Biography
Native of Kansas, Phillip Moore during his high school years participated with his parents, two brothers and sister in the Chautauqua circuit as "The Musical Moore's", traveling as far west as California, and states west of the Mississippi River. In 1924, Phil entered Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas but decided that music was the life for him, got a job in Oklahoma City at the Huckins Hotel on Broadway playing in a band which lasted four years which included a trip with some buddies and band members, Goof Moyer and Babe Hildeman on sax and flute to California, earning money playing the saxophone in speakeasies during the prohibition. Moore taught music at Kansas Chetopa and at Hill City High Schools, before relocating to Colorado teaching at Limon High School for several years. This is where he started his first marching band under his direction, amazing everyone by winning first place in the state wide band competition. Then it was back to Kansas to teach music at Saint Francis High where his choral group won high honors. Wanting to get back to band work, he took a position teaching music at Walsenburg, Colorado.
By 1942 he decided to move the family to California to fulfill his dream of living there, becoming part owner of the Moore Livingston Music Stores in Huntington Park and Downey. Huntington Park was a huge store with several teaching studios, famous for its extensive sheet music selection.
Phil also started the unique and famous Huntington Park Youth Band, which played in the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade, intermission at Rams football games, opening day at Disneyland, returning regularly. Several trips north to Banff and the Calgary, Canada Stampede celebration where they performed before the Queen of England, and traveling as far as Washington D.C. performing at the Worlds Fair and Yankee Stadium. Their fame came not only from their excellent playing, but mainly from the unique idea of having his band do dance steps as they played to such tunes as "Jada", "Darktown Strutter's Ball", and "The Irish Washer Woman". The band members also played in The Ambassadors Dance Band and German Band playing polka music. Phil invented an ingenious visual teaching device device with revolving arrows that move up and down on a musical staff, which greatly aided his band members and other students to learn rhythm. This led his students to refer to him later as the down up man.
