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The Moffatts' No. 1 Fan
August 1999
Source: Bop Magazine

If it weren't for their dad's devoted support, the quartet responsible for the rockin' "Until You Loved Me" would be unknown in the music world

Growing up as the kids of two professional singers, Moffatt brothers Scott and triplets Clint, Bob and Dave recall music being a part of their lives ever since they were tiny tots in their native Canada. So it couldn't have been much of a surprise to their parents, Frank and Darlana, that these boys would want to follow in their footsteps . After all, a good portion of their childhoods were spent in recording studios, watching Dad and Mom sing their hearts out.

But as Frank tells BOP, he was stunned silly when his sons--now accomplished musicians ages 16 and 15 (times three!)--told him that they wanted to pursue a music career. "I was totally against this at first because they were like 6 and 7 years old and I thought, 'You guys are out of your head," Frank remembers. "You don't know how tough this job is,' I said. "This is just going to kill us.'"

Had the four talented elementary schoolers not ben so headstrong, they might have taken their dad's initial advice and poured their hearts into another interest, perhaps one that was less competitive. Fortunately, these inherent musicians, who are now reaping the rewards of 1999's Chapter I: A New Beginning, let Dad's deterrents go in one ear and out the other! The Moffatts were born to be musicians--even if it took teaching themselves to play instruments to prove how serious they were. So Scott took up the guitar, Clint picked up the bass guitar, Bob started banging on the drums and Dave hit the keyboards. And as time proved, Clint tells us, "Music is our lives. We couldn't imagine doing anything else."

While they boys were campaigning to take their show on the road, Frank was enrolled in a course on how to become an entrepreneur so he could start his own business. Finally, after attending several classes, it dawned on him that while he was trying to create something for himself, he was telling his boys to do the exact opposite. So from that point on, not only did Frank totally support Scott, Clint, Bob and Dave's aspirations to be the greatest music group of all time, he became actively involved in helping make their dreams come true--even relocating the family to Nashville, Tennessee so the li'l cuties could concentrate on their early country tunes (like the now-famous "Caterpillar Crawl"). "Our dad has been very supportive," adorable Dave will attest.

Road Rules
Although he isn't their manager, Frank, along with the boy's stepmom, Sheila, accompanies the quartet everywhere they go, whether it be a performance for 150 new fans in Los Angeles, California or a stadium show for 5,000 devotees in Indonesia. He figured that since his boys are sill at an age where they need to be chaperoned, who better to do it than he and Sheila (while their mom remains in Nashville). And not only that, someone's got to make sure they're keeping up with their studies! "For our parents, school comes before the music," Clint says, explaining why their dad and stepmom take the extra effort to homeschool them. "I think anybody's parents want their kids to grow up and be very well-educated, so we have to make time for that."

Not that that's a problem for The Moffatts. Though busy with extracurriculars, such as penning catchy tunes like "If Life Is So Short," these academicially-minded musicians rarely earn less than a B grade on any assignment. "It's a lot easier for us because there are four of us, so we do the same grade," reasons Bob, who just wrapped up the ninth grade with his three brothers/bandmates/classmates.

However, whenever juggling their careers with their school work starts to become too much to bear, dear ol' dad always helps them out, reminding his boys that they have to work hard to get ahead in life. "It's pretty intense and there's a lot of things to focus on," says Scott, pointing to the Spanish book he brought with him to the BOP photo shoot, "but we know that our education is very important, too, so we definitely take time for education every day as much as possible."

Family Fun
While touring the world 'round with their rock 'n' pop tunes while their dad and stepmom follow in tow with a stack of homework assignments may sound like a drag, there's actually a nonstop party atmosphere circling around The Moffatts. They may be serious when it comes to hitting the books or making sure their instruments and voices are tuned just right before a concert, but that's where the straight faces stop.

Hardly a day goes by when Clint, Bob, Dave, Scott and their dad don't lovingly tease or pull a prank on one another. Take, for instance, their most recent BOP photo shoot. While the four cuties continually change into stylish threads over and over again for all their pinup worthy pics, their dad hangs out in a pair of shorts and an Abercrombie & Fitch sweatshirt. Now you're probably thinking, "Why should their dad dress up, he's no having his picture taken," right? Well, true as that may be, Frank still needs his style council. "We have to get our dad clothes because he has no sense of style," Scott laughs, before pointing out that they gave their dad the cool sweatshirt for Christmas. "To the most important dinners, he'll still wear sweatpants."

Frank just sits back taking in all the sarcasm and then, just like a bobcat waiting for the right second to attack its prey, he takes his turn at Scott. "Hey, look how Scott makes the same silly face every time he smiles for a picture," Frank quips right as Scott poses for photog Joey. "He always raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth! Close your mouth, Scott!"

Still, Scott like the other Moffatt men, takes all the ribbing in stride--even if it is his special smile under attack. Because, deep down, Scott, Bob, Clint and Dave know that everything their dad does for them is done out of love--and if it weren't for their No. 1 fan, they wouldn't be where they are today.

Now go hug your own dad. After all, Father's Day is just around the corner!