Joel Moss
Encyclopedia
Earlier Years
Joel Moss was born in 1946 in Detroit, Michigan to Jay Harmon and Dorothy Moss. Moss at a early age of twelve already was performing with various American and Canadian folk groups. He majored in architecture at the University of Minnesota. As a student he was able to work with the Minnesota Orchestra and recorded musician such as Al Jareau, Bobby LyleBobby Lyle
Bobby Lyle is a jazz, soul jazz, and smooth jazz pianist. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee but grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota in a home near the corner of Park Avenue and 32nd Street. His father, reportedly, was a sports writer for the Star Tribune newspaper.He had his first gig at 16 and...
, and Willy Weeks. When folk music's popularity waned, Moss became a sound engineer & producer for local Rock and Roll bands in Detroit.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1969 readily got into producing and engineering project for likes of Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and a slew of other big name talents.
He became the Executive Director and Chief Engineer The Record Plant Recording Studios in 1986 in Los Angeles. This recording company operated Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
scoring stage which enable Joel to expand his musical endeavors with film music. He was able to develop new technology and production techniques. He became a member of the Advisory Board developing Digital formats for film Sound.
In 1990 he worked and became associated with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl....
. Some of his associate were Maestro John Mauceri
John Mauceri
John Francis Mauceri is an American conductor, producer and arranger for theatre, opera and television. For fifteen years, he served on the faculty of Yale University. He was a protege of Leonard Bernstein...
, Anne Parsons, composer Michael Gore
Michael Gore
Michael Gore is an American composer. He, along with lyricist Dean Pitchford, won the Oscar in 1980 for best original song for "Fame" from the film of the same title. He also won the award that year for best original score. Gore is the younger brother of singer/songwriter Lesley Gore.Gore wrote...
.
He founded his own Managra Music company in 1997 specializing in jazz and theatre.
Moving to New York
He was hired as a sound engineer and mixer by Kurt DeutschKurt Deutsch
-Biography:Deutsch was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Syracuse University and the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center. He resides in New York City with his wife, actress Sherie Rene Scott and their son Elijah....
and Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress, singer and writer. She is a co-founder of Grammy winning Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records and has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals and plays appears on numerous solo and original cast recordings.-Life and career:Scott was...
in 2000 founders of Sh-K-Boom Records
Sh-K-Boom Records
Sh-K-Boom Records is a record label, a producer of recorded and live entertainment, and an interactive community at www.sh-k-boom.com — all devoted to the mission of bridging the gap between pop music and theater...
, a recording label that specializes in recording Broadway cast albums, and although most of the recording is done in New York City, he said he does production work at home
Grammy Award
One of Moss'es Grammy Award was won for best Musical Show Album for producing the cast recording of “In the Heights,” a musical that opened on Broadway in 2008 about life in the street of Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood. The show features different types of Latin music, including rap, salsa and meringue.He once was quoted for saying, “I’m a bit cynical about awards in general, especially in today’s world; working is a lot more exciting than a reward. Also, to receive an award in a Broadway category when Broadway, like many things, is in dire straits is kind of daunting.”
Of Moss’s seven Grammy awards, he said the most meaningful was recording Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
for his 2005 album “You Don’t Know Me,” recorded in 2004. “The Grammy I won, for Ray Charles, was very special, because I was the last person who recorded him. He died a few days later. I was happy to be a part of it,” Moss said.
Following a world premiere at Boston's Colonial Theatre, "High Fidelity" began previews on Broadway Nov. 20, 2006, and opened Dec. 7. The musical closed at the Imperial Theatre Dec. 17. The single CD was produced by Grammy winner Joel Moss and Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight President Kurt Deutsch. The recording features the original Broadway company, including Will Chase and Jenn Colella.
Moss was one of the engineers and sound mixers for Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
's Traditional Pop Vocal Album 2002 - 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards Playin' With My Friends - Bennett Sings The BluesTony Bennett.
Joel Moss was one of the producers; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer/lyricist (Original Broadway Cast with Lin-Manuel Miranda and others)
[Razor & Tie Entertainment/Ghostlight Records],.
Joel Moss after the opening of Aida starring Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal is an American actor and singer known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway 1996, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
, He produced Pascal's released his debut solo CD Model Prisoner (critics heralded as "a modern rock masterpiece"). On Sh-k-boom Records, Moss'es dedicated to bridging the gap between pop music and theater. Produced by Academy Award nominee, whose credits include The Eagles, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
In 2005 they were invited to participate in a collaborative effort of original compositions involving 13 other outstanding artists of the Capital District of NY which resulted in "Saratoga Pie", a CD produced by the Moss.
Selective List of Albums that Joel Moss contributed to
- The Film Music of Alex NorthAlex NorthAlex North was an American composer who wrote the first jazz-based film score and one of the first modernist scores written in Hollywood ....
as sound editor. Nonesuch Label 1986 - The Mosquito CoastThe Mosquito CoastThe Mosquito Coast is a 1986 American film directed by Peter Weir, based on the novel by Paul Theroux. The film stars Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and River Phoenix. The film tells the story of a family that leaves the United States and tries to find a happier and simpler life in the jungles of...
(Original Soundtrack Recording) as Sound Engineer. Fantasy Label 1987 - Fatal AttractionFatal AttractionFatal Attraction is a 1987 American thriller blended with horror, directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The film centers around a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking...
(Original Motion Picture) as Sound Recorder & Mixer. GNP/Crescendo label 1987 - Omen IV: The AwakeningOmen IV: The AwakeningOmen IV: The Awakening is a 1991 made-for-television film that serves as the fourth and final addition to the original The Omen series, directed by Jorge Montesi and Dominique Othenin-Girard. It was the final film of the original "Omen" series. This was intended to be the first of many televisual...
(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) as Sound Mixer & Engineer. Varese Sarabande Label 1991 - South PacificSouth Pacific (2001 film)Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific is a made-for-television movie, directed by Richard Pearce in 2001. This ABC production starred Glenn Close, Harry Connick, Jr. and Rade Šerbedžija...
(Music form the ABC Premiere Event) as Engineer, Sound Mixer & Producer. Sony Music Label 2001 - Hollywood BowlHollywood BowlThe Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
on Broadway as Sound Mixer & Engineer. Phillips Label 1996 - Disney's Silly Classical Songs as Sound Mixer & Recorder. Disney Label 2001
- ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(The Miramax Motion Picture) as Engineer. Sony Music Label 2002 - Little WomenLittle WomenLittle Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
(Original Broadway Cast Recording) as Producer, Audio Producer, Sound Mixer. Ghostlight Label 1905 - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Original Broadway Cast Recording] as Producer, Sound Mixer, Recorder. Ghoslight Label 2005