Oscar Moore | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Oscar Moore (left) with Nat King Cole and Johnny Miller, c. June 1946 Photo:William P. Gottlieb | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Oscar Frederic Moore (1916-12-25)December 25, 1916 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 1981(1981-10-08) (aged 64) Clark, Nevada, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
Oscar Frederic Moore (December 25, 1916 – October 8, 1981)[1] was an Americanjazz guitarist with theNat King Cole Trio.
The son of a blacksmith, Moore was born inAustin, Texas, United States.[2] The Moore family moved toPhoenix, Arizona, where he began performing with his older brother Johnny, who played both trombone and guitar also had another older brother by the name of Frank Moore,a brother Will Moore as well as Two sisters Annie Moore and Helen Moore.
After moving toLos Angeles, he participated in his first recording session forDecca as part of the Jones Boys Sing Band led and arranged byLeon René. The group attracted local attention on radio and in two short films forMGM directed byBuster Keaton. Soon after, Moore accompanied pianistNat King Cole at the Swanee Inn in North La Brea, Hollywood. He spent ten years with Cole in the piano-guitar-bass trio format,[2] that influencedArt Tatum,Oscar Peterson,Ahmad Jamal.[1]
Moore placed or topped polls inDownBeat,Metronome, andEsquire magazines from 1943 through 1948. Art Tatum professed his admiration for Moore in a 1944 magazine interview.[1]
After he left the King Cole Trio in October 1947, he joined his brother inJohnny Moore's Three Blazers as a member of that group into the early 1950s.[2] Moore formed his own trio in 1952 and was active in Los Angeles.[2] He recorded sessions as a leader and as a sideman throughout the 1950s, but left the industry at the end of the decade.[2] He returned to the recording studio in 1965 to record a tribute to Cole and again in the 1970s, briefly backingHelen Humes. Moore died of a heart attack inClark, Nevada, in 1981.[1]
