Moris Tepper, sometimes credited as Jeff Moris Tepper, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and artist. Tepper first came to prominence in the late 1970s with

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

. He has also worked with singers

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...

and

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...

. He has recorded several solo albums. His album ''Head Off'' (2004) includes a lyrical collaboration with the reclusive Beefheart with the song "Ricochet Man". Tepper met Beefheart (alias Don Van Vliet) by chance while studying as an art student in Northern California in the mid-1970s. Van Vliet had already started to focus on painting and although they shared this in common it was when Van Vliet learned Tepper knew guitar parts to ''

Trout Mask Replica ''Trout Mask Replica'' is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and arran ...

'' that he became interested in putting together a new band around Tepper's unique guitar sound. This was done later in Los Angeles after Van Vliet and

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

had reunited briefly for the ''

Bongo Fury ''Bongo Fury'' is a collaborative album by American artists Frank Zappa and the Mothers, with Captain Beefheart, released in October 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 and 21, 1975, at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texa ...

'' tour.Chuck Crisafulli, "Busted guitars and spectacular sounds", ''musicplayer.com'', July 30, 2001 The result of the new band led to arguably some of Captain Beefheart's most creative music efforts including albums '' Shiny Beast'' (1978), ''

Doc at the Radar Station ''Doc at the Radar Station'' is the eleventh studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in August 1980 by Virgin Records. Packaging The album cover was painted by Don Van Vliet. It was placed at number forty-nine ...

'' (1980) and ''

Ice Cream for Crow ''Ice Cream for Crow'' is the twelfth and final studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in September 1982. After it was recorded, Don Van Vliet retired from music to devote himself to a career as a painter. It spent two weeks ...

'' (1982). Tepper joined

The Magic Band The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. The rotating lineup featured dozens of performers, many of whom became known by nicknames given to them by Beefhe ...

in 1976 and stayed in the band until 1982. He is one of the longest serving (without a break) Magic Band members and the only one to receive production credit for ''

'' (1982)Moris Tepper Discography
The Captain Beefheart Radar Station Tepper's first released solo work beginning with ''Big Enough to Disappear'' (1996) and then ''Moth to Mouth'' (2000) came after having been a sideman for many years. His music has been reviewed as "accessibly avant-garde" and although it may be difficult to shed his sideman cult status he remains inspired.John Aizlewood, "'Stingray In The Heart' Review", ''Q Magazine'' 2008 ''Stingray in the Heart'' (2008) was described as an album that never pauses in a familiar territory.Antero Garcia
ALBUM REVIEW: MORIS TEPPER: Moris Tepper Stingray in the Heart Candlebone
L.A. Record, May 29, 2008 Tepper is also a painter and he divides his time between music and painting.Polly Higgins, "Storyteller, artist, musician – he does it all", ''Tucson Citizen'', Entertainment, May 19, 2005

Discography

With Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Studio albums

*'' Shiny Beast'' (1978) *''

'' (1980) *''

'' (1982) *''

Bat Chain Puller ''Bat Chain Puller'' is the 13th studio album (and first official posthumous album) by Captain Beefheart, released on February 22, 2012. It was recorded in 1976 by DiscReet Records, who had intended to release it with Virgin Records as Captain B ...

'' (2012)

Live albums

*'' I'm Going to Do What I Wanna Do: Live at My Father's Place 1978'' (2000) *''Merseytrout: Live in Liverpool 1980'' (2000)

Compilations

*''A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond'' (1993 compilation) *'' Grow Fins: Rarities 1965–1982'' (1999) *''The Dust Blows Forward'' (1999)

With 17 Pygmies

*''Captured in Ice'' (1985) *''Welcome'' (1988)

With Gary Lucas

*''Improve The Shining Hour'' (2000 compilation)

With Tom Waits

*''

Franks Wild Years ''Franks Wild Years'' is the tenth studio album by Tom Waits, released 1987 on Island Records. Subtitled "Un Operachi Romantico in Two Acts", the album contains songs written by Waits and collaborators (mainly his wife, Kathleen Brennan) for a ...

'' (1987)

With Frank Black

*'' Teenager of the Year'' (1994) *''

Dog in the Sand ''Dog in the Sand'' is Frank Black's third album with backing group the Catholics. It was released in 2001 by Cooking Vinyl in Europe and What Are Records? in the United States, and was produced by Nick Vincent. The album was generally met wit ...

'' (2001) *''

Black Letter Days ''Black Letter Days'' is the first of two albums by Frank Black and the Catholics simultaneously released in 2002 (along with ''Devil's Workshop''). The title implies the opposite of the term "Red Letter Days" which are holidays – a "black let ...

'' (2002) *''

Devil's Workshop ''Devil's Workshop'' is the second of a pair of albums by Frank Black and the Catholics to be simultaneously released on August 20, 2002 (along with ''Black Letter Days''). "His Kingly Cave" was originally recorded for an aborted album project ...

'' (2002)

Solo albums

* ''Big Enough to Disappear'' (1996) * ''Sundowner'', Eggtooth (1998) * ''Moth to Mouth'' (2000) * ''Head Off'' (2004) * ''Stingray in the Heart'' (2008) * ''A Singer Named Shotgun Throat'' (2010)

Compilations

*'' Songs in the Key Of Z: The Curious Universe Of Outsider Music'' (2000) *''Now Hear This!'' 70 (2008)

References

External links

Candlebone.com – Moris Tepper's official siteMoris Tepper
at MySpace
Jeff Moris Tepper discography
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tepper, Moris American rock songwriters American rock singers American rock guitarists American blues guitarists American male guitarists Slide guitarists The Magic Band members 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters Living people Guitarists from Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people) Singer-songwriters from California