Daniel Moore

Even if you don't know Daniel Moore the singer, most likely you're familiar with his songwriting talent. The songs he wrote that went gold include Three Dog Night's recording of "Shambala" during the early '70s, and "My Maria," which was originally recorded by B.W. Stevenson, Moore's co-writer on the song. Country duo Brooks & Dunn later included "My Maria" on their album Borderline and scored a hit when they released it as a single. Sweet Forgiveness, a Warner Bros. album from Bonnie Raitt in 1976 that earned gold status, took its title from a track penned by Moore. Among the other artists who have recorded his songs are Kenny Rogers, the Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Blue Bland, Dizzy Gillespie, David Clayton Thomas, Canned Heat, Thelma Houston, the Dillards, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jennifer Warnes, the Band, Kim Carnes, Maria Muldaur, and Danny Flowers. In addition, Moore's "Fire in the Hole" appeared in Fire Down Below, a film featuring Steven Seagal released in 1997. He launched his own label, DJM Records, that same year.

Moore was born in Washington state in 1941 and raised in Athena, OR. He was one of seven sons born into a family headed by a father who was a preacher. After high school, he set off for the city of Eugene, where he spent three years attending college. In 1962, he relocated to Los Angeles. Before two weeks had passed, he landed a contract to record for Everest. The following year, he performed with Jimmy Rogers, contributing backing vocals and acoustic bass. With the Fairmount Singers, Moore also held down a gig as Rogers' opening act. His "Deliver Me" was put out by the Everly Brothers in 1967. The dawn of a new decade found Moore working with Cocker, touring as part of his Mad Dogs and Englishmen. He kept writing, started producing, and also put out an album of his own through ABC Records. In 1973, Moore and Three Dog Night struck gold with "Shambala," followed by Stevenson's release of "My Maria." By the early '80s, Moore was part of outfits called the Moore Brothers Band and the Renegade Band. During this time he also traveled, contributing background vocals on a Carnes' tour. Two years before, Moore also produced one of her albums. ~ Linda Seida, Rovi