Tim Moore is an American singer and songwriter who recorded five albums for David Geffen's Asylum record label. A self taught musician, Moore grew up in Philadelphia where he went to art school and began to play his self-penned songs at local coffee houses. His rock career began as guitarist-singer with DC & the Senators, a cover band opening Philadelphia arena rock shows. During this early period, he also played drums with blues band Woody’s Truck Stop, the first Philadelphia band to feature Todd Rundgren. Producing more and more songs during this time, he and a friend, Jeff Scott, formed The Muffins, the first group to perform and record Tim Moore originals, many of which Scott wrote lyrics for. The Muffins had minor US success on RCA records with a Kinks influenced single, ‘Subway Traveler,’produced by Cameo-Parkway founder Bernie Lowe.
After the Muffins disbanded, Frank Zappa heard Moore's songs, which he found harmonically advanced for the period, and brought him to New York with the intention of signing him to Bizarre Records. Moore declined the signing when tour scheduling kept Zappa from producing the album himself. Tim returned to Philadelphia and worked as a staff writer and session guitarist on sessions with Thom Bell, Gamble and Huff and other Philly Soul producers. During this time, Moore lived next door to Daryl Hall in downtown Philadelphia where they both pulled salaries as staff writers. Hall and Moore co-wrote material for a band they founded , Gulliver which released one album on the Elektra label.
After the breakup of Gulliver, Moore moved to Woodstock, NY, then the hometown of Bob Dylan, The Band, and Van Morrison, seeking a more personal approach to his music. He struck a deal with ABC-Dunhill records that produced the first Tim Moore single, "A Fool Like You" (1972) on which Donald Fagan sang backup. (Moore also sang backup on the first Steely Dan single, "Dallas.") In 1973, he teamed with producer Nick Jameson to record his first solo album, Tim Moore. Jameson provided him the Beatles-like studio freedom he had long sought. For the first time, Moore assembled his own tracks as a multi-instrumentalist, layering guitar, keyboard and bass parts over drum tracks by Bernard Purdie and Russ Kunkel. Three singles, "A Fool Like You", "Second Avenue" and "When You Close Your Eyes", received much airplay in the US and UK. But as "Second Avenue" was headed up the US charts, the album's distributor (Paramount) abruptly ceased record operations. Because his single was already climbing the charts, the sudden release from contract spurred a Tim Moore bidding war between Clive Davis and David Geffen. By the time the deal went to Geffen, Art Garfunkel had released a competing version of "Second Avenue". This 'cover battle' effectively defeated both records' chances for a hit. Tim's version of "Second Avenue" made #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The following year he released "Behind The Eyes", featuring what remains his best-known song in the U.S., "Rock’n’Roll Love Letter", a hit for the Bay City Rollers a year later. Moore's guitar work on "Rock'n'Roll Love Letter" drew the attention of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. The two became friends and Moore spent two weeks guesting on guitar with the Stones and Peter Tosh during their rehearsals at Bearsville Studios.
Although Moore was signed to Los Angeles based Asylum Records, he didn't record in L.A. until his third album White Shadows. This more highly polished collection teamed Moore with Michael McDonald, David Foster, the Eagles Timothy B. Schmidt, drummer Jeff Porcaro, Little Feat's Bill Payne, and other L.A. based talent. The band he assembled for the American tour in support of "White Shadows" featured Brian Wilson's bassist, Bob Lizik, Philadelphia drummer Steve Shive, David Livingston on guitar and a Bob Lizik compadre from Chicago, John Melnick on keyboards. Lizik and drummer Steve Shive were featured players on his next album, "High Contrast" on Electra Asylum, produced by legendary producer/engineer, Ken Scott who previously had produced albums by David Bowie, Supertramp, Dixie Dregs, Stanley Clarke and was the second engineer to Geoff Emerick on the Beatles White album.
Tim Moore's albums were highly praised by critics. Other acts continued to mine his new releases for songs, but neither of these achievements brought Moore wider public attention in his homeland. Instead, he found success outside the US while promoting his fifth album, 'Flash Forward' which was produced by Rob Freeman. In the late eighties, Tim spent 75 days touring Brazil after his romantic beat-ballad 'Yes' from 'Flash Forward' went to number one and held that position for many months. 'Yes' enjoyed a similar run of success in Portugal in 1988.
Performers who have recorded Tim Moore songs include Art Garfunkel ("Second Avenue"), Cher ("Love Enough"], Bay City Rollers ("Rock’n’Roll Love Letter"), Etta James ("Charmer"), The Records (another version of "Rock’n’Roll Love Letter"), Maxine Nightingale ("I Think I Want to Possess You"), Ian Matthews ("A Fool Like You"), Colin Blunstone ("I Can Almost See The Light", "When You Close Your Eyes", "Second Avenue"), Cliff Richard ("Love Enough"), Clifford T. Ward ("I Got Lost Tonight"), Jimmy Witherspoon ("Aviation Man").
Album discography
- Tim Moore (1974)
- Behind The Eyes (1975)
- White Shadows (1977)
- High Contrast (1979)
- Flash Forward (1985)
External links
