R. Stevie Moore

R. Stevie Moore is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

The son of Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan bassist, Bob Moore, Stevie started out as a session musician like his father. After touring for some years through the Midwest with various cover bands he eventually left his hometown of Nashville to start a life in New Jersey where he took up a job as a mall attendant and began working on what would become a monumental collection of music releases. That being said, Stevie had been recording full-length albums on reel-to-reel tape in his parents’ bedroom in Nashville from as early as 1968.

Moore was a pioneer of early home recording and a DIY approach and aesthetic. To this day he is without management and serious publishing despite releasing over 400 albums and 2,000 songs. RSM’s style can be characterised by the Lo-fi genre, of which he came to be known as its Godfather. Due to his relentless commitment to home recording and cassette culture he has never crossed into the mainstream industry, nor benefitted from a major label record deal, and his cassette and record sales are still largely managed on a mail order basis via the ‘R. Stevie Moore Cassette Club’.

Other stylistic elements include a strong sense of humour and a persistent comedic flavour. RSM has in the past attributed this to his love of Frank Zappa and his use of parody.

But perhaps most significant is Moore’s commitment to diversity and variety – ‘I love attempts at all genres and styles – even if I fail. It doesn’t matter.’