IN REMEMBRANCE: Bob Wall and Joe Moscheo

We recently lost two men who were both personally involved in the foundational years of the Jesus Movement. They came to us from different stations in life and had very different experiences along the way. They both brought people closer to Jesus by creating and promoting music that shared God’s eternal Truth. Needless to say, their friends and family members will miss them the most. But all of us would do well to remember and to celebrate the lives of Bob Wall and Joe Moscheo.

  

Born August 12, 1948, in Burbank, California, Bob Wall grew up on the outskirts of LA. He fell in love with music at age 11 when an uncle gave him a flat-top guitar. When it became evident that young Bob had some talent, his uncle upped the ante and bought him a Fender Telecaster. At this point, Bob got serious about playing guitar and started learning the chords and riffs from his favorite songs and artists.

Bob joined bands with record deals. Then he got married and had a kid, which meant getting a day job as a “bug killer.” That’s when the storms of life crashed into Bob’s world big time. Divorced from a spouse with addiction issues, Bob Wall found himself homeless, with his daughter in foster care. He says it was the lowest point in his life. “I literally didn’t own a decent pair of pants and when I landed a job in a North Hollywood tape cassette factory the boss gave me $20 to go buy some,” Bob remembered

Bob met Freddie Piro, owner of Mama Jo’s Recording Studio, and ended up sleeping there. “It was warm, dry and quiet,” Bob recalled.  “My friends would come by and jam some nights, but mostly it was just me, sleeping under the piano – or reading the Bible.”

Having been brought up in a very strict, fundamentalist type of church, Bob Wall wanted nothing to do with “organized religion.” But he was open to learning more about Jesus.

In God’s timing, Bob was offered the chance to audition for the band Love Song. The rest is history. Multiplied thousands have been touched and blessed over the years as a result of Bob’s work with that groundbreaking group.

Bob’s personal life was marked by both tragedy and reconciliation. While he was a member of Love Song, his former wife died from a drug overdose. But he was eventually able to see his relationship with his daughter restored. Today, she has a lovely family and a successful career in the insurance industry. When he was still with us, Bob described his relationship with his daughter as one of his most cherished possessions.  

After life as a rock and roll pioneer, Bob Wall returned to killing bugs and eventually bought the company. He continued to play with Love Song for many special events and reunion concerts over the years.

Upon Bob’s passing just before Christmas 2015, the members of Love Song paid tribute to him with these words: 

It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the death of our dear friend and bandmate, Bob Wall.

On December 23, Bob died on the very flight that was to take him to his loving daughter and grandkids.

He was a guitar player along lines of George Harrison of the Beatles. His guitar parts were always uniquely crafted to fit the song. He was not a "flashy" player but wanted to play whatever would best showcase the song, and support the group. But he could certainly play with aggressive fervor when the time came.

His unique humor could lift the mood of the whole room.

He didn't chime in much at group meetings, but when he did we listened. On the rare occasions where he spoke from the stage, his candor was refreshing, and his point was always penetrating.

Bob was in fairly poor health for the last few years, and the cause of his death was a heart attack.

He was a trooper always. He played our last few gigs in recent years with his oxygen tanks on stage. He was not able to stand for long periods of time so he did the gigs in a sitting position, but always brought what we came to call the "wall of sound," delivering his unique guitar playing with full passion.

He will always be greatly missed. Our loss is Heaven's gain.

  

Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Joe Moscheo was known to thousands of music industry folks due to his membership in The Imperials and his long tenure as an executive at BMI. Moscheo, 78, passed away around 10 p.m. on Monday night, Jan. 11, 2016. He was a musician, a manager, an executive, a producer, a songwriter, and an author.

Joseph Anthony Moscheo, II was born to Italian immigrants in Albany, New York in 1937. He first went on the road in 1960 when he joined the gospel group The Harmoneers. Within a year, he had moved on to perform with The Prophets. In the fall of 1964, he joined The Imperials as a singer, keyboard player, and arranger. He also wrote several songs for the group.

Joe Moscheo: bottom left

Joe at the keyboard with The Imperials

Joe was a part of The Imperials during the transitional years that saw the group forsake their Southern Gospel roots and embrace the Jesus Movement. Long hair, modern clothes, Jesus Music songs on the setlist, the racial integration of the band…that all happened with Joe as a full-time member of the legendary group.

Joe Moscheo: bottom right

Joe and The Imperials also performed regularly with Elvis Presley from 1969 to 1972 and appeared on a Grammy-winning album with Presley. Joe's friendship and work with Elvis forever changed his career and made a deep personal impression on him for the rest of his days.  Joe revisited this phase of his career in his 2007 book The Gospel Side of Elvis. He also produced a documentary titled He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley.

In the mid-70s, Moscheo left his performing career behind and was hired by BMI. He was the organization’s Vice President of Special Projects for the next 16 years. In the mid-1990s, Moscheo formed his own management company. He worked with BeBe & CeCe Winans, Michael English, and others.

Joe Moscheo was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2007. This was actually his second induction, for he was also voted into the Hall as a member of The Imperials in 1998.

He continued to make appearances relating to Elvis and The Imperials until his retirement in 2014. Moscheo suffered from a degenerative neurological disease.

“Joe Moscheo was a dear friend of ours and an immensely talented singer, musician and arranger for The Imperials. Elvis loved Joe, and treasured their performances together on stage in Las Vegas and in the studio. Elvis loved Gospel more than any other music genre, and Joe was a big part of many of Elvis’ greatest Gospel performances. After concerts, Elvis and Joe would often sing Gospel songs around a piano, long into the night, which are cherished memories for us. Our hearts go out to Joe’s family, friends and fans around the world. He will be deeply missed. ” 

--Priscilla Presley

"I am so grateful for Joe's friendship throughout the many years I have known him. Larry Gatlin and I paid a visit to Joe a few days before he died and it was such a joy to sing some songs to him, see his smile, and share some great memories.  I will always treasure that time. Love you, Joe.  See you at the house, my friend."

–Bill Gaither