Historic Marker Ceremony to Honor African-American Musician William Moore in 
Tappahannock on Saturday, December 3, 2005, at 1:00 p.m.; "William Moore Day" 
Proclaimed

—11/16/05— In the 1920s, Victor, Paramount, Columbia, and other major 
recording companies realized that the American public would buy records reflecting 
the rich traditional music of the South, including blues, old-time, and gospel. 
 Thus it came to be that William Moore, a Tappahannock barber, would record 
in Chicago for Paramount Records and become an icon for blues and ragtime 
aficionados today.  On Saturday, December 3, 2005, at 1:00 p.m., Moore will be 
honored in Tappahannock with the unveiling of a Virginia State Historical Marker.  
 The marker is on Route 17, directly across the street from the Essex County 
Public Library at 117 North Church Lane, where a post-unveiling celebration 
will take place.  In honor of this tribute to Moore, the Essex County Board of 
Supervisors has declared December 3, 2005, "William Moore Day" in Essex County. 
This event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the James 
River Blues Society and the Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and 
Historical Society of Virginia. 

The William Moore marker is the fourth in a series of markers erected across 
the state of Virginia honoring early blues pioneers.  Sponsored and funded by 
the James River Blues Society in Lynchburg and coordinated by Gregg Kimball of 
the Library of Virginia, the markers honor the significant contributions of 
African-American musicians to Virginia's and America's musical heritage.  
Previous markers have honored Carl Martin of Big Stone Gap, Luke Jordan of 
Lynchburg, and John Jackson of Rappahannock County.

The Essex County Public Library will be mounting a display of items related 
to Moore's life and the distinctive Piedmont or East Coast guitar style that 
Moore's music embodied.  Included in the display will be the Yazoo Records card 
set "Heroes of the Blues," illustrated by famed artist Robert Crumb, and 
featuring William Moore as card number 1.  This honor reflects Moore's enduring 
popularity among 78-rpm record collectors and blues musicians and fans.

The event will also feature music and interpretation by Mike Baytop of the 
Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.  The Foundation, 
based in the barbershop of Virginia-born bluesman Archie Edwards, carries on the 
legacy of the Piedmont musical style and the tradition of the house party.  
Local musicians gather at the barbershop on Saturdays to jam and socialize with 
residents and visitors.  In that spirit, musicians are encouraged to "sit in" 
with Mr. Baytop at the dedication events in Tappahannock.   

While we still do not know exactly how William Moore came to be recorded by 
Paramount, information about his life and music is available.  Moore was born 
in Georgia on March 3, 1893, the son of Harriet and Frank Moore. Moore moved to 
Virginia in the 1920s, after marrying Gwendolyn Gordon of Warsaw.  His guitar 
playing was characteristic of the syncopated East Coast style that was common 
in both states.   

Moore recorded for Paramount Records in 1928 in Chicago, and eight songs were 
commercially released of sixteen that received a copyright. Some of the 
issued recordings bear the name "Bill Moore."  Moore's "Old Country Rock," is a 
fine example of a country dance tune, with a caller imploring various family 
members and fellow dancers to "rock," before telling them to "step back and let me 
rock." The song's narration refers to the Rappahannock River and the town of 
Tappahannock, where Moore worked as a barber in Bob Clark's shop.  Moore's 
song "Barbershop Rag" testifies to both his skilled guitar playing and to his 
profession.  Virginia audiences no doubt appreciated his twelve-bar blues songs, 
such as "Midnight Blues," and the references to Ford motor cars and banking 
problems in "Ragtime Millionaire," a variation on Irving Jones's novelty 
composition.  One of Moore's sons, William Edsel Moore, remembers his father 
performing "Midnight Blues," "Ragtime Millionaire," and "Tillie Lee," another popular 
tune, although later in life his father became a church deacon and shied away 
from performing secular material, preferring sacred songs. The Moore family 
lived close to the First Baptist Church in Tappahannock and residents of the 
town recall him performing on the guitar, piano, violin, and accordion.  Moore 
later plied his trade in Fredericksburg and Warrenton.  He died on Nov. 22, 
1951, and is buried in the Warrenton Cemetery.

                                                                      *******

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html