By Sandy Tomcho
stomcho@th-record.com
Times Herald-Record
February 1, 2002

Singer-songwriter Jess Moore is the HooDoo Man, and he wants to work his magic on clubgoers tonight at the Golden Rail Ale House in Newburgh.

"I've been a shamanic person my whole life, and people started calling me that at shows and it stuck," the Kerhonkson resident said of his HooDoo Man moniker. "It fits perfectly with me."

Of African origin, hoodoo is a centuries-old tradition of folklore and folk medicine, practiced especially in African-based folk medicine in the United States and Caribbean. Legends about the HooDoo conjurer abound, and some nclude using rituals and charms such as Gris-Gris, Goofer Dust and High John the Conqueroot to disarm enemies or secure love or good fortune. The music of Muddy Waters, Robert Johson and Dr. John tells their tales.

"I was going to see a Dr. John show, and on my way to the car I started saying to myself, `I'm goin' to see the HooDoo man', and then the song just started coming out while I was driving, so I had my knee on the steering wheel and just started writing," Moore said. "Let me tell you, it's not cell phones the cause accidents on the road, it's songwriters."

Started Young

At 13, Moore participated in the Apollo Theatre talent night in Harlem and won $25 and a recording contract with Star Records. A label representative was so impressed with Moore that he became his manager and got him a job pumping out demos of songs at the Brill Building in New York City. It was when producers took the demos and played them to major acts that Moore got his break.

"I got a lot of session jobs, and that's what got me in," Moore said. "I also started playing the bass in clubs with old blues guys, and I played so well that no one said anything (about his age)."

"I started soaking up the music business from these guys and they schooled me on how to play blues. Because I was respectful of them, they just kept layin' it on me."

As a result of his performing in clubs, he eventually got the chance to audition for Smokey Robinson and all of the original Temptations. Moore didn't get the job.

"Smokey said that I sounded too much like him, but I didn't care because I was sitting in a room with him and the Temptations," Moore said. "It was like a little kid who loves cowboys meeting the Lone Ranger."

Touring Overseas

When he was 17 or 18 years old, Moore wound up in Tokyo, playing at military bases with a band called the Houserockers.

"They needed a bass player, and right away I was on a plane with them," Moore said. "Eventually, we were signed by RCA Victor."

The band released five albums. When it disbanded, he and Carlton "Slim" Goodwin created Black Fire, which toured extensively through the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. Moore returned to Bali and hooked up with a band called Prophecy.

Moore eventually went back on tour with Black Fire. On his return, he formed BlackFire-Prophecy. The band had a six-month stint at Barbarella's in Singapore. When the band returned to Bangkok, Moore established a nightclub called the Electric Shadow.

He moved back to the United States in 1978 and re-formed and performed with Prophecy until the mid-'90s. During that time, he was introduced to New Orleans by Bonnie Raitt in 1988. He also developed a successful acting career.

"I auditioned for Jesus Christ Superstar and got the role of Judas, and I also did soaps and appeared on 'Law and Order.' I was totally an actor and things were going well," Moore said. "Eventually, I lost the fire for it because I wasn't doing anything creative. So, I began writing music in the late '90s and it resonated with me."

An Ulster County Resident

Moore relocated to Kerhonkson in 1999 and discovered a "treasure trove" of musicians in the area. Fortunately, he said, he writes the type of music musicians like to play. He said that if the song doesn't have the right groove, it will tell him.

"What happens is often I'll wake up with things in my head and I build my music rhythmically. The song usually drives me crazy, and it's in my head 24 hours a day because a story's trying to get out and it's very insistent," Moore said. "I believe in the song having the right contour it's supposed to have. I love songs to tell a story, and I'm writing more like that."

The band's CD, "The HoodDoo Man and His Sweet Magnolia Band," is a seven-track funky blues album that includes both originals and covers. It embodies the festive attitude of New Orleans.

Moore has a base unit of five musicians that perform in smaller clubs, but for the performance at the Golden Rail, he'll have a horn section so it will be a full band.

"The crowd can expect an incredibly joyful, wild, rhythmic ride, and you'll definitely want to dance. Some people even take their clothes off because it's like Mardi Gras when we play," Moore said. "When we play, it's like an occurrence."