Monte Moir (born September 10, 1958) is an American songwriter, producer and musician best known as the keyboardist of

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1957) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pr ...

's band The Time and songwriter of many notable American artists.

Biography

Monte Moir is the original and current keyboardist for The Time, as well as a songwriter and producer for

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

Alexander O'Neal Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi. O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven top 40 singles on the US R&B char ...

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

, as well as the duo Deja ( Curt Jones & Starleana Young). He is also credited for working with

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 ...

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégées of musician Prince. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl". Vanity left in 1983 and the band was reformed as ...

Deniece Williams June Deniece Williams (née Chandler; born June 3, 1950) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great Soul music, soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free (Deniece Williams song), Free", "Silly (song ...

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1943) is an American singer and actress. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy for ...

Steven Dante Steven Dante (stage name of Steven Barrington Dennis) is a British soul singer and songwriter, who had several singles released in the 1980s on the Cooltempo label. His only solo album, ''Find Out'', was released on Chrysalis in 1988. It peak ...

Lolly Pop Lolly Pop is a persona of Brooke R. Calder, as produced by Ricardo Autobahn, Monte Moir and Doctor Fink. Biography Raised between the United States and Zimbabwe, Africa, Calder relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to work as a dancer for Princ ...

, Precious Wilson and various other artists. Some of his greatest writing successes were writing the first side of

's solo debut – including the

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...

classic " If You Were Here Tonight" – and " The Pleasure Principle' by

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...

and

are other notable artists he wrote classics for as part of

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

's 'The Secret'. Monte is something of a cult writing figure in the world of soulful music. "In My Life" by

Ruby Turner Francella Ruby Turner MBE (born 22 June 1958) is a British Jamaican R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and actress. In a music career spanning more than 40 years, Turner is best known for her album and single releases in Europe and North Ameri ...

as well as

's "It's Only Love" are key examples of his songwriting. He left The Time soon after Jam and Lewis were released by

, following conflicting writing interests with

the S.O.S. Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and Boogie (genre), electro-funk musical ensemble, group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs ...

and failing to make a concert. However, he rejoined The Time for their '' Pandemonium'' album and Prince's film '' Graffiti Bridge'', in the late 1980s when the original Time members reunited. Moir continues to compose his own material and produce for various artists. He was credited on

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

's 2016 Billboard number one hit "Work" and most recently surfaced at the 2020

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

''Salute to

''.

References

External links

MySpace siteAll Music – CreditsDiscography on Discogs
* 1958 births Living people American funk keyboardists American rhythm and blues musicians The Original 7ven members Musicians from Minneapolis {{US-keyboardist-stub