'It Makes Me Feel Like I'm 20 Again': Firefall's Jock Bartley Heads To LI Saturday

EAST MEADOW, NY — More than 50 years after co-founding Firefall, guitarist Jock Bartley is still touring the country — and he can't wait to bring the band's classic hits to Long Island this weekend.

Firefall will perform Saturday, July 25, at Eisenhower Park's Lakeside Theatre alongside Atlanta Rhythm Section and Orleans.

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"I would've never thought that in my 70s, I would still be going out on the road and being amped up and charged by really great crowds who love the music," he said. "I had no idea I'd be doing this in my elder years, but it makes me feel like I'm 20 years old again."

Firefall formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974 and quickly became known for its blend of rock, country and pop. The band scored hits including You Are the Woman, Just Remember I Love You, Strange Way and Cinderella. Their debut album went gold within months, launching tours with acts such as Fleetwood Mac, the Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Electric Light Orchestra.

Throughout the years, Bartley has remained the band's sole constant member. The current version of Firefall has been touring since 2014, and the band was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2015. Before Firefall, Bartley was the late Tommy Bolin's replacement in the band Zephyr.

On how the band began, Bartley said he and Rick Roberts met in Manhattan. When they began putting out music, they had 25 original songs. They recorded Cinderella on tape, as cassettes weren't mainstream yet.

"There was so much material in that first week together from prolific singer-songwriters," he said.

As an artist, Bartley helped design their first album cover in 1976, and they were a 5-piece band when they got their first record deal.

"That album went gold in 2 1/2 months, which I've been told was the fastest Atlantic Records ever went," he said. "It was meteoric success."

In 2 1/2 months, Bartley said they sold 500,000 copies.

"Suddenly, the new band from Colorado that nobody heard of was on the road with the Doobie Brothers and Fleetwood Mac," Bartley said. "The timing couldn't have been more perfect."

One studio session remains unforgettable.

After recording a song in a single take, Bartley said the producer pushed the button, stopping the session, and told him it was great.

Waiting outside the studio door was Eric Clapton.

"There was my guitar hero," Bartley said in disbelief. "He stood up and shook my hand and said, 'Keep playing, man,' and then he left."

Bartley said he credits his music genes to his family. His mother was a skilled musician who always encouraged his passion, especially as she put it aside to raise her family.

As he flipped through a Sears catalogue as a young boy, he spotted an electric guitar priced at $59.

"It probably wasn't a very good one," he said.

But he wanted it anyway. Instead of buying the guitar, his mother surprised him by finding something better — a mentor and a Gibson to play on.

"She found Johnny Smith in Colorado Springs," Bartley said.

Smith had 14 albums out at the time and opened a teaching section of his music store.

"I became one of Johnny's first students at 9 years old," he said. "I was playing on his Gibson guitar and had really great training."

On February 9, 1964, the Beatles played Ed Sullivan.

"My life and a bunch of teenagers' lives changed," Bartley said. "I realized I could be in a band!"

Before the Beatles, there were only hits, Bartley explained. Instead of going solo on the road, he realized he could be alongside bandmates.

"It changed my life," he said. "I saw the Beatles and said, ' I want to do that. I want to be on stage and play.'"

After five years of playing guitar, Bartley became the lead guitarist in a band of mostly seniors while he was still a freshman in high school.

"Music is the universal language," he said. "I'm thankful and fortunate that I've been able to play my music and make music and records."

Going on tour each year is something Bartley won't ever take for granted, he said.

"It's wonderful and glorious to play for people still," he said. "Being in a band and creating my own guitar solos and expressing myself in my own way – it's a gift."

Looking back, Bartley said music has meant everything to him.

"When I was a young hippie guitar player, I didn't even consider I might own a house and be an adult," he said. "I am proud of the fact that the music that Firefall created, when we put that configuration together, nobody else sounded like us."

It's always a risk to form a band, since nobody's sure how everyone will sound together, Bartley said.

"It's up in the air," he said. "We had all of those songs to learn in the first few weeks. I'm really humble and fortunate that our records were great, and that I am able to be a small part of those records. It was a fated meant-to-be."

Even with all the success decades ago, Bartley said it's surreal to still be performing and have fans enjoy his band's music.

"We've played everywhere," he said. "And to still have radio play Cinderella and You Are the Woman, 45 years later, is unbelievable," he said.

Bartley said he's "one of the lucky ones" who was able to make a career out of his passion.

Even after decades on the road, Bartley said the greatest reward isn't the record sales or the chart success, but watching audiences reconnect with memories through Firefall's music.

"Seeing faces, not just a crowd at a concert, is so great to play at," he said. "Music just fuels us and keeps us going."