Freddy Moore
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| Freddy Moore | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Frederick George Moore |
| Also known as | Rick 'Skogie' Moore |
| Born | July 19, 1950 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, rock and roll |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1964–1985, 1990–present |
| Labels | Rhino Records, Infinity Records, Radioactive Records, General Records, North Country Music, Mill City Records |
| Associated acts | The Kats (The Nu Kats, The Kat Club) Boy, Skogie, Skogie and the Flaming Pachucos |
| Website | demophonic.com |
Frederick George "Freddy" Moore (born July 19, 1950) is an American rock musician.
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[edit] History
Moore was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up obsessed with the newly popular Beatles, and moved to San Francisco, California in June 1964. "I didn't have any friends and really didn't want any. I just sat in my room and played Beatle songs and wrote my own." Moore poured through rock fanzines, absorbed and dissected every Beatles album that came out, and listened exclusively to the Fab Four and the Kinks. By October 1964, he had unequivocally decided his vocation was playing rock and roll music and he started writing. "I noticed that the Beatles wrote their own songs, so I figured that to be a rock musician you had to write your own songs."[1]
"In the summer of 1964, right after 'A Hard Days Night' came out, my cousin Danny and I spent two weeks making wooden replicas of the Paul McCartney bass, the John Lennon rhythm guitar, George Harrison's lead guitar, and Ringo Starr's drums. We used to lip-synch to records. Danny and I wanted to play real music, the others wanted to lip-synch, but we finally got them going. We learned 'You Really Got Me' by the Kinks, the Beatles' 'And I Love Her' and my first original composition 'Baby Be Mine'."[1]
By the age of thirteen, Moore formed his first bands and started teaching reluctant copycat cohorts to play his songs. His narrow interests and extreme diffidence made finding other players difficult.[1] Throughout his teens, he worked on his guitar and arranging skills.
He graduated from Richfield, Minnesota High School in 1968. Fearful that he would be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study Music Theory and Composition under composer Dominick Argento.[1]
At the University of Minnesota, Moore met organist Randy Pink, who both taught him to play the organ and invited him to join his band, The Pink Project. Although the Pink Project never made it beyond the rehearsal stage, Randy Pink did introduce Moore to the influential music of Thelonious Monk and other Jazz musicians.[1] Another professor, Argento increased his interest in another influential band, The Mothers.[1]
By the age of 19, Moore–a prolific writer–had written out the chords, melody and lyrics for over 90 songs, forgotten or lost perhaps 90 more, and learned to arrange, score, play guitar, piano, organ and drums. He still wanted to be a rock star, but had rarely played in front of an audience.[1]
[edit] Early professional days
Moore's first professional band, An English Sky, was invited to play at an Edina, Minnesota junior high school's music festival. The other members of An English Sky were uninterested, so Moore decided to play the gig himself with backup from the band Euphoria; this would be his first official performance as Skogie. After unsuccessfully attempting to integrate An English Sky, Euphoria, and Skogie into a ten-person band, Moore wrote a letter and fired everyone but himself and Goldstein, hired 3 people back, and formed Skogie and the Flaming Pachucos phase I.[1]
Skogie rehearsed obsessively—usually from 10:30 to 12 a.m., and sometimes would go all night. Most of their rehearsal time was spent on creating complex song arrangements. Moore offered up thirty songs from the two hundred he had already composed and each week drew a new song out of a hat for the band to rehearse. A song was usually ready for performance after one week of arranging and an additional week of rehearsal.[1]
Skogie released a single in June 1972 with the help of producer/manager David Zimmerman (Bob Dylan's brother), and released a follow up album in 1974. Creem magazine later named Skogie one of the first power-pop bands.[2]
[edit] Hollywood days
In 1976, after extensive national touring and recording experience at three Minneapolis studios, Skogie decided to head to Los Angeles.[2] "We were in the right place at the right time - making bad business moves.[2]
Moore soon became the San Fernando Valley's answer to England's Jeff Lynne, the guiding influence behind the Electric Light Orchestra. Although ELO's orchestrated pop style bears absolutely no resemblance to the rocky bebop sound of Moore's group, The Kats, the two bands have one thing in common – strong leadership. Like Lynne, Moore functioned as his band's lead singer, rhythm guitarist, sole composer and conceptual designer.[3]
Moore invented an on-stage persona—a cat named Freddy. Buoyed by the band's good-natured rock 'n' roll vibes, this song pattern eventually evolved into a rock opera of sorts.[3] Moore took his on-stage persona very seriously and often pantomimed being a cat. Young girls responded by enticing Moore toward them with promises of cat food tidbits from Purina and Friskies boxes and pelting the other Kats with handfuls of dry kibble.[3]
The Kats signed their first recording contract with Infinity Records; they rushed The Kats into Shelter Studios on Sunset with Tom Petty's production team. Just as final mixes were being completed Infinity Records was dissolved by its parent company MCA Records. There was no one left to pay the Shelter Studio bill so "The Kats - Get Modern" became known as "The Great Lost Kats Album". The master tapes remain locked in the Shelter Studios vault.
Shortly after the Infinity Records fiasco lead guitarist Pete McRae departed. The four remaining Kats renamed themselves The Nu Kats,[4] fired their management, signed with Rhino Records, recorded "Plastic Facts" and filmed the video "It's Not A Rumour" featuring actress Demi Moore, who had married Freddy Moore in February 1980 at the age of 18 (they divorced four years later).
The Nu Kats dissolved in 1981. Moore moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan and joined local NYC band The Dates. "I answered an ad in the Village Voice that read 'Wanted: Lead Singer/Lead Guitarist influenced by Squeeze and The Beatles'". Moore became a Singer/Guitarist/Composer of The Dates.
After an illness in the family brought him back to Los Angeles, Moore remained in LA and formed a new pop-influenced band called Boy. Boy released a record on Radioactive and Freddy received a Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA card while portraying 'Arn' in the 3-D film 'Parasite'; the music of Boy can be heard on the soundtrack.
Boy disbanded in 1983. The Moore brothers continued writing, arranging and recording new material for approximately another year. They played a few industry showcases under the name BFM (Bobbyzio and Freddy Moore).
[edit] Back to the studio
In 1990, Moore started writing again. He and several ex-bandmates began recording and releasing CDs of the new material under the name The Kat Club.
[edit] Discography
- Skogie and the Flaming Pachucos: Call Me Crazy - North Country Music – 1972
- Skogie: The Butler Did It - Mill City Records – 1973
- Skogie: There's A String Attached... - General Records – 1974
- Various: L.A. In - Rhino Records featuring The Kats – 1979
- The Kats: Get Modern - Infinity Records – 1979
- The Nu Kats: Plastic Facts - Rhino Records – 1980
- Various: Yes Nukes - (compilation) Rhino Records with The Nu Kats – 1981
- Film Soundtrack: Parasite - featuring Boy – 1982
- Boy: Next Door - Radioactive Records – 1983
- Film Soundtrack: Scarred - featuring Boy, The Nu Kats – 1984
- Film Soundtrack: Spring Fever - featuring The Nu Kats – 1985
- Film Soundtrack: Loose Screws - featuring The Nu Kats – 1985
- The Kat Club: House Combinations - General Records – 1997
- The Kat Club: Source Mississippi - General Records – 2001
- The Kat Club: los Angelenos - General Records – 2007
[edit] Filmography
- I'm A Kat (1979), United Artists Pictures – Using an experimental 70mm 3D filming technique.
- It's Not A Rumor (1981), Director: Philip Brewin Cheney, Cinematograher: Jan de Bont
- Parasite (1982), Director: Charles Band, Cinematograher: Mac Ahlberg
[edit] Videography
- Lost My TV (1979), Hollywood Heartbeat – Pre-MTV rock television series.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Skogie and the Flaming Pachucos By Tom Mutha. Insider Magazine. May 1972
- ^ a b c Nu Kats Grin and Teddy-Bear It. By Laura Fissinger. The Reader. 1980.
- ^ a b c Freddy Moore is The Kats' Meow. By Laurie Bereskin. L.A.Daily News. 1979.
- ^ Nu Kats to Pounce on Riverside. By Mark Muckenfuss. The Highlander. April 17, 1980.
