R. Stevie Moore

Infobox Musical artist
Name = R. Stevie Moore

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Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Robert Steven Moore
Alias =
Born = Birth date and age|1952|1|18|mf=y
Origin = Nashville, Tennessee / Essex County, New Jersey, United States
Instrument = Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, vibraphone, synthesizer, drums
Genre = DIY, rock, jazz, punk / New Wave, country, classical, experimental, R&B
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1955–present
Label = Vital, HP Music, Flamingo, New Rose, Hamster, Cordelia, Megaphone, Fan Club, CDRSM, Fruit of the Tune, Jar Music, Evelyn Place Tapes, Old Gold, Innova, The Orgone Company, Heliotrope, Comfort Stand, WM Recordings
URL = [http://www.rsteviemoore.com www.rsteviemoore.com]
Notable_instruments =

Robert Steven Moore (born January 18 1952) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. In addition to numerous official releases on labels in countries around the world, he has also self-released over 400 cassette and CD-R albums, as well as dozens of home videos, mostly through the R. Stevie Moore Cassette Club, his home-based, self-run label.

Moore lives and records in his home/studio in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

He is the son of bassist Bob Moore, the preferred session bassist of Elvis Presley.

In February 2005, newspaper writer Tammy LaGorce described Moore as a "lo-fi legend" in the New York Times.LaGorce, Tammy. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E04E4DD173AF930A25751C0A9639C8B63 "IN PERSON; Independently Unwealthy"] , "The New York Times", February 13, 2005. Accessed October 29, 2007. "People tell me I'm shooting myself in the foot, releasing so much -- I've heard that for years," Mr. Moore said in a confessional tone over a cheeseburger at a downtown tavern here in Bloomfield, where he lives."] [ [http://www.moorestevie.com/press/nytimes05.html New York Times, Sunday February 13, 2005 ] ]

Biography

Moore, born in Nashville, Tennessee, made his commercial recording debut at the age of seven, singing the duet "But You Love Me, Daddy" with Jim Reeves for the RCA Victor label, on an album entitled "Songs to Warm the Heart." [ [http://www.comfortstand.com/catalog/008/index.html Comfort Stand Recordings — R. Stevie Moore - Tra La La La Phooey! ] ] Dillingham, Mick (1989) "R. Stevie Moore - The Best Kept Secret In The World", "Bucketful of Brains" issue 29, Apr/May 1989, p.6-9]

In 1966, Moore began pursuing what would become his life-long passion, home tape recording, using a reel-to-reel machine set up in his basement. Soon after, in 1967, he formed his first band, The Marlborough (a rock combo). [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kpfuxqw5ldde~T1 allmusic ((( R. Stevie Moore > Biography ))) ] ] He also began working for his father, bass player Bob Moore, as a studio musician, assistant and johnny-on-the-spot at his thriving music publishing company. [http://www.furious.com/Perfect/rsteviemoore3.html Perfect Sound Forever: R. Stevie Moore retrospective ] ]

After dropping out of Vanderbilt University in 1971 to pursue a career as a professional artist, performer and entertainer Moore issued his home-recorded 1976 debut album "Phonography" on his uncle Harry "H.P." Palmer's "HP Music" label. The initial run was limited to 100 copies. Trouser Press gave the album rave reviews, calling it "an outrageous collection of musical brain spewage" and "a true slash of genius". Moore moved from Nashville to New Jersey shortly afterwards, his uncle releasing two further collections, The "Stance" EP, and "Delicate Tension" in 1978 (Moore's home tape releases continuing at the same time). In 1996, in a gesture far overdue, "Phonography" was listed among "the fifty most significant indie records" in "Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama". [Schinder, Scott: "Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama", 1996, Delta, ISBN 978-0385313605]

1980 saw an important tape release, "Clack", this time recorded professionally. In 1981, Moore set up the RSM Cassette Club as an outlet for his home-recorded work, making available all tapes recorded by Moore stretching back to 1968, each listed with a 'listenability quotient' rating from 1 to 10.

The next LP release was 1984's "What's The Point?!!" and in the same year Paris' New Rose Records issued a double album compilation, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About R Stevie Moore But Were Afraid To Ask". The label described Moore as "one of the best songwriters of all time". "Everything" proved particularly popular in France, with a single "Chantilly Lace" from the album becoming a minor sleeper hit there, and prompting Moore to undertake a promotional visit to the country, where he was welcomed with not insignificant adulation and press-buzz. Further albums followed in the 80s, including "Verve", "Glad Music" (this time recorded in a professional studio), "(1952-19??)", and "Teenage Spectacular" (described by Moore as "the most enjoyable project of my career".

During the 1980s Moore appeared sporadically on the Uncle Floyd TV show, a tongue-in-cheek, public-access style clown, puppet and variety show that broadcast out of New Jersey.

