About Me
Once Vinnie Moore picked up his first guitar (a Kay) at the age of 12, he became, as he describes it, a guitar freak. His earliest influences included - among others - Jeff Beck, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Queen.
Vinnie took lessons with a private instructor and at 14, he joined his first band, jamming on cover tunes with drums, bass, 2 guitars and vocals. After a few years of playing with different bands, Vinnie decided it was time to make the jump from covering songs to creating his own music. He quit the band, got a 4-track tape recorder, and began experimenting by recording his ideas and building them into songs. It was evident that he had found his calling; this was the start of his journey as a songwriter.
After many hours of creating tunes with his 4 track, Vinnie sent a demo to Guitar Player magazine, and came to national attention via its "Spotlight" column, written by Shrapnel Records exec Mike Varney. This led to Vinnies first professional work in the music business which was writing and playing the music for a national Pepsi TV commercial.
In 1987, Shrapnel released Vinnie's breakout album, Mind's Eye.
Vinnie was quickly heralded "best new talent" in Guitar Player, Guitar, and Guitar World magazines.
In 1988, Squawk/Polygram released Vinnies second effort (and major label debut) Time Odyssey, which solidified his reputation as a musical innovator.
His third release was Meltdown, in 1991 (on Relativity/Epic Records); the song Meltdown received national radio airplay on both album-oriented rock (AOR) and hard rock formats.
In 1996, Mayhem Records released Out of Nowhere, with Brian Tichy (Billy Idol) on drums and Dorian Heartsong (Powerman 5000) on bass.
On The Maze (in 1999), Vinnie was joined by former MSG drummer Shane Gaalaas, bassist Dave LaRue (The Dregs and The Steve Morse Band) and renowned master musician Tony MacAlpine ..boards. The Maze was stunning, rooted in the progressive neo-classical style that had already generated legions of loyal fans. Vinnie also displayed a new-found maturity in his songwriting; now, many of his diverse and exotic musical influences, including Latin, Jazz, and the Blues, began finding their way into his signature sound.
Other albums followed: Live (in 2000), with Shane Gaalaas (drums), Barry Sparks on bass, and Wayne Findlay ..boards,
and Defying Gravity in 2001 with Dave LaRue (bass), Steve Smith (Journey) on drums, and David Rosenthal ..boards.
As a performer, Vinnie Moore's resume is impressive. A member of Alice Cooper's band, he toured the U.S. on the Operation Rock'N'Roll tour, and also performed on Alices album Hey Stoopid.
Vinnies own band has toured extensively as a headliner and also was chosen as opening act for legendary rockers Rush on the Northeast leg of their Roll The Bones Tour. Vinnie also toured Japan as a member of the T.M. Stevens band, which included Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic) ..boards, Wil Calhoun (Living Color) on drums, and Al Pitrelli (Megadeth) on guitar.
Vinnie has done hundreds of guitar clinics all over the world including such places as, Japan, Scandanavia, Italy, Poland, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, England, Germany and Australia.
In 2003, Vinnie joined the legendary group UFO (Phil Mogg, vocals; Pete Way, bass; Jason Bonham, drums; Paul Raymond, keyboards).
Their first effort together as a band was the SPV Records release, 'You Are Here' (in 2004); Vinnie was a major songwriting contributor on this record. The band followed You Are Here with a worldwide tour which spanned from March 2004 to August 2005.
SHOWTIME - Double Live CD
SHOWTIME - Double LIVE DVD
A LIVE DVD from this tour was released in Nov 2005, along with a double live CD. Titled UFO Showtime, the two-DVD set also includes bonus footage of the band.
UFO - SHOWTIME Showcase
The bands second studio album, 'The Monkey Puzzle' came out in 2006 and marked the return of original UFO drummer Andy Parker. The boys have been touring Europe and will be doing shows in Russia in the fall of 2007. USA shows will follow in spring of 2008.
Vinnie is currently mixing his newest instrumental CD, which will hit the market in the near future.
October 2007 - Vinnie has just joined Dean Guitars and will be unveiling a Vinnie Moore Signature Guitar at NAMM '08.
Over many years, Vinnies 4-track recorder has grown into a home studio, where hes recorded his last two solo CDs, and parts of the UFO CD. Vinnies home studio is the place where he writes new music.
As well as songwriting and playing, Vinnie is dedicated to teaching. He has conducted guitar clinics around the world, and has released two instructional videos on the HotLicks® label (see the Music page for more information). Vinnie joins his fans at clinics worldwide for Ernie Ball Strings and Music Man Guitars, and for DiMarzio pickups.
