Religiously branching out into the world of music | In The Spotlight

CHICO — I grew up attending a Catholic church and for 18 years, this was basically my only experience with houses of worship.

Catholic church services are very solemn, quiet and traditional. There’s a choir singing beautiful music and a piano player. The music played and the songs sung by the choir are very traditional and moving.

Since moving to Chico I have also attended the Catholic church here, but also decided to branch out a little and try out some other churches to see what they were all about, much to the chagrin of my mother, who is a traditional Italian Catholic.

One such church was the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. I wrote a story about an event there, and I was intrigued. It was there that I met Pastor Robert Morton and his now-wife, Rachel Morton. I decided to attend a service that next Sunday.

I was blown away — not just by the church, but by the music.

Robert Morton has the most powerful and beautiful singing voice that I’ve ever heard. He commands attention in such a way that I feel like I’m under a spell as I listen to him sing. I was surprised by how much of the service was devoted to singing; from my Catholic background, I was used to singing and music being just one aspect of the service, not most of it.

When he preaches, you can feel the enthusiasm and love for God that bursts forth. And I love to see people swaying to the music, singing and clapping.

And then there’s the band.

The trio, led by local musician Webster Moore on the piano and a guitarist and drummer, also caught my attention. I wasn’t used to hearing a drummer bust out beats like that at church or the soul and gospel sounds coming from these young guys. But most of my focus was on Moore, who has been playing piano since he was 5.

Moore plays all over the area as a full-time musician. He’s played in bands such as Decades, who he played with for two years, and Big Mo as well. He loves playing at the Chico Women’s Club, which sports a big black Steinway piano on the stage that he loves playing.

Not surprisingly, much of his musical motivation came from the church. Moore said he was influenced by Bethel AME former Pastor Loretta Dickinson Smith, who would transition between preaching and playing piano.

“She was a great singer and a really good pianist,” Moore said. “That was how I learned some of the hymns, watching her play with that gospel style. It was nice to have that influence.”

Moore has spent a long time honing his craft, but says there is always something new to learn.

“I’ve definitely played with many different bands and genres of music. I played in a salsa band, blues, funk, etc.  I think the variety of music is what keeps playing music really fun for me,” Moore said.

It will be a sad day when Moore leaves Chico. He grew up in Magalia and has lived in Chico for quite awhile. He wants to challenge himself and move his career forward by moving somewhere such as Nashville, New Orleans or Austin, Texas.

“Nashville would be a big move and it’s very competitive there,” Moore said. “There isn’t a lot of competition here in Chico and I want to be proactive moving somewhere where there is more pressure, which helps.”

Moore won a Cammie award for best keyboardist in 2019, which is an awards ceremony for local musical artists held every spring. He is playing a few shows in Utah in September with the Hattie Craven Band and played with the band Decades for two years.

Moore likes how music connects him with others. “I’m learning and growing,” he said. “No matter how long you’ve played you’re doing something you can learn about. I love traveling and meeting new people and sharing my music with people onstage. It’s a special thing.”

Moore would like to record an album before he leaves Chico and if he does, I will surely download that album as soon as it comes out.

Moore can be found on Instagram under webby_moore and on Facebook under Webster Moore. He can be booked for gigs at his social media accounts but can also be reached via email at moorewebster@gmail.com.

Jennie Blevins writes an arts and entertainment column every week. She can be reached at jblevins@chicoer.com.