Early life

Moss was born in 1931 in Selma, Alabama

Selma, Alabama

Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....

 and sang in a choir led by his sister the late Dr. Mattie Moss Clark

Mattie Moss Clark

Dr. Mattie Moss-Clark was an American gospel choir director and the mother of The Clark Sisters, a world-renowned gospel vocal group...

. He served in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he was an active singer.

Bill Moss & The Celestials

He moved to Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 and formed The Celestials with his wife Essie Moss. Bill Moss & the Celestials would perform with acts such as The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...

 and Mighty Clouds of Joy

Mighty Clouds of Joy

The Mighty Clouds of Joy is an American gospel quartet.-Career:The Mighty Clouds of Joy were formed in 1960 and started out in a tradition-based style. Eventually they added soul, R&B, and rock flourishes into their musical mix without diluting the essential religious essence of their material...

 at venues such as the Apollo Theater

Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...

 in Harlem

Harlem

Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...

. The Celestials were one of the first gospel groups to use electric instruments. Their best known songs include "Turn It Over to Jesus", "Everything is Going to be Alright" and "The Way We Use to Have Church."

Musical influence

Moss' two sons are currently involved in Gospel music

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

: Bill Moss Jr. and James (performs as J. Moss). His sister, Mattie Moss Clark

Mattie Moss Clark

Dr. Mattie Moss-Clark was an American gospel choir director and the mother of The Clark Sisters, a world-renowned gospel vocal group...

, and nieces, The Clark Sisters

The Clark Sisters

The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of four sisters:Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. A fifth sister, Denise Clark Bradford, no longer performs with the group. The Clark Sisters are the daughters of legendary...

, are also Gospel music singers.

External links

• International Gospel Music Hall of Fame http://www.igmhf.org/website/html_pages/inductees.html