Byrd Moore
Byrd Moore (born April 1889 in Blackwater , Virginia , as William B. Moore ; † 1949 in Wise County ) was an American old-time musician who made numerous recordings as an accompanist and as a leader of his own group.
Life
Due to Moore's nomadic lifestyle, his way of life is unclear. He was probably born in Virginia in 1889. Moore roamed Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee all his life . He earned his living as a musician and also worked as a hairdresser. In the early 1920s, Moore lived in Whitesburg , Kentucky for some time , where he married.
A short time later he was living with the von Fiddlin 'Powers family of his own and taught Carrie Belle Powers to play the guitar . In the mid-1920s he played regularly with the banjo player Dock Boggs in Wise County. Overall, Moore was a sought-after accompanist as a guitarist . He often played with Clarence Ashley (guitar / banjo) and Clarence Greene ( fiddle ); both musicians were later part of his string band Byrd Moore and the Hot Shots.
On June 22, 1928, Moore made his first recordings in Richmond , Indiana , with an unknown banjo player for Gennett Records . How Moore got hold of Gennett is unclear. Bully of the Town, Careless Lover, Harvey Logan and All Night Long were recorded at this session . A second session in the fall of the year brought the two pieces Snack 'Em Back Blues and Back Water Blues for Gennett.
In April 1929 he made recordings with his friend Melvin Robinette. At the same time he was performing with the duo Burnett and Rutherford in the Monticello , Kentucky area. Overall, Moore made numerous recordings as an accompanist for Clarence Greene, Earl Johnson or Jess Johnston between 1928 and 1932 and held a session with the Hot Shots for Columbia Records in the fall of 1929.
Moore made his last recordings in August 1932 with his Hot Shots, which now consisted of other musicians. Of the four recorded songs, only two (Spring Roses / O Take Me Back) were released on Champion Records . In the early 1930s he lived in Esserville , Virginia with his wife, a black market trader. In the 1940s, Moore's alcohol consumption increased sharply - he probably also had diabetes . His health deteriorated rapidly and he finally gave up music in 1942. He spent his final years in the Wise County Poorhouse, a poor house where he reportedly died after 1949.
Discography
Recordings at Gennett were subsequently released under pseudonyms on Conqueror Records , Challenge Records , Champion Records and Superior Records .
year | title | # | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Gennett Records | |||
1928 | Hobo's Paradise / Harvey Logan | 6549 | |
Mama Toot Your Whistle / Bed Bugs Makin 'Their Last Go Round | 6586 | ||
All Night Long / Back Water Blues | 6686 | ||
The Bully of the Town / Snatch 'Em Back Blues | 6763 | ||
Birmingham Jail / When the Snowflakes Fall Again | 6841 | as Robinette and Moore | |
Flop Eared Mule / Last Days in Georgia | 6884 | as Robinette and Moore | |
Favorite Two Step / That Old Tiger Rag | 6957 | as Robinette and Moore | |
Mama Don't Allow No Hangin 'Around / Careless Lover | 6991 | as Robinette and Moore | |
1929 | Good Bye Sweetheart / Down on the Farm | 7068 | B-side by Asa Martin & Fiddlin 'Doc Roberts ; as Robinette and Moore |
Columbia Records | |||
Careless Lover / Three Men Went a-Huntin ' | 15496-D | as Byrd Moore and his Hot Shots | |
Frankie Silvers / The Hills of Tennessee | 15536-D | as Byrd Moore and his Hot Shots | |
Champion Records | |||
Pig Angle / Cincinnati Rag | 16357 | as Moore and Greene | |
Killin 'Blues / My Trouble Blues | 16469 | with Jess Johnston | |
Spring Roses / O Take Me Back | 16498 | ||
Superior Records | |||
Jake Leg Blues / Got the Guitar Blues | 2559 | as Bert Moss | |
Unpublished titles | |||
1928 |
|
Gennett | |
1930 |
|
Gennett | |
1930 |
|
Gennett | |
1932 |
|
Gennett |
literature
- Kip Lornell: Virginia's Blues, Country and Gospel Records, 1902–1942. University Press of Kentucky, 1989, ISBN 0-8131-1658-9 , pp. 115-119.
Web links
- Photo: Byrd Moore and his Hot Shots (Moore, Greene, Ashley)
- Byrd Moore on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Moore, Byrd |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Moore, William B. |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American old-time musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 1889 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Blackwater , Virginia |
DATE OF DEATH | 1949 |
Place of death | Wise County |