Biography

1960s

While still at school in Middlesbrough and regularly attending private guitar lessons, Moody formed a band named The Roadrunners with several other local boys including Paul Rodgers (later to form Free and Bad Company), and later, Bruce Thomas, who would eventually play bass with Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The band were kept busy performing a range of covers in local halls and clubs. By 1967 they had developed and outgrown the local music scene so they took the decision to turn professional, change their name to The Wildflowers, and move to London. They had some success and undertook some touring, but relationships within the band frayed and they eventually split without ever releasing any recordings. Moody returned home to Middlesbrough where for a while he widened his musical horizons by taking classical guitar lessons. He also became increasingly interested in slide guitar techniques (a style he would later be closely associated with). While living in Middlesbrough he was asked by local singer and entrepreneur, John McCoy, to form a group which became Tramline. A deal for two albums was signed with Island Records, but by the time the second album was released the band had already split and gone their separate ways. At this point Moody joined Lucas and the Mike Cotton Sound who, as well as proving to be a highly polished Soul band, also acted as Gene Pitney's backing band for his UK tours as well as backing others, such as Paul Jones.

1970s

In 1970 he joined the recently re-patriated Zoot Money before replacing Neil Hubbard in Juicy Lucy. As a member of Juicy Lucy, he recorded three albums and toured extensively before the group disbanded. After the band split, Micky co-founded Snafu which combined his funk-rock guitar style with some down-home stateside grooves. The band recorded three albums - SNAFU, Situation Normal, and All Funked Up. They also appeared on a John Peel session, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Supersonic and toured extensively before the individual members headed off to pursue different ventures. Moody undertook occasional work as a session player before, during and after Snafu, most notably for Graham Bonnet. He also contributed to one track on City to City by Gerry Rafferty. Moody performed as an original member of Status Quo drummer John Coghlan's Diesel Band, then recorded an album with the band's tour manager and lyricist, Bob Young. The result was Young & Moody. He then toured with Frankie Miller and guested with Hinkley's Heroes before hooking up with another friend from the North East, David Coverdale. Micky had known Coverdale from the local music scene in the Middlesbrough area in the late sixties, but by this point Coverdale had been fronting Deep Purple and was looking to undertake a solo venture. He invited Moody to assist and the result was the album White Snake released in 1977 which was followed by a second album Northwinds in 1978. Moody shared writing credits on four of the nine songs on Whitesnake (including the title track) and three of the eight songs featured on Northwinds. With the demise of Deep Purple MkIV, Coverdale and Moody joined forces with Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Dave 'Duck' Dowle and keyboardist Brian Johnston (replaced after a few months by Pete Solley) to form a band that took its name Whitesnake from the title of Coverdale's first solo album. In 1978 they recorded the EP Snakebite followed by two Studio albums: Trouble (also in 1978) and Lovehunter (1979) which were recorded by a modified line up with Jon Lord on keyboards. Moody is credited with co-writing four of the ten tracks on Trouble, and was sole author of a fifth (the lively instrumental, Belgian Tom's Hat Trick). He contributed to three of the ten songs on Lovehunter, most notably the title track. While working with Whitesnake he found time to play slide guitar on several tracks on Roger Chapman's debut solo album, Chappo.

1980s

Moody contributed slide guitar to three tracks on Ex-Lindisfarne Ray Jackson's solo debut In the Night released in 1980. By this point Whitesnake now featured Ian Paice from Deep Purple on drums, who had been brought into the group to replace Dowle. In 1980 this line up released the album Ready an' Willing, which spawned two UK single hits in the form of Fool for Your Loving and the album title track; Moody co-wrote both tracks. The band also released the double album Live...in the Heart of the City in that year. He also found time to write and record two singles with Bob Young. In 1981 Graham Bonnet released his album Line-Up which featured Moody playing guitar on all tracks and also featured three songs written by Moody in partnership with Bob Young. Micky maintained a busy schedule with Whitesnake and the band released the album Come an' Get It that year. Relationships within the band were beginning to sour and Moody's guitar partner Bernie Marsden left prior to the final completion of the next album Saints and Sinners. Moody himself followed soon after. The band was put on hold for much of 1982 and Moody undertook some session work, for the likes of Sheena Easton. By late 1982 Whitesnake were back, (with Mel Galley replacing Marsden), and a re-juvinated Moody joining Galley on the album's backing vocal sessions. Going into 1983, Coverdale replaced Ian Paice and Neil Murray with Cozy Powell and Colin Hodgkinson. However Micky was not particularly happy with the direction the new band was taking and felt increasingly sidelined by Coverdale. Despite the deteriorating situation within Whitesnake, Moody persevered with recording the Slide It In album (which he describes as an 'unhappy experience' ) before quitting the band in 1983 at the end of a tour. Moody went back to session work with a series of artists including Mike Oldfield, Gary Glitter, Mike d'Abo, and Roger Chapman as well as selected TV work. He toured with Chris Farlowe and also worked with ex-Meal Ticket singer Willy Finlayson and his band the Hurters. Taking a wry, yet witty view on some of the people and experiences they'd encountered over the years, he got together with Bob Young to write a book on musician's humour, the acclaimed Language of Rock and Roll. He also put together the first version of the Micky Moody Band featuring ex-Taste bassist Charlie McCracken and drummer Chris Hunt. Towards the end of the decade he and Bernie Marsden played selected venues with their own Moody Marsden Band.

