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Nashville: Growing up near Memphis in Bolivar, Tenn., Rick Moore spent his formative years listening to the music of John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed. By the time he was in high school, he had his own band and also worked as a DJ at WBOL Bolivar, playing all kinds of music from "holy rollin', screaming gospel" to rock and blues. Not surprisingly, those influences permeate "Slow Burnin' Fire," which Moore released in March on his Mr. Lucky Records. Distributed by Memphis-based Select-O-Hits, the album is already garnering airplay in 70 markets, including Berkeley, Calif., and Telluride, Colo., according to Moore. He adds that he's also heard from a European company that wants to license the record. Moore spent the '70s and '80s touring with a variety of bands before leaving the road in the late '80s to devote time to his family and his songwriting. However, it didn't take long for the recording bug to bite. He formed Mr. Lucky Records in 1996 and released "Blues Co-Op," which featured a variety of Nashville blues acts. Last year Moore went in the studio with longtime pal Jimmy Nalls, known for his work with Sea Level, Dr. John, and the Nighthawks. The resulting sessions yielded "Slow Burnin' Fire," for which Moore wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 13 cuts. The disc not only spotlights Moore's talents as a writer and vocalist but also features top musicians such as William Howse on harp, Reese Wynans on piano, Noel Roy on guitar, and Wayne Jackson and Doug Moffett on horns. "We had no master plan," Moore says. "We just wanted to make the best record we could possibly make. We wanted a record we could really feel good about." Moore and his Mr. Lucky Band have been performing around Nashville, and he says there are plans to tour nationally, particularly in markets that respond strongly to the record. Contact Mike Hyland at 615-244-7224

Deborah Evans Price