Only Ride You Can Get

Keith Moody's guitar is essentially a part of him, an extra appendage, if you will. He and his Paul Reed Smith McCarty have been through some hard times, and some good times. Keith is proud of every knick and scrape his axe has taken up 'til now. I have a real relationship with that guitar, explains Keith. Most PRS' you see are very nice, and kept pristine in cases, and mine has been played in about every dive bar across the Southeast...it smells, and it has pieces rubbed off of it and knicks out of it. Give me about 20 more years, and hopefully it will be beaten like Willie's. That thing is like a part of me. Just how close Moody is with his instrument is revealed immediately the minute he launches into one of his soul-searing solos. The two become one as the 27-year-old morphs easily as he plays among the strings: one minute he's channeling the heart of a 60-year-old bluesman in a number that will melt the house and your heart, the next he's calling up the ghosts of Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn in a full-tilt, scorching rocker. Oh, he also knows his way around a Texas-tinged tear-jerker, too, in case those weren't enough to pique your interest and get your toes tapping. Moody possesses a maturity and depth that belies his young age, and that depth no doubt seeps into every note of his music. A triple threat, he not only can sing and tear it up on the guitar, he also writes on a level far above most of his pop peers. His new album is evidence of just how far the singer/songwriter has come in such a short time, and of the places he will go if talent has anything to do with it. Born in Opelika, AL and raised in Valley, AL, Keith grew up in a two-parent working family. As a result Keith stayed with his grandparents while his parents worked, exposing him early on to his granddad's rich record collection. He had a huge collection, recalls Keith, and just a ton of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams records. I remember when I was old enough to start playing them I got in trouble because I scratched one of the Johnny Cash records. My granddad went to Wal-Mart and bought me a plastic guitar when I was about five and then gave my first real guitar for Christmas when I was 17. I also remember him listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Friday and Saturday nights and he loved to go to local gospel and country performances. My grandmamma sang in her church choir while her sister played the piano in gospel groups. My Dad has told me many times about The Whites eating dinner at his house when they came through town; it was a big event for the family. My Dad has pictures of himself with Roy Acuff and loved Marty Robbins. He is a huge country music fan. Keith moved to Montgomery with his parents when he was six. At the age of 17, Keith decided to form a band with a buddy from high school, and they played in youth group shows and church shows. Several of their songs even received some local airplay. He continued to hone his musical chops throughout college by observing other artist as he worked in a local music store and played in local venues with his band. By 21, word of his talent was already spreading, and he was receiving write-ups in local papers wherever he and his band would play. Keith gained a significant reputation among local musicians for his guitar skills and performing antics. He supported local artists by holding his own showcase for local talent. As a result he will always have an appreciation for his friends and supporters in the Montgomery and surrounding area. With some good advice from a local musician, Keith was able to foster his abilities even further with pursuit of writing and performing his original music instead of focusing his efforts on cover music. Basically I had gotten a job at a guitar store in Montgomery and met a guy named Roland Lucky Jackson, said Keith. He was an old school funk, jazz, and blues player and also a songwriter and arranger himself. I learned a lot about music from him as far as theory and how things are put together as well as the business side of it. The big temptation in Montgomery