Oscar Moore

Texas-born Oscar Moore came from a musical family. His father, a blacksmith, had his own brass band, and his older brother Johnny had his own jazz band. As a child Oscar taught himself to play the guitar, and at age 18 began to tour the Southwest with a quartet led by his brother. A few years later he headed out to Los Angeles, and there gained a reputation as a top session musician. His talent impressed legendary jazz musician Nat 'King' Cole enough to offer Moore a spot in his trio. Moore's virtuoso guitar playing helped to make the trio among the most popular jazz groups in the country. However, when Cole began to take the group in a different direction, going more for a pop style of music than jazz, Moore objected, and soon left. He rejoined his brother's combo, whose jazz roots were more to his liking, and played clubs in the Los Angeles area, but eventually that group, too, changed direction, becoming more of an R&B band, and Moore left them also. He formed his own group with a pianist friend and a former bass player for the Cole trio, and they accumulated enough of a following to cut a few records for local Los Angeles labels. He retired in 1957 and, except for taking part in a tribute album shortly after Cole's death, never recorded again. He died n 1981.