10 Things You Didnt Know about Rudy Ray Moore

It’s been almost eight years since Rudy Ray Moore left this earth, but that does not mean that his fans and the people he touched with his music have forgotten about him. He’s a man who is a legend in his own right, a musician and an actor, a comedian and a producer; and he was a huge success. His legacy will continue for many generations through his exemplary and successful work, and he’s someone that deserves the respect that comes along with a life of hard work, dedication and talent. Not everyone knows his name, but most everyone has either heard him sing, watched something he produced or discussed something he collaborated on in their lives. He was sometimes in front of the camera, often behind it, but he was always in control of his future.

He’s got the best nickname

Rudy Ray Moore is a man those who love rap music have heard of, admire and look up to. He has a nickname that might just tell you how talented he really was. Those who grew up listening to him and know him called him the Godfather of Rap. That’s not a light or meaningless nickname, either.

He lived a long life

Many people have no idea that Rudy Ray Moore grew up in the USA in some of the ugliest and worst times. He lived 81 years before his passing, and it was not always a good life. He was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The south was predominantly known for many years for being highly segregated and unwelcoming of anyone of color, and it wasn’t easy for him growing up.

His parents took him north

When he was a child, his parents decided that they wanted to move somewhere outside the south. They first moved their family to Cleveland, Ohio and then eventually on to Wisconsin. He lived in the Midwest for many years, but he always kept in touch with his roots and his southern upbringing, and he applied that to much of what he did for a living as he became an adult.

He began dancing

Before he made a big name for himself in the world, Rudy Ray Moore was a dancer. He worked in nightclubs as a dancer, which was a huge job back in the day. His job was to dance so that other people would also get up and dance, have a good time and come back to the clubs time and time again because it was so much fun. He has always been someone who appreciated the art of dance, music and performing. He always looked back on that time as the beginning of his career and his success.

He was in the Army

When he was old enough, Rudy Ray Moore joined the United States Army. During the time in which he served this great nation, he was stationed in Germany. He saw the front lines of battle, and he never let that dim his spirit or his sense of self. He was someone who made it through and learned a lot from the time he put in.

He has a second amazing nickname

When he was in Germany, he had a great habit of singing some of the best country music songs of the time with a bit of R&B flair. His coworkers and those he served with began calling him the Harlem Hillbilly, which probably wasn’t very nice, but it stuck. We kind of love that nickname, and we appreciate that he was not afraid of putting his own spin on his music.

He’s most famous for “Dolemite”

It was in this role he played a wildly successful pimp, and it made his career. According to Rudy Ray Moore, he was living in Los Angeles working in a record store at the time. A man by the name of Rico would come into the store and tell stories about a man called Dolemite, and Moore would write them down and use them in his work. He first used the stories as part of his comedy routine, and later turned them into hit rap songs on his amazing albums.

He financed his movie himself

Rudy Ray Moore knew he wanted to make a movie about Dolemite, so he took all the money he earned from the sales of his records and financed it. He was not surprised when the movie turned into a massive hit and then turned into several more movies. He knew it would, and he knew he had a story that would reach people in an entertainment capacity.

He influenced many rappers

Snoop Dogg is just one of the many rappers that we know and love today that was heavily influenced by Rudy Ray Moore. These modern day rappers grew up listening to his music and using it as an influence and a motivation for their own work, their own music and their own careers. He is said by many to be the biggest breakthrough in rap music in the history of the genre.

His personal life is very private

If there is one thing we can say about Rudy Ray Moore, it’s that he managed to keep his personal life very private. Of course, much of his personal life was lived before we used social media and everyone in the world had a camera always at the ready. This meant he was able to keep things a lot more private than he is today. Today, we can’t even go to dinner without wondering if we are going to show up in the background of someone’s photos on social media when they snap a selfie.

Rudy Ray Moore, as far as anyone is aware, was never married. He has no children that he ever told the world about, and he kept his relationships and his personal life very secretive. We don’t know if he was ever serious, if he was married, had one companion or many. It’s kind of a mystery, and it’s kind of awesome.

Photo by Getty Images

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