Songfacts: How did you become a songwriter?ĭaniel: When I turned 21, (fall of 1962) I left Eugene Oregon, where I had just spent three years going to college, and took the Trailways bus to Hollywood. If it's not a successful venture, it's the producer's fault. Producing carries so much responsibility that I began to tire of the task. My last real producing venture was in 2001 with The Jeff Pryor Band. I quit performing about 20 years ago, because I blew a hole in my voice singing rock and roll. What role in the music industry did you most enjoy?ĭaniel Moore: I most enjoy being a songwriter. Carl Wiser (Songfacts): You've been a songwriter, performer, producer, and even a label owner. Moore took an 'ask me anything' approach to this interview, which led to insights about both the creative (songwriting, production) and the professional (demos, publishing deals) side of the business. Still active as a writer and musician, you can find many of his recent releases at CD Baby. Moore's other accomplishments include singing backup on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, producing albums for T-Bone Burnett, Delbert McClinton, Sweathog and Kim Carnes, and starting his own record company, DJM, in 1997.

'99% of my songs are written for myself,' he says. Daniel writes from inspiration, and as he tells us, his publishing deal gave him the freedom to do so. Most of the staff songwriters we've spoken with keep regimented schedules, showing up for work and clocking their eight hours. From there, he wrote songs that were recorded by The Everly Brothers ('Deliver Me,' 1967), Kenny Rogers ('Oregon,' 1975), Bonnie Raitt, ('Sweet Forgiveness,' 1976), Kim Carnes ('One More River To Cross,' 1978), and The Band ('Shine A Light,' 1993). Songwriting came from necessity: before his first recording session, Moore was informed that he would have to show up with a song. The previous year, Stevenson recorded Moore's song 'Shambala,' but was supplanted on the charts by Three Dog Night's version, which got a big promotional push and became the hit.

Stevenson, who took it to #9 on the Hot 100.

A capstone to a career that began in 1962 when he left Oregon for a life of music in Los Angeles, Moore wrote it in 1973 with the Texas singer B.W. Daniel Moore co-wrote the 1996 Billboard Country Song of the Year: 'My Maria' by Brooks & Dunn.

Lyrics shambala