Chris Gallagher’s self-released debut CD, Will and Surrender,
introduces a singer/songwriter of significant vocal and songcrafting talent. From acoustic soul to groove-rock, Chris packs a musical punch through tight rhythms and his alternately huge and intimately seductive voice. He leaves us wanting more and wondering, where has this guy been?
As it turns out, Gallagher has had anything but a typical musician’s background. By the time he hit 30 and stopped to reassess his life, Chris had already traveled the world with Bill Clinton, strategized with Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry’s), and hung out with Bono. He had appeared in serious news articles and a teen magazine spread. As a young legislative aide at the White House by day, Gallagher helped craft the domestic Peace Corps program, AmeriCorps. At night he fronted Funnybone, a hiphop/acid jazz band that regularly packed DC clubs. “It was a schizophrenic lifestyle that suited me perfectly,” muses Chris. In his spare time, Chris served as an urban mentor through a program called Horton’s Kids.
Later, after Gallagher was appointed the youngest-ever President of Social Venture Network — a national coalition of progressiveCEOs and investors — career expectations for him were high. Running a company or running for public office both seemed possible. Instead Chris chose music, a path that surprised everyone but himself. “For me it was about having the guts to admit that music had always sustained me,” says Chris. “I was happy in a suit and tie, in part, because I always had a place to trade them in for a pair of ripped jeans and a piano.”
Chris is finally showing his talent to the world, and proving to himself that that he made the right move. Will and Surrender has been a top-seller since it release (among 50,000 others) on CDbaby.com. And his live act is building a loyal following in and around San Francisco. Whether he’s playing acoustic sets at the Plush lounge or headlining at the Boom Boom Room with a full band, Gallagher is connecting with ever-growing crowds. ”I wouldn’t trade my professional experience for anything,” he says, “but its all about music now.”
“Music lovers have responded well to Gallagher's honest, upbeat flavor of acoustic soul…one music biz insider even compared him to a cross between John Mayer and Maroon 5 with a dose of Stevie Wonder.”
— SF Examiner
“an emerging soul singer/songwriter with a strong indie pop sound.”
— Boom Boom Room, San Francisco
“Gallagher's music is soulful sophisticated, and sexy.”
— The Independent, San Francisco
