLean, Virginia.^[2] While at Langley Molo played in the school's nationally renowned jazz ensemble, the Langley High Jazz Lab, under the direction of band director George Horan.^[3]

Later career

Molo was the drummer for Bruce Hornsby and the Range when the band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1986. After the Range disbanded in 1990, Molo continued to collaborate and tour with Hornsby until 1998.^[4]

In May 2009, Molo joined the band Moonalice.^[5]

Discography

The Way It Is — Bruce Hornsby and the Range (1986)
Scenes From the Southside — Bruce Hornsby and the Range (1988)
A Night on the Town — Bruce Hornsby and the Range (1990)
Harbor Lights — Bruce Hornsby (1993)
Wanted Man — Paul Kelly (1994)
Ball-Hog or Tugboat? — Mike Watt (1995)
Hot House — Bruce Hornsby (1995)
Spirit Trail — Bruce Hornsby (1998)
The Strange Remain — The Other Ones (1999)
Jemimah Puddleduck — Jemimah Puddleduck (2000)
Modereko — Modereko (2001)
Meisner, Swan & Rich — Meisner, Swan & Rich (2001)
Trumpet Ride — Willie Waldman (2001)
There and Back Again — Phil Lesh and Friends (2002)
Solar Igniter — Modereko (2003)
Intersections (1985-2005) — Bruce Hornsby (2006)
The Long Road Home - In Concert — John Fogerty (2006)
Live at the Warfield — Phil Lesh and Friends (2006)
Dream — Keller Williams (2007)
A New Kind Of Blues — Delaney Bramlett (2008)
Walk Through the Fire — Mark Karan (2009)
High 5 – Moonalice (2016)
Full Moonalice Vol. 1 – Moonalice (2022)
Full Moonalice Vol. 2 – Moonalice (2022)
Light Side of the Moonalice: An Acoustic Adventure – Moonalice (2023)

References

^ "I had great Catholic nuns as a kid; the Sisters of Notre Dame., dead.net; accessed April 10, 2018.
^ Jackson, Blair (29 November 2007). "John Molo: Putting the Big Beat into Phil & Friends". Dead.net. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
^ "Obituaries - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
^ "John Molo". Bruuuce.com. 28 May 2017.
^ "Moonalice Welcomes Drummer John Molo into the Tribe", JamBase, May 20, 2009.

External links

Bruce Hornsby and the Range 1986 Grammy award for Best New Artist, Grammy.com; accessed December 11, 2017.
Weingarten, Marc. Review of "The Strange Remain", Rolling Stone, February 8, 1999
John Molo interview, Digital Interviews; accessed December 11, 2017.
Flaherty, John. "Phil and Friends Endless Journey", JammedOnline.com; accessed December 11, 2017.
John Molo interview, jambands.com, August 20, 2001
Jackson, Blair. John Molo 2007 interview, dead.net; accessed December 11, 2017.
John Molo profile, SABIAN.com; accessed December 11, 2017.