Ben Moody

Ben Moody
Moody performing in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Robert Moody II
Born	(1981-01-22) January 22, 1981 (age 43) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Genres	Alternative metal hard rock gothic metal gothic rock nu metal
Occupations	Musician songwriter record producer
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1994–present
Labels	FNR Wind-up Bigwig Enterprises Universal Motown Republic
Website	www.benmoody.com

Benjamin Robert Moody II^[1] (born January 22, 1981) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as a co-founder of rock band Evanescence, which formed in 1994 and which he departed in 2003 after the release of their 2003 album Fallen. After leaving Evanescence, Moody co-wrote and co-produced songs for Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Anastacia, Lindsay Lohan, Bo Bice, Daughtry, and Celine Dion.

Early life

Moody was born on January 22, 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas.^[2][3] He described his youth in Little Rock as being lax, stating that "everybody has their fun. In Little Rock, I'm an infamous thief - it was all there was to do."^[3] He began playing drums, but switched to guitar after experiencing carpal tunnel issues.^[4] He did not take guitar lessons, and took influence from 1980s artists like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe.^[4] Commenting on his favorite era of music, Moody said: "Honestly, I think I was born about 10 years too late. I listen to The Final Countdown by Europe once a week just for the hell of it".^[4] He called Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett his "hero" and the reason he played guitar.^[5]

Career

Evanescence

Main article: Evanescence

In 1994, Moody met Amy Lee in Little Rock, Arkansas while at a youth camp. The two became musical collaborators and co-founded Evanescence.^[6][4] They soon began playing music at local shops.^[7] Within a few years, the duo began selling EPs at local shows, culminating in their discovery by Wind-up Records and the release of their debut studio album, Fallen, in 2003. Moody abruptly left Evanescence in October 2003 during their European tour, citing creative differences.^[8][9]

In 2006, Moody signed with former Evanescence management Rider Management, which sued him in 2013 for $500,000 in unpaid commissions.^[10]

In August 2010, Moody released a statement on his history with Lee and Evanescence, where he said that he was a different person at the time, his friendship with Lee had deteriorated, and they had conflicting opinions, personalities, and desires with the band. Moody apologized to Lee for comments he made to her in anger. He said he realized the band would end if he stayed and believes he made the right choice. He added, "Evanescence has progressed a great distance from the original sound, and made it clear that they intended to expand much further. Amy is very artistic and never has had a problem thinking outside of the box and defying expectations."^[11]

Solo projects

Beginning in 2004, Moody began collaborating with several artists, co-writing the track "Nobody's Home" for Avril Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, and co-writing the track "The End Has Come" with Jason C. Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones for The Punisher soundtrack. He then wrote with David Hodges, Kelly Clarkson, and others for Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, working on the songs "Because of You" and "Addicted".^[12]

In early 2005, Moody played lead guitar for the song "Forever in Our Hearts", the 'song for tsunami relief' made exclusively for iTunes.^[13] He collaborated with singer Anastacia on the song "Everything Burns", which is featured on her album Pieces of a Dream and the Fantastic Four soundtrack. Moody then assisted Lindsay Lohan on her album A Little More Personal (Raw) and worked with Bo Bice on the song "My World" (a cover from SR-71) for his debut album The Real Thing. Moody's debut solo album, You Can't Regret What You Don't Remember, was scheduled to be released in late 2005, and would feature bassist Marty O'Brien on bass, drummer Lance Garvin, guitarist Michael "Fish" Herring, and co-vocals from Jason Miller.^[14]

In April 2006, Moody began working on the debut album of singer-songwriter Hana Pestle, co-producing and co-writing with Michael "Fish" Herring, as well as performing on the album.^[15] He later produced the Godhead album The Shadow Line with Julian Beeston, and played a clown in their music video for the song "Push". He collaborated with Hodges again on American Idol Chris Daughtry's debut album, Daughtry (2006), for the song "What About Now".

In 2007, Moody worked with Celine Dion on her album Taking Chances.^[15] It was reported that his solo album was still in the works.^[15]

In December 2008, he released the Mutiny Bootleg E.P. and announced that his solo album would be released on March 3, 2009. This release would be delayed, however, as was hinted at in February 2009, when Moody's official website displayed the release as "available 2009" instead of the March 3 release date. On June 9, 2009, Moody's debut solo album, entitled All for This, was released digitally via Amazon.com, iTunes, and Amie Street through Moody's label, FNR Records. His second album, You Can't Regret What You Don't Remember, was released on November 11, 2011.

Other bands

In June 2009, it was announced that Moody had formed the rock band called We Are the Fallen, recruiting American Idol 7 finalist Carly Smithson as the lead singer, and his friends former Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray, guitarist John LeCompt, and Marty O'Brien on bass.^[16][17] We Are the Fallen made their first public appearance together for a press conference at SIR Studios in Los Angeles, CA, on June 22, 2009. Their debut album, Tear the World Down was released in May 2010. The band toured for most of the year in support of the album, and filmed their first live DVD, Cirque Des Damnés, at the Avalon Theatre. The DVD was scheduled for release in late 2011.

In 2012, Moody teamed up with former Papa Roach drummer Dave Buckner, and former Rock Star Supernova frontman Lukas Rossi, to form a new band called The Halo Method. Before their debut show on the Shiprocked cruise in November 2012, former In This Moment bassist and studio engineer Josh Newell became their bassist.

