Bob Mosley

Bob Mosley (born James Robert Mosley, December 4, 1942, in Paradise Valley, California) [ [http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-mosley-rock-artist?cat=entertainment Bob Mosley profile] from www.answers.com.] is principally known as the bass player and one of the songwriters and vocalists for the band Moby Grape. He has also developed a career as a solo artist. Three of his best known songs with Moby Grape are "Mr. Blues", from the first Moby Grape album (1967), ["Mr.Blues" is described by reviewer John Reed as follows: "(B)assist Bob Mosley...not only looked like a combo of a pugilist and a surfer, but his songwriting agility was just as unique. 'Mr. Blues' may appear to be an homage to the blues artists that influenced the band - but this is no Muddy Waters remake - as Mosley exercises his depression demons, but then wonders where the feelings that caused all his sadness has gone too. Amongst an upbeat rhythm (and) defiant lyrics (is) a throaty delivery from Mosley that is so gritty, yet sweet, that he almost creates his own version of 'black and blue eyed soul'. [http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/05/17/131328.php Review of Listen My Friends! The Best of Moby Grape] , May 17, 2007. Blogcritics Magazine; www.blogcritics.org.] "Bitter Wind", from Wow/Grape Jam (1968) and "Gypsy Wedding", from 20 Granite Creek (1971). [A rearranged version of "Gypsy Wedding" appears on Bob Mosley's self-titled first solo album (1972). The song was also included on The Ducks' setlist, when Bob Mosley was playing in that band with Neil Young.] He has had a varied career, including a period in 1977 playing with Neil Young in a band called The Ducks, [Pat Mead, [http://www.human-highway.org/pages/stories/ducks.html The Ducks!] Recollection, including band photo.] which had a brief life and lamented demise.

Bob Mosley's career has been plagued by the challenges of schizophrenia, as was the case with Moby Grape bandmate Skip Spence. Both musicians were homeless for several years. Mosley's schizophrenia was first diagnosed after he left Moby Grape in 1969, following the release of Moby Grape '69. Mosley shocked the remaining band members, in leaving the band to join the Marines. It was during basic training with the Marines that Mosley was first diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. He was discharged from the Marines nine months after basic training. [See Steve Leggett, [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:h9frxq85ld0e~T1 Profile of Bob Mosley] ; www.allmusic.com]

In 1996, three of Mosley's fellow band members, Jerry Miller, Peter Lewis and Don Stevenson, in part reformed Moby Grape with the objective of helping Mosley recover emotionally and financially. [Nickey Baxter, [http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/08.08.96/grape-9632.html Raisin Band] MetroActive, August 8, 1996. At the time, Skip Spence was not well enough to participate in the band reformation.] Bob Mosley describes the circumstances as follows: "In 1996, Peter Lewis picked me up along the side of a San Diego freeway where I was living, to tell me a ruling by San Francisco Judge Garcia gave Moby Grape their name back. I was ready to go to work again." [ [http://www.taxim.com/items/tx2078.htm Bob Mosley commentary] in relation to the circumstances ultimately leading to the recording of "True Blue". Earlier attempts by Moby Grape band members to help Mosley out of homelessness had been less successful. One such attempt is described by Peter Lewis as follows: "We went to find Bob, and there he was, living in this cardboard box. He had these friends, the squirrels and the lizards that he had. And I brought this guitar, cost me a hundred bucks, you know, and I left that with him and a tape of Moby Grape songs and a tape recorder with batteries in it and some extra batteries. So the next weekend, I came back, and there was no guitar, but the cassette case... He had tried to tear all the tape out of it and had left it, you know, down there in the bushes. And that's all that was left. Bob was gone, you know." Paul Conley, [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17498799 Moby Grape just can't catch a break] "All Things Considered" newsletter, December 21, 2007.]

Unlike bandmate Skip Spence, whose musicial output largely ceased within a few years of the onset of schizophrenia, Bob Mosley has been able to continue to write songs and record music for much of his life. His most recent solo release is "True Blue", released on the Taxim label in 2005. [For a series of pictures of Bob Mosley, taken in 2005, see [http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/548286046npojnR here] For a photo of Bob Mosley at the 2007 "Summer of Love" reunion festival, at which Moby Grape performed, see [http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://bp3.blogger.com/_ERgOsWpv_r4/RtxbVa7orQI/AAAAAAAAB0I/OJo2MKz3_m8/s320/2007%2BBob%2BMosley.jpg&imgrefurl=http://javierlishner.blogspot.com/2007/09/en-paz-y-con-msica-un-verano-de-amor-de.html&h=320&w=240&sz=21&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=4PXikOSIYQGG7M:&tbnh=118&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBob%2BMosley%2Bphotos%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX here] .]

References

Solo Discography

[http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-mosley-rock-album?cat=entertainment "Bob Mosley"] (1972)

[http://www.taxim.com/items/tx2053.htm "Never Dreamed"] (1974)

"Wine and Roses" (1986) Nightshift Records; acoustic five song mini-album

[http://www.answers.com/topic/live-at-indigo-ranch?cat=entertainment "Mosley Grape Live at Indigo Ranch"] (1989)

[http://www.taxim.com/items/tx2078.htm "True Blue"] (2005)

External links

* [http://www.bobmosley.com Bob Mosley's official website]

* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=189021298 Bob Mosley unofficial MySpace page]