We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Don Moors. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Don below.

Don, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

In High School when I was already playing music. My friends would work in grocery stores and park cars, etc. after school every day. I would play weddings and parties on weekends, have fun, meet girls, etc. A little voice went off in my head that said “This is better than getting a job!” and I never did…

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have a very eclectic background. Initally took drum lessons at 6 years old (because a drummer uncle wanted to live his life vicariously again through me) and subsequently trained as a jazz player (by Berklee College, Cal Tjader and Randy Weston) but underpinned by my West Indian roots and, with a lengthy stint making R&B records in L.A., I brings a unique sensibility to Mallet Percussion.
I spent nearly two decades as a performer and recording artist in Los Angeles touring with artists including Freddie Hubbard, Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Randy Weston and Junior Cook among others and recording with LTD,
The Manhattans, Tavares, Taj Mahal & John Handy for A&M, Electra-Asylum and Columbia and can be heard on a variety of Motown tracks as well. I am equally at home with straight ahead jazz, funk, fusion and pop music all layered with my Caribbean origins.
When the technology revolution eliminated my studio career I – out of necessity – began a lengthy teaching career on multiple levels, Elementary, middle school, high school and even some college.
Rarely have I done anything outside the music industry. Because I’m a Vibraphonist I found early on that I’d have to create my own opportunities because very few bands think to hire mallet players. So I became a bandleader in my mid 20s.
It was during this period that I began writing in earnest and, because I worked frequently with singers, wrote a lot of vocal music and lyrics as well.
I’m most proud that after 60 years as a professional musician I’ve lived a normal, stable life and still have a skill set that enables me to entertain and inspire an audience.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The collapse of the studios was a difficult time. I saw it coming and didn’t believe it. I was doing an overdub session where it would usually be me, a drummer and a string session. Showed up with the drummer and was expecting 12-16 string players. There were none. Just a guy with a keyboard. He turned it on, hit a chord, and there were the strings.
The drummer said, ” We’re in big trouble. As soon as they capture what we do on chips, we’re unemployed!”
I didn’t believe him. He added, ” I give it a year, year and a half at best.” It was literally 10 months from that conversation!
I sat around like a Pony Express rider waiting for the trains to go out of business (for the fad to blow over…) It didn’t.
So I was faced with a choice. I didn’t want to leave music, I definitely didn’t want to go back into bars working to 2:00am
So…, I came to the realization that private and parochial schools couldn’t afford to maintain music teachers on staff.
I solicited local schools with this proposal. “I’ll give you a full blown instrumental instruction program at no cost to you, bill parents a nominal fee so more with participate, you supply me with clients and a facility and I make a living in the aggregate.
It worked! I began with four schools and ended up with more than 20 and hired teachers to help me. I did that for more than 20 years while I got my performing career back on track. How’s that for resilience?

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I didn’t choose the music business. It chose me. The downside is – if you miss the rich & famous step, you spend more time chasing work than working. The upside however is – I’ve spent my life making others happy, I’m leaving a legacy that will survive me and my grandchildren will still get to experience grandpa’s work with their children. I couldn’t say that if I, for example, worked in an insurance office. It was worth all the struggle…

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donmoors.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw8v6OaxVKzIQIEqmKglqag