The singer who secretly replaced Boston’s Brad Delp in 1981 has finally told his story. Niagara Falls-based musician Mark Dixon was hired by Boston mainman Tom Scholz in 1990, at a time when frontman Brad Delp was uncertain about his future with the band.
Not knowing if Delp would commit to Boston’s delayed follow-up to 1978’s second album Don’t Look Back, Scholz placed an anonymous advert in the December 11, 1980 issue of Rolling Stone, asking for singers who could replicate the high vocal parts of “Chicago, Foreigner, Bad Company and, of course, Boston” and offering $50,000 for a year’s work.
Up in Niagara Falls, Dixon, who was then fronting local band Avalanche and avoiding full-time employment, saw the ad and made a tape in his basement. He recorded three songs, including a version of Boston’s Let Me Take You Home Tonight…