Moore was an early on-air personality at WFMU, an independent free-form radio station out of New Jersey. [ [http://wfmu.org/playlists/ST Archives for R. Stevie Moore ] ]

Around 1988, Moore started working in home video, and he is now active on YouTube and MySpace.

The advent of CD-R as a medium for self-issued music brought Moore and his fans new enthusiasm for his home recording, and in 1999 the cassette club became the "R. Stevie Moore CDR Club" (CDRSMCLUB).

In 2002 Moore recorded an album with Half Japanese frontman Jad Fair, titled "FairMoore", described as "a lovely, heartfelt effort that shows both in top form" by Dave Mandl, who stated that it "brings together two fiercely original figures in the American music underground", the album consisting of Fair reciting his poetry over Moore's instrumental backing. [ [http://www.thebrooklynrail.org/music/winter03/notesfromunderground.html The Brooklyn Rail - Music ] ]

Throughout the 2000s Moore, has continued to issue more official CD's released on various independent labels around the world. He also worked on several mail collaborations with Terry Burrows (aka Yukio Yung), Ariel Pink, Lane Steinberg and others.

Moore contributed a track to the 2007 "Worried Noodles" compilation on Tomlab, alongside David Byrne, Deerhoof and Liars, compiled by British artist David Shrigley. Shrigley also interviewed Moore for BOMB Magazine magazine that year.

Discography

Albums

* "Phonography" (1976) Vital, (1978) H.P. Music, (1998) Flamingo
* "Delicate Tension" (1978) H.P. Music, (2004) Cordelia
* "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About R. Stevie Moore But Were Afraid To Ask" (1984) New Rose
* "What's The Point?!!" (1984) Cuneiform
* "Verve" (1985) Hamster
* "Glad Music" (1986) New Rose
* "R. Stevie Moore (1952-19??)" (1987) Cordelia
* "Teenage Spectacular" (1987) New Rose
* "" (1988) New Rose
* "Thoroughly Years (Phonography 2)" (1989) Hamster
* "Has-Beens and Never-Weres" (1990) Heliotrope
* "Greatesttits" (1990) Fan Club
* "Contact Risk" (1993) Fruit Of The Tune
* "Revolve" (1995) Pink Lemon
* "Objectivity" (with Yukio Yung) (1997) JAR Music
* "The Future Is Worse Than The Past" (1999) Megaphon
* "Dates" (with Dave Gregory) (1999) -
* "FairMoore" (with Jad Fair) (2002) Old Gold
* "Hundreds of Hiding Places" (2002) Megaphon
* "Hobbies Galore" (His Best 24) (2003) Lost Frog
* "Nevertheless Optimistic" (2003) Innova
* "Tra La La La Phooey!" (2004) Comfort Stand
* "The Yung and Moore Show Vs. The Whole Goddam Stinkin' World" (with Yukio Yung) (2006) Orgone
* "Disorganized Overactivity Or Tabitha Soren" (2006) Forty-Seven
* "Meet The R. Stevie Moore" (2008) Cherry Red

ingles/EPs

*"Roger Ferguson and Ethos" (1973) Basic Sounds Ltd.
*"Four From Phonography" EP (1977) H.P. Music
* "Stance (e.p.)" (1978) H.P. Music
*"Goodbye Piano"/"I Wish I Could Sing" (1978) Flamingo
*"New Wave"/"Same" (1979) Classass Music Industries
*"Chantilly Lace" + "Teen Routines"/"Bloody Knuckles" (1984) New Rose
*"I Hate People"/"Everyone But Everyone" (1992) Singles Only Label

References

External links

* [http://www.rsteviemoore.com/ R. Stevie Moore official]
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=r_stevie_moore RSM at Trouser Press]
* [http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/extreme-stylistic-variety-an-interview-with-r-stevie-moore/ 2006 interview]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bwpdxlfke5cqu RSM at All Music Guide]
* [http://www.rsteviemoore.com/youtube.html RSMtv videos at YouTube]
* [http://www.moorestevie.com/2/wfmu.html RSM at WFMU NJ freeform radio]
* [http://www.lostfrog.net/releases/lf060mp3.html Hobbies Galore] " (2005) - a greatest hits compilation from the Lost Frog netlabel
* [http://www.comfortstand.com/artists/rsteviemoore.html R. Stevie Moore releases] at the Comfort Stand netlabel
* [http://innovarecordings.com/artist1.asp?skuID=99 Nevertheless Optimistic] on the Innova label
* [http://www.myspace.com/thersteviemoore RSM at MySpace]
* [http://www.fortysevenrecords.com/ Disorganized Overactivity or Tabitha Soren] Free album download from Forty-Seven Records
* [http://www.furious.com/perfect/rsteviemoore.html "Do-It-Yourself till you bleed" - Interview by Alfred Boland (June 2000)]
* [http://www.united-mutations.com/m/rsteviemoore.htm Partial discography and interview]
* [http://www.bombsitebeta.com/issues/101/articles/2951 Bomb Magazine feature]