biography
monte moir
I am a singer, songwriter, producer and original member of The Time aka Morris Day & The Time.
I grew up in south Minneapolis. The first instrument I could play decently was guitar. Later I switched to keyboards.
The music I grabbed onto that woke my ears up were a number of bands that played at Woodstock. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Sly and The Family Stone, Santana and Hendrix. Also Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Paul Simon, The Allman Brothers, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Tower of Power.
In my early years, with the unwavering support of my parents, our house was more often than not the rehearsal place for the different bands I was in.
time flies
The first band of note I was in was Flyt Tyme. I played keyboards and sang a couple songs. We had great singers at one time or another such as Alexander O’Neal, Cynthia Johnson (of Funkytown fame) and Sue Ann Carwell. The core members of the group (Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam and myself) and with the addition of Jesse Johnson eventually became The Time, which was of course lead by Morris Day. The band went on to have many hit records, toured the world and performed on many TV shows (SNL, The Tonight Show, American Bandstand and more) and we have Prince to thank for being the architect of what has becoome the Minneapolis Sound. He saw things in us that we hadn’t yet discovered in ourselves and open many doors with his vision, music and guidance. I can say I feel very fortunate, proud and thankful to have accomplished all that we have.
beyond time
I left the band in 1984 just as Purple Rain was to begin filming and was invited to start writing and producing songs at Flyte Tyme Productions run by bandmates Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam.
After about a year and a half I left to continue on my own. I continued to play with The Time when the originals would get back together and with the touring version up until the end of 2019. Over the years I feel blessed to have worked and learned from so many great artists having had the opportunity to writte and/or produce artists including Gladys Knight & The Pips, Janet Jackson, Deja, Alexander O’Neal, Deniece Williams, Junior, Rihanna, and many others.
To this day I continue on.. making my way in the ever changing world of music.
current & upcoming projects
My Latest single release for Christmas 2024, “It’s Christmas Time ‘Round Here.” A tip of the hat to all the Christmas songs I grew up listening to.
media quotes
I can’t count the number of times I’ve referenced this song ["The Pleasure Principle" by Monte Moir/performed by Janet Jackson] and accompanying music video in my life so far. This has been on my list of impossibly perfect songs since it was first released, and my appreciation for it has only grown over the years. Monte Moir would have been a legend for me if he had only written this one song and then retired. However, there are so many others . . . oh, and he also happened to be the keyboard player for a little band called The Original 7ven, formerly known as The Time. Yes, we’re all cooler now.
Today “If You Were Here Tonight” endures as a high water mark of sophisticated 80s soul. You can hear it’s echoes in contemporary artists from various genres. It’s been reinterpreted by musicians like reggae artist Wayne Wonder and English crooner Matt Gross. It’s iconic keyboard riff even found its way into Rihanna’s 2016 hit “Work”.
Nearly four decades later, the track remains a standout moment in O’Neal’s catalog and a masterclass in understated emotion. It’s enduring resonance lies in its deceptive simplicity-a sparse musical backdrop highlighting the singer’s impassioned delivery as he pours out his yearning for an absent lover.
I learned the power of this song while Deejaying at a Pub one night, and the crowd went crazy. The song had the writing talents and production skills of Monte Moir, who graced O’Neal with a ballad about lost love that still holds up today. Moir also provides O’Neal with two strong albums in the ballads “Do You Wanna Like I Do” and “Look at Us Now.”
Written with Monte Moir, “The Pleasure Principle” is a frantic, energetic dance tune that features Jackson hitting an incredibly high note at the song’s peak. There are fantastic pounding keyboards, skipping drum machines, and engaging background vocals—a prime example of 1980s urban-synthpop.
if you were here tonight
As the night moves in, love takes on new meaning
If you were here, you would know what I mean to say
But circumstance, leaves me only waiting
For the chance, I only want to love you more
Can’t you understand it, girl you know how much I care
It’s not the way I planned it
If you could only know my feelings
You would know how much I do believe
If you were her tonight, by my side, if you were with me now
the pleasure principle
This has become an all too familiar scene
It’s not the first time I’ve paid the fare
Where’d you get the idea of material possession?
Thank you for the ride nowhere
And now my meter’s running so I’ve really got to go
It’s the pleasure principle