Acting roles

Moody started a television and film production company, Makeshift Films.^[14] He made a cameo as a zombie in the 2004 horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse.^[18] He also appeared in the 2007 release of the low-budget film Dead and Gone.

Personal life

Moody identified as Christian and promoted his religious beliefs in interviews in the early 2000s.^[19][6][20] In 2005, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.^[21] He struggled with substance abuse during his time in Evanescence,^[23] and entered rehab after leaving the band.^[12]

Moody dated singer Hana Pestle.^[24][25]

As of June 2022, he is now divorced with 2 sons.^[1]

Discography

Evanescence

Main article: Evanescence discography

• Fallen (2003)

Solo

• "Everything Burns" (2005) - Single/Music video
• Mutiny Bootleg E.P. (2008)
• All for This (2009)
• You Can't Regret What You Don't Remember (2011)

We Are the Fallen

• Tear the World Down (2010)

the halo method

• TBA (2024)

Other appearances

Year	Artist	Song	Release and/or explanation	Notes
2004	Avril Lavigne	"Nobody's Home"	Under My Skin	Writing credits
	Ben Moody feat. Jason Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones	"The End Has Come"	The Punisher: The Album	Main performer; writing credits
	Kelly Clarkson (with Ben Moody, David Hodges, Marty O'Brien, and Mark Colbert)	"Because of You"	Breakaway	Writing credits, producer, and guitar
		"Addicted"
2005	Ben Moody	"Forever in Our Hearts"	Song for tsunami relief made exclusively for iTunes	Lead guitar
	Ben Moody feat. Anastacia	"Everything Burns"	Fantastic 4: The Album Pieces of a Dream	Main performer; writing credits and producer
	Lindsay Lohan	"Fastlane"	A Little More Personal (Raw)	Arranger, programming, producer
		"Edge of Seventeen"		Programming and producer
	Bo Bice	"My World"	The Real Thing	Producer
2006	Godhead	"Push" feat. Jeffree Starr and Ben Moody	The Shadow Line	Producer
2007	Daughtry	"What About Now"	Daughtry	Writing credits
	Celine Dion	"Alone"	Taking Chances	Producer
		"This Time"		Writing credits and producer
		"The Reason I Go On"		Producer
2009	Daughtry	"Open Up Your Eyes"	Leave This Town	Writing credits
	Halestorm	"Innocence"	Halestorm	Writing credits
2010	Flyleaf	"Arise" (Ben Moody Mix)	Remember to Live	Remixer

References

1. "Docket Report Results". Arkansas Supreme Court. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
2. Rose, Mike (January 22, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 22, 2023 includes celebrities Diane Lane, Guy Fieri". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
3. Langer, Andy (September 2003). "Evanescence". Revolver. No. 19. p. 72.
4. Mueller, Michael (June 2003). "Breakthrough Artist: Evanescence". Guitar One. p. 84.
5. Stojanovic, Sasha (August 10, 2003). "Dark Splendour". deo2.com (Interview). UK. Archived from the original on September 24, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
6. "Evanescence lands someplace special". USA Today. May 8, 2003. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
7. Bakker, Tiffany (January 9, 2004). "Moody blues". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
8. "Evanescence Co-Founder Ben Moody Leaves Band During Tour". VH1. November 3, 2003. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
9. Reesman, Bryan (November 2006). "The Essence of Evanescence". Metal Edge. Vol. 52, no. 11. pp. 5–10. ISSN 1068-2872.
10. "Former Evanescence Guitarist Ben Moody Reportedly Being Sued for $500,000". Loudwire. January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
11. "Ben Moody: The Truth About Why I Left Evanescence And Formed We Are the Fallen". Blabbermouth.net. August 26, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
12. "Ben Moody Gets Life After Amy Lee". Rolling Stone. July 12, 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
13. Rashbaum, Alyssa (January 26, 2005). "Mya, Brian McKnight, Ben Moody On Tsunami Benefit Song". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
14. "Ben Moody". MTV. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
15. "Former Evanescence Guitarist/Songwriter Produces CD For Hana Pestle". Blabbermouth.net. May 10, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
16. "Carly Smithson to join forces with ex-Evanescence musicians to become the Fallen". LA Times. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
17. Oei, Roland (August 2003). "Evanescence". PowerPlay. No. 47. pp. 9–11.
18. Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Sienna Guillory (2004). Resident Evil: Apocalypse Cast Commentary (DVD). Sony Entertainment. Event occurs at 28:26.
19. D'Angelo, Joe (April 16, 2003). "Evanescence's Label Tells Christian Outlets To Yank Fallen". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
20. Perrone, Pierre (2003). "Vanishing Point". Rock Sound. p. 38. ISSN 1465-0185.
21. "Ben Moody – No Regrets". MTV. July 6, 2005. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
22. "The End of Heartache". Kerrang!. September 30, 2006. ISSN 0262-6624.
23. ^{[21][22][9][12]}
24. "Hana Pestle rings in early new year with family and friends". Billings Gazette. December 31, 2009. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
25. "HANA: The Best of What's Next". Paste. May 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2024.

External links

• BenMoody.com - Official website