Deacon John Moore (born June 23, 1941,
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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
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Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

) better known as Deacon John, is a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

musician, singer, actor, and bandleader. John Moore was given the name "Deacon" by one of his band members. He did not like the name at first as he thought everyone would assume he was a gospel singer and never get gigs. However, based upon his early reputation, and at the urging of a music promoter, he decided to keep it as has been "Deacon John" ever since.

Career

Moore grew up in New Orleans' 8th Ward. He plays guitar and is the brother of the Creole scholar

Sybil Kein Sybil Kein (also known as Consuela Provost, born 29 September 1939) is a Louisiana Creole poet, playwright, scholar, and musician. Provost was born Consuela Marie Moore on 29 September 1939. She largely created the field of Creole Studies through ...

. He was active on the New Orleans R&B scene since his teens, and became a session man on many hit recordings of the late 1950s and the 1960s, including those by

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

Lee Dorsey Irving Lee Dorsey (December 24, 1924 – December 1, 1986) was an American pop and R&B singer during the 1960s. His biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and " Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with ...

Ernie K-Doe Ernest Kador Jr. (February 22, 1933 – July 5, 2001), known by the stage name Ernie K-Doe, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law", which went to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart in the U ...

, and others. His band The Ivories at New Orleans'

Dew Drop Inn Dew Drop Inn may refer to: *Dew Drop Inn (New Orleans, Louisiana) *Dew Drop Inn (Mountain View, Arkansas) *Dew Drop Inn (musical), 1923 Broadway musical {{disambiguation ...

attracted an enthusiastic following, sometimes upstaging visiting national acts Moore was hired to open for. While highly regarded locally and by his fellow musicians, lack of hit records under his own name kept him from the national fame achieved by a number of his peers. In 2000 Moore was inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame. He is featured in the documentary segment ''Going Back to New Orleans: The Deacon John Film'' and the concert CD, ''Deacon John's Jump Blues'' (2003). he remains a local favorite on the New Orleans music scene. On July 25, 2006 Moore became president of the local branch of the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...

. On April 10, 2007, Moore's son Keith was shot and killed at the age of 42, in New Orleans. Keith was locally famous in New Orleans as

ambient noise Background noise or ambient noise is any sound other than the sound being monitored (primary sound). Background noise is a form of noise pollution or interference. Background noise is an important concept in setting noise levels. Background no ...

artist, Jambox Pyramid, and member of the punk band Manchild. In addition, Keith co-founded the experimental music event Noizefest in 2005 with local producer Sir Stephen, as an alternative, modern addition to the

Jazzfest The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

festivities. In January 2008, Deacon John was selected to close the Inauguration of Louisiana Governor

Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. The only living former Louisiana governor, Jindal also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives a ...

by performing "

God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version was notably recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature s ...

" with the 156th Army Band and a Navy fly-over of jets, and later headline the Governor's Inaugural Ball. In 2008, in ceremonies and performance at the

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is the regional, pre-professional arts training center for high school students in Louisiana. NOCCA opened in 1973 as a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. Locate ...

, Deacon John was inducted into The

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the state ...

Acting career

Moore had his first taste of acting 1987 by appearing in the horror film ''

Angel Heart ''Angel Heart'' is a 1987 American neo-noir psychological horror film, an adaptation of William Hjortsberg's 1978 novel ''Falling Angel''. The film was written and directed by Alan Parker, and stars Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, a ...

''. Moore did not appear on the big screen again until 2013 when he had a cameo in another horror film, ''

The Last Exorcism Part II ''The Last Exorcism Part II'' is a 2013 American supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly. It stars Ashley Bell, Julia Garner, Spencer Treat Clark, and Louis Herthum. It is a sequel to ''The Last Exorcism'', and was re ...

''. Moore also guest starred in a few episodes of '' Treme'' during 2010.

Discography

*1990 ''Singer of Song'' (Singer of Song) *1999 ''Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1994'' (RedBone) *2003 ''Deacon John's Jump Blues'' (Vetter) ''CD & DVD''

Filmography

References

External links

Deacon John's Jump BluesNAMM Oral History Interview with Deacon John Moore
March 19, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Deacon John 1941 births American bandleaders American rock guitarists American rock musicians American rock singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans Living people Tambourine players Singers from Louisiana Guitarists from Louisiana 20th-century American guitarists African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers