In March, I had the pleasure to attend a performance of the Best of Clapton Band at Cooper’s Riverview in Trenton, NJ.

This talented group started as a Covid project in the early spring of 2020. Mario and Frank have been playing together in cover bands and duo’s and were doing many Clapton Songs. Not just his big hits but other obscure songs too from his Reptile album like the title song Reptile and Son and Sylvia.

Clapton was a huge influence on Mario growing up. Mario was the lead in the Reoke and Roll Revue “Journeyman Show” which covered the entire Eric Clapton Journeyman record. Mario’s performance in that show blurred the line between tribute and reality. Close your eyes, and you would swear you were hearing the master himself.

During Covid, all of their bookings were gone because of the lockdowns at the time when “tribute bands” seemed to be all the rage. They had a lot of Clapton material and a lot of time on their hands.

The band then started looking for musicians to fill out the group. First call was to their friend Gary Bernabe. Great bass player and vocalist. Gary nails Jack Bruce’s parts in the Cream material. Next call was to another close friend and former bandmate Joe Ricci. An extraordinary drummer and percussionist. To round out the group they contacted their former keyboard player Brian Leahy who is 2nd to none on piano, organ, and vocals.

They put together about 50 songs and rehearsed for the next 15 months, playing their first show at Cooper's Riverview on 11-14-21.

The band includes Mario DiBartolo: Lead Guitar and vocals; Frank Clayton: Rhythm, Lead, vocals, and manager; Gary Bernabe: Bass guitar and vocals; Joe Ricci: Drums/ Percussion; and Brian Leahy: Keyboards and vocals. The future plan is to add a great Percussionist/Sax player in the spring of 2023, Mr. Bob Demetrician. Click here for band member bios.

Contributor: Frank Clayton 

Photos: James DeSalvo Photography