Davey Ray Moor
Encyclopedia
Davey Ray Moor is an England
-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer.
Moor was born in Beirut
and raised in Australia, and now lives in England
. He first came to musical prominence in Sydney
as keyboard player, and occasional vocalist, for an independent rock outfit The Crystal Set
and psychedelic
band The Church
(see Remote Luxury and Persia). After recording four singles and one album (which featured the Moor penned "Flat Earth") with The Crystal Set, Moor left both the band and Australia for the United Kingdom
where he began working at The Beatmasters' studio as a composer.
Moor later established a recording studio near Glastonbury
where, for the next decade, he composed soundtrack
s for television, film and documentaries. In 1998, with partners Robin Brown and Zennor Alexander, Moor contributed the soundtrack to the BAFTA-winning Best Documentary for a Channel 4
"Dispatches" film. Other prizes included Best Short for an MTV
ident at the New York Film Festival
in 1993.
Clients across this period include Pepsi
, Budweiser
, Bacardi
, Nintendo
, Nissan, Remington
, the BBC
, Channel 4, ITV
, MTV, VH-1 and Sky
. All the while Moor continued to dabble in original music, eventually writing all the songs that were to become the launchpad for Cousteau
.
Toward the end of the nineties, Moor recruited Cousteau
and the band recorded a collection of his songs. In 2001, Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures released the recordings as a self-titled album. With baritone
Liam McKahey singing all but two of the songs (Moor leads the vocals on the others), Cousteau
's lounge-set sound was presented with the perfect raft upon which Moor's romantic sound could float. The band received both enthusiastic reviews (Single of the Week, The Times, Album of The Week, The Guardian, 5-stars, Uncut) and sales throughout the United Kingdom and Europe
and met with substantial success in the United States
.
Capturing the allure of its predecessor, a second album Sirena replicated its critical and substantial commercial success yet Moor departed the band prior to their third American tour. Instead he chose to work as a producer on Italian
singer Cristina Donà
's album, which achieved critical acclaim and went to No. 4 on the Italian Charts.
In 2004, with the assistance of vocalists Sergio Cocchi, Darion Marshall, Christina Dona and Debbie Sanders, Moor released his first true solo endeavour "Telepathy" on NuN/Edel in Europe. 4 and 5 star reviews across publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine and All Music followed, and Telepathy was included in Musica's Critics Top 100 in 2004 - one of two albums that Moor wrote and produced - the other being Cristina Donà
's debut album in English.
In 2005 Telepathy was released by Lakeshore Records throughout the US. Critical reaction was again enthusiastic, some describing the album as the best work of his career.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer.
Moor was born in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and raised in Australia, and now lives in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He first came to musical prominence in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as keyboard player, and occasional vocalist, for an independent rock outfit The Crystal Set
The Crystal Set
The Crystal Set was a Sydney-based Australian indie rock band formed in the early 1980s featuring Russell Kilbey , Phillip Maher , Davey Ray Moor and Tim Seckhold ....
and psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
band The Church
The Church (band)
The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
(see Remote Luxury and Persia). After recording four singles and one album (which featured the Moor penned "Flat Earth") with The Crystal Set, Moor left both the band and Australia for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he began working at The Beatmasters' studio as a composer.
Moor later established a recording studio near Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
where, for the next decade, he composed soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s for television, film and documentaries. In 1998, with partners Robin Brown and Zennor Alexander, Moor contributed the soundtrack to the BAFTA-winning Best Documentary for a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
"Dispatches" film. Other prizes included Best Short for an MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
ident at the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
in 1993.
Clients across this period include Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, Budweiser
Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
, Bacardi
Bacardi
Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, Nissan, Remington
Remington
- People :* Eliphalet Remington , American firearms designer* Philo Remington , American firearms and typewriter manufacturer, son of Eliphalet Remington* Frederic Remington , American painter and sculptor...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Channel 4, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, MTV, VH-1 and Sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
. All the while Moor continued to dabble in original music, eventually writing all the songs that were to become the launchpad for Cousteau
Cousteau (band)
Cousteau are a London-based band who enjoyed considerable international success, particularly in Italy and the U.S. from 1999 to 2003. The band's sound has been compared to Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker and David Bowie with an updated contemporary edge....
.
Toward the end of the nineties, Moor recruited Cousteau
Cousteau (band)
Cousteau are a London-based band who enjoyed considerable international success, particularly in Italy and the U.S. from 1999 to 2003. The band's sound has been compared to Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker and David Bowie with an updated contemporary edge....
and the band recorded a collection of his songs. In 2001, Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures released the recordings as a self-titled album. With baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Liam McKahey singing all but two of the songs (Moor leads the vocals on the others), Cousteau
Cousteau (band)
Cousteau are a London-based band who enjoyed considerable international success, particularly in Italy and the U.S. from 1999 to 2003. The band's sound has been compared to Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker and David Bowie with an updated contemporary edge....
's lounge-set sound was presented with the perfect raft upon which Moor's romantic sound could float. The band received both enthusiastic reviews (Single of the Week, The Times, Album of The Week, The Guardian, 5-stars, Uncut) and sales throughout the United Kingdom and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and met with substantial success in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Capturing the allure of its predecessor, a second album Sirena replicated its critical and substantial commercial success yet Moor departed the band prior to their third American tour. Instead he chose to work as a producer on Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
singer Cristina Donà
Cristina Donà
Cristina Donà is an Italian singer and songwriter.She developed a passion for music since she was a teenager, her favorites singers being, among others, Bruce Springsteen, Sinéad O'Connor, Joni Mitchell, Michelle Shocked, Tom Waits, Lucio Battisti, and Beatles .She studied at Accademia di Belle...
's album, which achieved critical acclaim and went to No. 4 on the Italian Charts.
In 2004, with the assistance of vocalists Sergio Cocchi, Darion Marshall, Christina Dona and Debbie Sanders, Moor released his first true solo endeavour "Telepathy" on NuN/Edel in Europe. 4 and 5 star reviews across publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine and All Music followed, and Telepathy was included in Musica's Critics Top 100 in 2004 - one of two albums that Moor wrote and produced - the other being Cristina Donà
Cristina Donà
Cristina Donà is an Italian singer and songwriter.She developed a passion for music since she was a teenager, her favorites singers being, among others, Bruce Springsteen, Sinéad O'Connor, Joni Mitchell, Michelle Shocked, Tom Waits, Lucio Battisti, and Beatles .She studied at Accademia di Belle...
's debut album in English.
In 2005 Telepathy was released by Lakeshore Records throughout the US. Critical reaction was again enthusiastic, some describing the album as the best work of his career.