Gil Moore Interview

Abstract

This oral history interview was conducted by Gregory Peek as part of The Joe Anthony Project. Summary of the interview by Gregory Peek: "Gill Moore is the drummer of the Canadian rock band Triumph. In this interview he discusses his musical upbringing, the influence of his mother and his first attempts to learn to play the drums. He talks about discovering that Texas was a market which sold a lot of Triumph records, even though the band’s first record did not have an official US release. It was only available as an import or bootleg. That surprising fact was the influence of KMAC-KISS. He talks about the first time Triumph played in the United States; a San Antonio show where the scheduled headliner Sammy Haggar begged off in-order to play a show at Madison Square Garden. Lou Roney and Joe Anthony suggested that the band come down to fill in as the headliner. They didn’t even have the proper immigration paperwork but eventually decided to go for it. “As they say the rest is history.” Talks about time with Lou Roney and Joe Anthony, visiting Mr. Pizza, visiting backstage, and interactions with local San Antonio fans. Talks about the power of the disc jockey to shape the trajectory of bands career, which was informed largely by their love of music. Laments the demise of the local disc jockey who was in tune with their markets and could recognize bands and music that would appeal to their listeners.