Keb Mo: Biography

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• Kevin Moore

Birth Name:

Kevin Moore

Born:

Oct 3, 1951 in Los Angeles, CA

Genre:

Rock Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Popularity

Low

Ratings Guide

Keb' Mo' draws heavily on the oldfashioned country blues style of Robert Johnson, but keeps his sound contemporary with touches of soul and folksy storytelling. He writes much of his own material and has applied his acoustic, electric, and slide guitar skills to jazz and rockoriented bands in the past as well. Born Kevin Moore in Los Angeles to parents of Southern descent, he was exposed to gospel music at a young age. At 21, Moore joined an RB band later hired for a tour by Papa John Creach and played on three of Creach's albums. Opening for jazz and rock artists such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jefferson Starship, and Loggins Messina helped broaden Moore's horizons and musical abilities. Moore cut an RBbased solo album, Rainmaker, in 1980 for Casablanca, which promptly folded. In 1983, he joined Monk Higgins' band as a guitarist and met a number of blues musicians who collectively increased his understanding of the music. He subsequently joined a vocal group called the Rose Brothers and gigged around L.A. 1990 found Moore portraying a Delta bluesman in a local play called +Rabbit Foot and later playing Robert Johnson in a docudrama called Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? He released his selftitled debut album as Keb' Mo' in 1994, featuring two Robert Johnson covers, 11 songs written or cowritten by Moore, and his guitar and banjo work. Keb' Mo' performed a wellreceived set at the 1995 Newport Folk Festival. Keb' Mo's second album, Just Like You, was equally wellreceived. Slow Down followed in 1998 and Door was issued two years later. Big Wide Grin followed in 2001, while 2004 saw the release of two albums, Keep It Simple and Peace...Back by Popular Demand.

- Steve Huey, All Music Guide