Bob Moore was
proud when he accepted a prestige position working the Ozark Jubilee
with Red Foley at in 1952. But being on the road wasn’t easy
even for the ambitious Mr. Moore. Working simultaneously with Mr.
Red Foley in another state and with Marty Robbins in Nashville was
an exhausting work commitment. (It was necessary that Marty Robbins
and Red Foley carefully re-arranged their performance schedules
in order to use Bob and other band members who worked for both artists)
"I
remember commuting a thousand miles every week for two years when
I was working with Red Foley in Springfield, Missouri, and with
Marty Robbins in Nashville," he recalls,"and
that was before freeways when you had to drive two lane roads all
the way."
The 1950’s were magic years:
During this time, Owen Bradley was a moving force in the Nashville
record business. He was gearing up and building a studio. When Bradley
joined Decca Records, Moore's big break came. Among musicians, he
was first call and played on records with Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee,
Chet Atkins, Rex Allen, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn,
Eddie Arnold, Bobby Darin, Floyd Tillman, Faron Young, Web Pierce,
Lefty Frizzell, Connie Francis, Bobby Helms and many lesser known
artists who are now considered, among the young audience, to be
"rockabilly" treasures. These include artists such as
Johnny Burnette, Ronnie Hawkins, Johnny Carroll, Johnny Horton,
Ronnie Self, Warren Smith and many more.
Studio
Workbook 1 |
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Studio
Workbook 2 |
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His association with Bradley,
whom Moore remembers as "one of the best record producers
I ever worked with," helped to develop Moore's subtle style.
"No matter how good a musician you
are technically, what really matters boils down to your taste
in playing. A lot of guys can play a hundred notes a second; some
can play one note and it makes a lot better record. It comes with
age, experience, being willing to learn". Besides
good taste, Moore is known for his ability to "lead" a
singer or other musicians through a song with his choice of notes
by giving them a firm foundation they can depend on. His dependability,
his rock solid beat, his impeccable timing, and his ability to work
well with other musicians were the keys to his success in the recording
studio. He served as session leader on most of his record dates.
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