Like lots of musicians and fans, Tim Maloy's introduction to the blues came from the white British invasion of the mid-sixties. He remembers noticing the songwriters credit for Willie Dixons "Spoonful" on Cream's Wheel of Fire album. The drummers of that era strongly shaped his playing with their syncopated rhythm. Tim laughs that "it probably took me 20 years to play a straight 4/4 beat!"
Maloy's drum influences (in no particular order) include Joe Morello, John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, Carmine Appice and Ginger Baker.
Certainly Maloy has a natural tendency to play outside and around the groove. It's a cool talent that served him well in his long collaboration with Rockin' Richard Shuman in band's like The Radials, The Wingnuts and The Burning Sensations in the 1980's.
Back in the 1970's Tim was kept busy with Tony Mahle & Amor. The band played a lot of up scale venues. Tim, a long-haired musician at the time, would have to tuck his hair up into a short-haired wig to meet the band's dress code.
Tim says he really learned how to play drums in the late 70's and early 80's when he was working in the house band at Blaine's Maple Leaf Tavern. The band worked 5-6 nights a week, sometimes pulling an 8 hour shift on stage. It was essentially as if the musicians lived only on stage. Tim says he can still see the red lights on the wall and remember the room's smell of popcorn and beer. This is the kind of hard gig that can break a player, but it made Maloy into the hard working and adaptable musician that he is today.
Some regional acts you may have heard Tim Maloy with include The Colonel & Doubleshot, Jack Benson & The Spoilers and the McFarland White Band. Tim can still be heard out and about in the clubs as a drumming free agent.
Maloy is very grateful for the various open mikes that allow him the opportunity to drum with the working players. his musical goal these days is to simply be a welcome player at the blues jams and to get along with all the musicians at the shows. It seems that he has already achieved this goal, and that's quite an accomplishment.
(photo by Noona Walton copyright 2003, all rights reserved)