1990s

During the early part of the 1990s, Moody toured extensively with Roger Chapman before re-uniting on a more permanent basis with his erstwhile Whitesnake guitarist-in-crime, Bernie Marsden, to tour and record with the Moody Marsden Band, concentrating mostly on the British and western European markets. Featured in various line-ups were drummers Zak Starkey, Terry Williams, John Trotter, Henry Spinetti and Dave Dowle; bass players Jaz Lochrie, Pete Stroud, Steve Price, Neil Murray and David Levy, and keyboard players Don Ariey and Josh Phillips. Guests in the studio included harmonica player Mark Feltham, keyboard player Volker 'Wolfman' Kunschner, brass players Nick Pentelow, Frank Mead and Martin Drover, and backing singers Monica Reed-Price and Mick Lister. The Moody Marsden Band recorded two live albums, Never Turn Our Back on the Blues and Live in Hell and a studio set, Real Faith. In 1996, Moody toured the USA as part of the Best of British Blues tour which also featured Eric Burdon, Alvin Lee, Aynsley Dunbar, Boz Burrell and Tim Hinkley. The following year, Moody and Marsden teamed up with Norwegian rockers Jorn Lande, Willy Bendickson and Sid Ringsby to form The Snakes, a band that specialised in re-producing the sounds of the original Whitesnake. Don Airey would often be brought in to augment them on keyboards. The band recorded two albums, Once Bitten and Live in Europe before making way for The Company of Snakes, which featured in its line up former Bad Company vocalist Robert Hart, original Whitesnake bass player Neil Murray and ex-Manfred Mann's Earth Band drummer John Lingwood. Hart was eventually replaced by ex-Snakes in Paradise frontman Steffan Berggren, and the band released two albums, Burst the Bubble and a live set, Here They Go Again.

2000s

In 2000, Micky wrote and produced library music prior to the release of his first official solo album, I Eat Them For Breakfast. Whilst continuing to perform with Company of Snakes and take on occasional session work, Moody joined his former Juicy Lucy bandmate Paul Williams to arrange and record a selection of classic Chicago blues tracks in a mostly 'unplugged' fashion; the result was Smokestacks, Broomdusters and Hoochie Coochie Men. He also started to play occasional gigs in a duo format with bluesman Papa George, and continues to do so. The next 'Snake' metamorphosis was into M3 Classic Whitesnake, and although ex-Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin was in the starting line-up, Stefan Berggren was soon back in the frontman's spot. M3 released a live CD featuring Martin, and a live DVD featuring Berggren with a guest appearance from former Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen frontman Doogie White. Also featured in this line-up were ex-Paul Rodgers Band, Go West and Tears for Fears drummer Jimmy Copley and keyboard player Mark Stanway from Magnum.

Around this time, Moody played on the album Nah Aufnahme by German superstar Westernhagen, which eventually topped the national charts. 2006 saw the release of Moody's self-produced solo album Don't Blame Me in tandem with the autobiographical Playing with Trumpets - A Rock 'n' Roll Apprenticeship, the latter recounting his early days in the music business, mostly in the company of Paul Rodgers. M3 broke up later that year, after which Moody performed more shows with Roger Chapman plus selected dates with a line-up of the Micky Moody Band that featured his eldest son Micky Moody Jr. on drums. In 2008 he toured Japan as special guest of Jimmy Copley and Japanese guitar legend Char. Also featured was ex-Herbie Hancock bassist Paul Jackson and keyboard wizard Yoshinobu Kojima. The shows were recorded and released on DVD as Jimmy Copley & Char: Special Session. To celebrate his love of instrumental music, Micky wrote and produced Acoustic Journeyman (2007) and Electric Journeyman (2009).

2010s

In 2011, Moody co-wrote library music for both Warner/Chapell and Universal before co-forming Snakecharmer, a stellar line up which also includes former Whitesnake colleague Neil Murray. He also performed regularly alongside blues guitarist Papa George, and has been an active member of the Sunflower Jam house band and the Bad Apples.

