singer/songwriter, entertainer, guitar, bass, trumpet, producer
Brent Moyer’s earliest musical influences came while sitting at his bedroom window above his father’s Pennsylvania Dutch Bakery listening to his neighbor give clarinet and trumpet lessons. He decided, then and there at the age of 6, he was going to be a trumpet player when he grew up. He started to collect LP’s from his early heroes, Harry James and Al Hirt. All things were going to plan until one day, Brent’s mother and father came to him and said, “Son, pack your bags, we’re moving to Wyoming.”
There, Brent would stand outside the Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole and listen to bands cover the popular country tunes of the day—Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Buddy Holly—and at night, he would tune into KOMA in Oklahoma City and strum along with the Beatles and the Stones. Brent got his first guitar at age 13, learned 3 songs with 2 of his buddies, and played his first gig. However, the boys only knew those 3 songs, so they played them over and over and over. Brent has learned a few more songs since that dance, and after attending Berklee College of Music in Boston; he got a second musical education on the road.
In the mid 70’s, he recorded with folk-singer, Rachel Faro, for RCA Records where he had the opportunity to play with some of New York City’s top session players including Bonnie Raitt and record producer John Simon. He also spent time in Texas playing with Sammi Smith and David Allan Coe during the outlaw days of Willie and Waylon.
The 80’s found Brent in Florida with his own band gaining popularity with the release of his first recording, I’m Headed West. Encouraged by the response from Capitol Records in Nashville, Brent moved to Music City in 1986. Since then, he has released 3 tapes and 7 CD’s of original material: Bootleg Special, On Track, There She Goes, Live from the Bluebird Café, Point of View, Truth, Trust, Dreams & Heart, Fait Plaisir 2001, Keep Going On, Global Cowboy and Gypsy Rendezvous.
Brent is also known in Nashville as the co-founder and band leader of the Chili Shack Show, a musical variety show which aired locally and was performed live at the world famous Bluebird Café. Entertainment Tonight did a spot on the show that featured pop, disco diva, Donna Summer. Other artists who performed on the show include: Nancy Griffith, Faith Hill, Chris LeDoux, T. Graham Brown and Joe Diffie, Townes Van Zant, Allison Moorer, Riders in the Sky, hit songwriters—Kostas, Don Schlitz, Gary Burr—and more!
He has shared the stage with many legendary performers, including Willie Nelson and Carl Perkins and was Lynn Anderson’s guitar player for several years. In 2006 Brent made his Broadway debut at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC, in the Johnny Cash musical, Ring of Fire and was also in the world premier of Ring of Fire at Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, NY, and also in June 2009, at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada, CA.
Brent has produced and recorded with many artists and his songs have been covered by many including Joe Sun and Wayne Carson. The Moyer/Kostas collaboration, “Red Lips, Blue Eyes, Little White Lies”, recorded by Ottar “Big Hand” Johansen, was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy and also, recently released by MCA recording artist, Gary Alan. In 1990, Brent produced the Wyoming Centennial Record Project, Songs of Wyoming, a compilation CD to benefit the elderly and arts in Wyoming. He co-produced the Ron Davies CD, Where Does the Time Go, and has written music for the musical, Smokehouse.
Brent Moyer has delved deep into the heart of the musical experience all of his life, and he masterfully shares that experience with his audience. His live shows are marked by musical honesty and emotional intensity—and deliver a fun time for all. As a solo artist, Brent’s personable, unassuming style has gained him many loyal fans throughout the United States and Western Europe and he continues to amaze his fans with his virtuosity on guitar and trumpet and his diverse blend of musical styles ranging from Tex-Mex to country, Cajun to jazz. Brent is a true craftsman, songsmith, and entertainer—that’s what he does.
www.reverbnation.com/brentmoyer
