What do Elton John, Cyndi Lauper and Extreme all have in common? Aberdeen’s own renowned crooner Dan Greavey, that’s what.
The talented north-east entertainer is about to release his debut album, Swingify, a collection of big band covers of pop and rock hits from the 1960s on decades, all delivered in his own unique style.
Dan, well-known across the north-east in his own right and as part of Rat Pack-inspired Ocean’s 3, said: “What we have done is taken songs I enjoy listening to and turned them into songs that sound like the ones I normally sing for a living – Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, and Michael Buble – those big band sounding tracks.
Dan Greavey puts big band twist on hugely popular tracks
“We have given these more modern songs that treatment, but we have something for every decade from the 1960s to the Noughties. We have covered everything from the Beach Boys to Extreme and from Elton John to Christina Aguilera.”
Dan is holding a launch party for Swingify on Sunday June 11 before the album is released, including on all streaming platforms, on Thursday June 15.
The event, at Hopeville Social Club in Inverurie, will see Dan performing Swingify with the Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra to an invited audience.
As well as putting his first album in the limelight, the launch is a thank you to everyone who supported Dan on his labour of love That includes backing his £4,000 CrowdFunding drive so he could pay the talented performers who made his dream a reality.
Swingify was a lockdown project that ‘grew and grew’ for Dan Greavey
“So many people became involved, so many people invested their time and their skills and the case of the CrowdFunder their money and their belief. That was such a huge support – and an ego boost for myself.”
Swingify was a lockdown project for Dan that just “grew and grew”, drawing in more artists who shared his love of the big band sound, including his friend, talented arranger James Pritchard.
“During lockdown, all of a sudden everyone who worked in entertainment wasn’t busy anymore to the point we were like ‘what can we do to stop ourselves going mad’,” he said.
“I had always had this idea that there were one or two songs in my head that would translate well into a big band sound. So we started with a couple of those, pretty much as something to do.”
But as the weeks and months went on more people became involved including backing singers for the rich vocals and members of the Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra to bring that big band brass sound until there was enough material for an album.
Dan hopes new album will chime with music lovers of all kinds
Exactly what tracks are on the album are being kept under wraps for now, but Dan hopes it will chime with music lovers across the genres.
“If you are a fan of Elton John, then you might think ‘oh I know that song and I like what they have done with it’, likewise, Cyndi Lauper or the Beach Boys.”
But he has little doubt, one of the major draws will be that big band sound – a style of music that has stood the test of time and is as popular as ever.
“The beauty of big band stuff, as for instance Michael Buble has shown over the years, is that there is still a real appetite for that sound after all this time. I’ve been singing crooner songs for more than 20 years and there’s always an appetite for them,” said Dan, who also works closely with Right Here Productions who host events such as murder mysteries and escape room games.
Everyone knows classic big band numbers like Fly Me To The Moon
“People just know songs like Come Fly With Me, Fly Me To The Moon and Ain’t That A Kick In The Head. It’s the sound… it’s called easy listening for a reason.”
So, does Dan have his eye on a top slot in the charts once Swingify goes live?
“I’m not expecting to be number one by the 16th of June… I don’t suppose Michael Buble is worried about me taking his spot,” joked Dan.
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