| Ben Moody | |
| Birth Name: | Benjamin Robert Moody II |
| Birth Date: | 1981 1, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1994–present |
| Instrument: | Guitar |
Benjamin Robert Moody II (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.
Moody was born on January 22, 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas.[1] [2] 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."[2] He began playing drums, but switched to guitar after experiencing carpal tunnel issues.[3] He did not take guitar lessons, and took influence from 1980s artists like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe.[3] 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".[3] He called Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett his "hero" and the reason he played guitar.[4]
See 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.[5] [3] They soon began playing music at local shops.[6] 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.[7]
In 2006, Moody signed with former Evanescence management Rider Management, which sued him in 2013 for $500,000 in unpaid commissions.[8]
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."[9]
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".
In early 2005, Moody played lead guitar for the song "Forever in Our Hearts", the 'song for tsunami relief' made exclusively for iTunes.[10] 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.
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.[11] 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.[11] It was reported that his solo album was still in the works.[11]
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.
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.[12] [13] 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.
Moody started a television and film production company, Makeshift Films.[14] He made a cameo as a zombie in the 2004 horror film .[15] He also appeared in the 2007 release of the low-budget film Dead and Gone.
Moody identified as Christian and promoted his religious beliefs in interviews in the early 2000s.[16] [5] [17] In 2005, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[18] He struggled with substance abuse during his time in Evanescence, and entered rehab after leaving the band.
Moody dated singer Hana Pestle.[19] [20] As of June 2022, he is now divorced.[21]
See main article: Evanescence discography.
| Year | Artist | Song | Release and/or explanation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Nobody's Home" | Under My Skin | Writing credits | ||
| "The End Has Come" | 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 | |
| "Everything Burns" | Pieces of a Dream | Main performer; writing credits and producer | |||
| "Fastlane" | A Little More Personal (Raw) | Arranger, programming, producer | |||
| "Edge of Seventeen" | Programming and producer | ||||
| "My World" | The Real Thing | Producer | |||
| 2006 | "Push" feat. Jeffree Starr and Ben Moody | The Shadow Line | Producer | ||
| 2007 | "What About Now" | Daughtry | Writing credits | ||
| "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 | |
| "Innocence" | Halestorm | Writing credits | |||
| 2010 | "Arise" (Ben Moody Mix) | Remember to Live | Remixer |