Tony Moore

I am starting to believe that the town of Chicago develops nothing but amazingly talented musicians. We have featured drummers, keyboardists and bass players from the windy city who have enlightened us with their experiences and talent. This month is no exception with drummer, Tony Moore.

Tony is originally from Nashville, but relocated with his family to Chicago when he was four years old. His father was a physical education teacher for 30 years and his mother was a piano teacher. Both of his parents instilled an incredible work ethic and love of education in their son. A central part of Tony’s life was church and providing music. “My mother played piano, I played drums, my brother played trombone, and my Dad and sister both sang. In church we sometimes came out as The Moore Family to perform.” Having a mother who taught piano gave Tony his foundation in learning to appreciate music, although his love of drumming began as a little kid banging on the table with forks and spoons. His mother taught him to read music and to play piano. “My mother was taught the old school way with the oak batons coming across the knuckles when you made a mistake. I didn’t like that very much! So, I switched to drums. The first year on drums, I had a guy in Chicago that taught me to read music and taught me my way around the set.”

So, Tony stuck with the drums and when he was in high school played in almost every band there was. “In high school I played in the jazz band, marching band, and concert band, which really helped my musical training. I had a really hard band director from Chicago Vocational School. He was an old school teacher who didn’t believe in sparing the rod either! After high school, I went to college at Tennessee State in Nashville, where my father and grandfather went. I was also in a pop band called Best of Friends and then joined a Drum and Bugle Corps with these older gentlemen. I would wait at the train station and they would pick me up and take me to Des Plaines, IL, about an hour away. I would practice with them and they would just wear me out! Their chops were just amazing. It was funny because they would just drink beer and practice all day! They really wore me out. I’d be saying I can’t play anymore – my arms hurt, and they’d shout back “Keep going, keep playing!” I was in an all-city jazz band, also. I have no idea how I got any school work done.”