Discography

With Tramline

• 1968 Somewhere Down The Line
• 1969 Moves of Vegetable Centuries

With Juicy Lucy

• 1970 Lie Back and Enjoy It
• 1971 Get a Whiff a This
• 1972 Pieces

With Snafu

• 1973 Snafu
• 1974 Situation Normal
• 1975 All Funked Up

With The Moody Marsden Band

• 1992 Never Turn Our Back on the Blues
• 1994 live in Hell
• 1994 The Time Is Right For Live
• 1994 Real Faith
• 2000 The Night the Guitars Came to Play

With Bob Young

• 1977 Young and Moody
• 1995 The Nearest Hits Album
• 2010 Back for the Last Time Again

With David Coverdale

• 1977 White Snake
• 1978 Northwinds
• 2003 The Early Years

With Whitesnake

• 1978 Snakebite
• 1978 Trouble
• 1978 Live at Hammersmith
• 1979 Lovehunter
• 1980 Ready an' Willing
• 1980 Live...in the Heart of the City
• 1981 Come an' Get It
• 1982 Saints & Sinners
• 1984 Slide It In (UK version)
• 1994 Greatest Hits
• 2003 Best of Whitesnake
• 2003 The Silver Anniversary Collection
• 2004 The Early Years
• 2008 30th Anniversary Collection
• 2011 Box of Snakes

With The Snakes, Company of Snakes & M3

• 1998 Once Bitten (Japan)
• 1998 Live in Europe
• 2001 Here They Go Again
• 2002 Burst the Bubble
• 2005 Classic Snake Live
• 2005 Rough An' Ready (live album, CD)
• 2007 Rough An' Ready (live album, DVD)

With The Little House Band

• 2000 Christmas 2000 (COS line up as The Little House Band) Unreleased Promo, Cover Songs

With The Majesticaires

• 2001 Solid Rock (COS line up as The Majesticaires) Unreleased Promo, Cover Songs

With Snakecharmer

• 2013 Snakecharmer

With The Bad Apples

• 2014 Played

Solo

• 2000 I Eat Them for Breakfast
• 2002 Smokestacks Broomdusters and Hoochie Coochie Men (with Paul Williams)
• 2006 Don't Blame Me
• 2007 Acoustic Journeyman
• 2008 Live and Rocking! - Live at the Hell Blues Festival 2000 (Micky Moody & Friends)
• 2009 Electric Journeyman

Guest appearances

• 1969 You Can All Join In (VA)
• 1970 Zoot Money (Zoot Money)
• 1973 In Memory of Robert Johnson (Paul Williams)
• 1973 I Never Got (Tony Kelly)
• 1973 Manor Live (VA)
• 1973 Me and My Friend (Patrick Campbell Lyons)
• 1974 Funkist (Bobby Harrison)
• 1975 Squire (Alan Hull)
• 1975 Legend (Mickey Jupp)
• 1977 Graham Bonnet (Graham Bonnet)
• 1977 Fancy That (Joanna Carlin)
• 1977 City to City (Gerry Rafferty)
• 1979 Chappo (Roger Chapman)
• 1981 Line Up (Graham Bonnet)
• 1982 Riff Burglars (Roger Chapman)
• 1982 Madness, Money & Music (Sheena Easton)
• 1986 In Quo Country (Bob Young)
• 1987 Islands (Mike Oldfield)
• 1987 Party Album (Gary Glitter)
• 1987 Reaching Out (Paul Millns)
• 1987 Indestructible (Mike D'Abo)
• 1987 No Angel (Sanne Salomonsen)
• 1988 New Day (Jane Harrison)
• 1989 Walking The Cat (Roger Chapman)
• 1990 Hybrid and Lowdown (Roger Chapman)
• 1991 Blue-Eyed Slide (Brian Knight)
• 1992 Parlour Games (John Spencer)
• 1992 Blues Brittania (VA)
• 1992 Waiting in the Wings (Chris Farlowe)
• 1992 Very Much Alive (Willy Finlayson and The Hurters)
• 1993 Midnight Postcards (Adam Faith)
• 1994 Tellin' Stories (Walter Trout)
• 1994 Line Up (Borderline)
• 1995 Together (Peter Smith)
• 1995 Green and Blues (Bernie Marsden)
• 1996 Kiss My Soul (Roger Chapman)
• 1996 Blue Thunder (Blue Thunder)
• 1998 Pinboard Wizards (Jackie Lynton)
• 2000 Here After (Jamie Marshall)
• 2000 Gimme All Your Topp (VA)
• 2000 Snakebites (VA)
• 2000 Glory Bound (Chris Farlowe)
• 2001 Another Hair of the Dog (VA)
• 2001 Tam de ti ye... (Ani Lorak)
• 2002 Fairytale (Peer Gynt)
• 2002 Who's He Calling Me Him (Norman Beaker Band)
• 2003 Freak Out (Chris Catena)
• 2004 On The Wire (Smokie)
• 2005 Nah Aufnahme (Westernhagen)
• 2007 One More Time For Peace (Roger Chapman)
• 2007 Human Spirit (Gary Fletcher)
• 2008 Slap My Hand (Jimmy Copley)
• 2009 Live at Abbey Road (Endangered Species)
• 2010 Live in Kawasaki/Demons & Wizards in Kawasaki (Official Bootleg) (Uriah Heep)
• 2013 The Proof (The Proof)
• 2013 Tailshaker (Brothers in Blues)
• 2013 Friends for a LIVEtime (The Hamburg Blues Band)
• 2014 Celebrating Jon Lord (VA)
• 2015 Hold On (Eugene Hideaway Bridges)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]