James Lorell Moss (born September 22, 1971) is an American
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
singer, record producer, arranger and pastor.
Early life
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, James Moss went to
Cass Technical High School
Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a four-year Public magnet high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. from the University Cultural Center Association, retrieved June 9, 1001 It was established in 19 ...
, the son of Gospel singer
Bill Moss, Sr., and nephew of choir master
Mattie Moss Clark. Moss spent much of his childhood on tours with his father's popular group, Bill Moss and the Celestials, and his cousins' group
The Clark Sisters.
As an early teen, Moss was teamed with his brother
Bill Moss, Jr. in the singing duo The Moss Brothers. They toured on weekends around the midwest and recorded two major label albums during their seven years together.
In this period James developed as a keyboardist and burgeoning songwriter. He was also learning first-hand the business of music. He attended
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
for two years, but the desire to write and perform was too strong, and he left to seek a career in music.
Music career
Beginnings
Upon his return to Detroit, Moss signed with a small local
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
label Aviday Records
and released two albums to little fanfare. Yet, during this time he became acquainted with Paul Allen and Walter Kearney. The three began working together as
PAJAM. Moss spent the mid-90s touring with
The Clark Sisters and was signed, along with
Karen Clark-Sheard, his cousin, to
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
in 1996 to record a solo album.
While a proper release never materialized for Moss before Island Black Music shut its doors,
Clark's became a smash and introduced the Gospel world to the production powerhouse of PAJAM.
The J. Moss Project
Over the next seven years, the
PAJAM team became Gospel music's most prolific hitmakers. However, Moss' desire to perform never went away, and in 2003 he and Allen began writing songs for what would ultimately become The J. Moss Project, released in September 2005 on
GospoCentric Records
GospoCentric Records was an Inglewood, California based Gospel music record label, started as an independent label by Vicki Mack Lataillade and Claude Lataillade in 1993. The label rose to prominence in the 1990s, largely on the runaway success o ...
.
Though PAJAM's work has been seen as a revolutionary blend of gospel and hip-hop style, The J. Moss Project is a surprisingly traditional affair. The set largely relies on familiar arrangements, and keeps its focus on Moss's clear
tenor
A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
voice and strong backing choir vocals. The album made a grand entry with the upbeat lead single "I Wanna Be".
The disc includes a number of upbeat gospel numbers such as "Don't Pray and Worry" and "
Psalm 150". J. Moss' lithe falsetto at times draws comparison to the likes of
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
and Tonéx on "Livin' 4". There are also several gentle ballads such as "Give You More" and the album's anthemic single "We Must Praise" that display J. Moss' range as a vocalist and songwriter.
V2...
On April 3, 2007, after several delays, J Moss released his second album ''V2...'' through GospoCentric Records. Appearances were made by contemporary Gospel group 21:03, Moss's cousin
Kierra "Kiki" Sheard,
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music, gospel musician. One of the List of best-selling gospel music artists, best-selling gospel music artists, his accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. ''Variety (magazine), Var ...
, his cousin
Karen Clark-Sheard,
Marvin Winans of the famed
Winans family,
Byron Cage
Byron Louis Cage (born December 15, 1962) is an American gospel music, gospel recording artist.
Early years
Inspired by the singing of the late Rev. Donald Vails and Thomas Whitfield, Cage began singing gospel music as a teenager. Cage went on t ...
,
Anthony Hamilton and American comedian, radio and television host
Steve Harvey
Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and producer. He hosts ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', ''Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud'', '' ...
. Three bonus tracks ("Florida", "73 Degrees", and "Everybody Ain't Got a Word") were originally thought to be regular album tracks.
Just James
J. Moss released his third album ''Just James'' on August 25, 2009. The album spawned two gospel hits, the double A-side "Restored/I Gave It Up" and "Rebuild" and its 2010 remix single.
V4...The Other Side
J. Moss released his fourth album ''V4...The Other Side'' on July 31, 2012, with songs "God's Got It", "The Other Side of Victory" "The Prayers" featuring Hezekiah Walker and Dorinda Clark-Cole, and the radio hit "Good and Bad".
Grown Folks Gospel
In 2014, J. Moss released his fifth album ''Grown Folks Gospel'', which features Faith Evans, Fred Hammond, PJ Morton, 21:03 and the late Wayman Tisdale! The album includes the radio hit "Faith".
GFG Reload
On January 29, 2016, J. Moss released his sixth project, which includes a few favorites from the ''Grown Folks Gospel'' album, as well as a few new songs.
Discography
Albums
* ''The J. Moss Project'' (GospoCentric, 2004)
* ''V2...'' (GospoCentric, 2007)
* ''Just James'' (GospoCentric, 2009)
* ''Remixed, Rare & Unreleashed'' (GospoCentric, 2010)
* ''V4...The Other Side'' (GospoCentric, 2012)
* ''Grown Folks Gospel'' (Central South, 2014)
* ''GFG Reload'' (Central South, 2016)
Singles
* "We Must Praise"
* "Psalm 150"
* "Operator"
* "Praise On the Inside"
* "I'm Not Perfect"
(featuring Anthony Hamilton)
* "Abundantly"
* "Restored"
* "I Gave It Up"
* "Rebuild"
* "Rebuild: The Remix"
* "The Prayers"
(featuring Hezekiah Walker & LFC)
* "Good & Bad"
* "God's Got It"
* "Alright OK"
* "Beyond My Reach"
* "Faith"
* "Rush On It"
Production discography
See also
*
PAJAM
References
External links
Official website of PAJAM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss, J
1971 births
Living people
American gospel singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
Urban contemporary gospel musicians
Performers of Christian contemporary R&B music
Record producers from Michigan
Songwriters from Michigan
Singers from Detroit
African-American Christians
American Pentecostals
Cass Technical High School alumni
Members of the Church of God in Christ