Leroi Moore

About Leroi Moore

LeRoi Moore (September 7, 1961 - August 19, 2008) was an American saxophonist best known as a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for the songs written by frontman Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's songs, notably "Too Much" and "Stay".

Moore was born on September 7, 1961 in Dunn, North Carolina to Lee Vester and Pennie Louise (née Smith) Moore. Raised in Virginia, he attended college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia studying tenor saxophone and later became an accomplished jazz musician in Charlottesville, Virginia playing with artists such as John D'earth and Dawn Thompson . Moore began playing professionally after a brief stay in college. Moore helped found the Charlottesville Swing Orchestra (1982), and the John D'earth Quintet. The latter played at Miller's, a Charlottesville bar, every Thursday night in the late 1980s, where Moore first met Dave Matthews in 1991. In an effort to bring in some instrumental help for some songs Matthews had written, Moore began recording songs with Matthews.

Moore played bass, baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, as well as the flute, bass clarinet and wooden penny whistle. Moore's woodwind technician, David Saull, notes that Moore had "quite an extensive horn collection". As of 2002, it included a Buescher bass saxophone, Selmer Mark VI and Yamaha baritone saxophones, two Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophones, two Selmer Mark VI alto saxophones, a Yamaha soprano, and a Selmer Super-80 Series 3 soprano, according to Saull.[citation needed]