The Multitasker

AUSTIN WILLACY "91 trades teaching for songwriting.

Back when he entered Dartmouth,

Willacy would have laughed if someone had predicted he'd become a professional musician. He'd fully intended to become a lawyer, just like both his parents, his siblings and several relatives. With the help of a few friendsmost notably Andrew Garrod, director of Dartmouth's teacher education program—Willacy found his true calling.

Garrod had heard Willacy perform in College; he sang in the Dartmouth Aires, Glee Club, rock band Snuffleufugus and folk/pop ensemble Spanache. "This guy was grooming me to be a teacher," Willacy recalls, "and yet he was telling me, There's a different part of you that comes alive when you're onstage when you're singing—and you're quite good. You really might want to give that some thought'"

After graduating with a degree in psychology Willacy followed Garrod's advice, joined the nascent House Jacks, an a cappella group in San Francisco, and never looked back. He has since performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, sharing the stage with James Brown, the Pointer Sisters and LL Cool J.; he's been featured live on radio and television stations, from ABC to BBC and CBS to CNN; he's the voice on the popular video games Karaoke Revolution and Guitar Hero, singing covers of Queen, Patsy Cline and Toby Keith; and he's got a fan base that includes Bill Clinton and L.A. DJ Rick Dees.

Remarkably, Willacy never received formal music training. "I just sort of read some books and started doing it," he shrugs. As a sophomore he wrote two songs, then took up the bass as a senior, finishing five or six tunes by the time he left Hanover. He credits Dartmouth for giving him the discipline necessary to become a singer with an extraordinary vocal range as well as an accomplished guitarist, bassist and songwriter. "I discovered I'm good at learning things I care about and I can multitask—the way you have to at an institution like Dartmouth."

With seven CDs and a threeyear contract with Warner Brothers to his name, Willacy is now preparing for a national tour in November (austinwillacy.com) as well as the fall releases of two new albums, one a solo effort (9 Impossible Proofs) and one with the House Jacks (Get Down Mr.President).