American rock musician Freddy Moore is most recognized for his 1980 hit single “It’s Not a Rumour,” a collaboration with his former spouse Demi Moore and his band The Nu-Kats. Although the song did not make it onto the charts, its accompanying music video was featured on MTV during the early 1980s.
Early Life & Education
Frederick George Moore was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He lived in the Twin Cities most of his life, except for a short time when his family moved to San Francisco, California in 1966/67.
Freddy’s family relocated to Richfield, Minnesota during his Junior year of high school, making it his third high school in three years.
Just before the move, Freddy and his cousin Danny Wick had formed a band called The Royal Cumquats. In 1968, Moore completed his high school education at Richfield High School in Minnesota.
To avoid being sent to the Vietnam War, he decided to go to the University of Minnesota and study Music Theory and Composition. He studied under famous composer Dominick Argento. Following some shows with his band An English Sky, Moore began performing under the name Skogie around 1970.
During his final year of high school, Moore acquired a secondhand PE shirt with the name “Skogie” printed on it, and this nickname caught on in his physical education class.
As a newcomer to the school, Moore’s peers began addressing him as Skogie, and the name stuck. This eventually influenced the name of Moore’s most popular Minneapolis band, Skogie and the Flaming Pachucos.
Freddy Moore’s Career
With assistance from producer and manager David Zimmerman, Skogie dropped a single in June 1972 and independently released a subsequent album in 1974. Creem magazine eventually recognized Skogie as one of the pioneering power pop groups.
After touring across the country and recording at three studios in Minneapolis, Freddy Moore decided to move to Los Angeles with his wife and bandmates in 1976.
As the group changed some people, they also changed their name to The Kats. Moore became a cat named Freddy for their performances. During this period, Moore was in a marriage with his first wife Lucy from 1971 to 1980.
Skogie transformed into Freddy Moore and his group became known as The Kats, resembling the “hip cats” of the 1950s. Moore was dedicated to his stage persona and frequently mimicked feline-like movements.
Following the downfall of Infinity Records, The Kats’ lead guitarist Pete McRae left the band and the remaining four members rebranded as The Nu-Kats. They also quickly parted ways with their management and inked a deal with Rhino Records.
In 1980, The Nu-Kats released the EP Plastic Facts, which included the song “It’s Not A Rumour” written by Demi and Freddy Moore.
Following a family illness, Moore returned to Los Angeles and decided to stay, creating a fresh band with a pop sound called Boy.
They released an EP through Radioactive Records and Moore gained a Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA card for his appearance as ‘Arn’ in the 1982 3-D film Parasite, which featured his wife Demi. The film’s soundtrack also features music by Boy.
In 1983, the band Boy broke up. However, brothers Moore and Bobby continued to create and record new music for about one more year. They went by the name BFM (Bobbyzio and Freddy Moore) and performed at a few events for music industry professionals.
Despite receiving numerous offers from record companies, Moore rejected them all to maintain ownership of his work. He chose to release his music under his own label, General Records.
Personal Life
In 1979, at the age of 29, Freddy Moore crossed paths with 16-year-old Demi Guynes at a club. Despite already being married, the two quickly began a romantic relationship. They moved in together while Guynes was still 16 and got married a few months later in February.
This was after Moore’s divorce from Lucy was official and Guynes had turned 17. As a result, Demi Guynes adopted Moore’s last name and became known as Demi Moore, a name she still goes by today.
Despite not being a well-known celebrity at the time, Demi Moore had a significant part in the music video for “It’s Not A Rumour.” The song did not make any charts, but the video would sometimes be shown on MTV. This was especially true after Demi Moore became famous for her role on the TV show General Hospital in 1982.
In September 1984, Demi Moore initiated divorce proceedings against Freddy Moore, and their divorce was officially finalized in 1985. Around this time, Freddy Moore also left the music industry.
However, in 1997, he and some former band members came together to create and release new music under the name The Kat Club, after taking a long break from performing. In 1981, Moore also met his future wife Renee, and they tied the knot in 2005.
In late 2014, he received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. His book, titled It’s Not a Rumour, was released by Rare Bird Books in September 2021. Until he passed away on August 25, 2022, at the age of 72, Moore resided in a care facility located in Los Angeles.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $1 million, Freddy Moore was a well-known American musician. He initially performed under the name Skogie and was recognized as one of the pioneers of power pop by Creem magazine. Later, he renamed his band The Kats and adopted the persona of a feline, going by the name Freddy.
In addition to his musical career, Moore also appeared as Arn in the 1982 movie Parasite and worked as an animal trainer for the 2010 short film Los Encinos.
