Bobo Moreno: On his first solo album and four decades in music

By Signe Hansen

For decades, Bobo Moreno, one of Denmark’s most accomplished and versatile vocalists, has interpreted the music of others. From jazz standards to soul and pop, he has lent his voice and unfaltering commitment to countless collaborations and live performances. Now, at 60, he is releasing his first solo album with original material.

When Bobo Moreno decided at the age of 20 to make music his profession, the industry looked very different from what it does today, where 150,000 songs are uploaded to streaming services daily. One might say that he has, arguably, chosen the most challenging time to release his first solo album. Of course, that assessment depends on the motives behind the album release. Talking to Moreno, one might get the impression that the decades that have passed and the limited earning potential of music publishing have perhaps removed rather than added distractions. “There’s so much music out there today,” he says. “You have to accept that you’re just one small voice in a very large field, but for me, it’s not about competing – it’s about contributing. About putting something into the world that comes from me, and hopefully connects with people in its own way.”

In the decades that have passed since he decided to pursue music as a profession, Moreno has built a career as one of Denmark’s most respected vocalists, moving between genres and ensembles with ease, performing with leading Danish ensembles, including the DR Big Band, and collaborating with Elvis Presley’s original backing band TCB and the Memphis Boys.

Photo: Thomas Roger Henrichsen

Growing up with music

Having grown up surrounded by professional musicians, it was perhaps not surprising that Moreno would choose the path he did. While pregnant, Moreno’s mother, an American, travelled to Denmark where she met his stepfather, Bo Stief, a Danish bass player at the Montmatre jazz house in Copenhagen. The affection was immediate and would come to define not just her life but the life and career of her then unborn son. “In our home, wherever we lived, there would always be musicians rehearsing,” Moreno recalls. “And above all, music playing constantly on the stereo. As a child, I would just sit there, pulling out records and playing them – that was my babysitter, so to speak.”

His love of music did not come only from his stepfather, though; his mother also introduced him to a broad spectrum of music, singing and sharing her knowledge. However, when Moreno decided to become a singer, it was his stepfather who showed him the direction he eventually followed. “He started guiding me towards all the classic vocalists – Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole,” Moreno explains. “He didn’t push me in a certain direction, but he showed me where the good stuff was. That gave me a sense of what mattered musically.”

Dedication and a willingness to step outside his comfort zone have defined Bobo Moreno’s career. Photo: Flemming Grøn

Big bands, album success and an Elvis cruise

Although Moreno’s career evolved through a series of collaborations and opportunities rather than a single, defined path, a breakthrough in the early 1990s brought him into a wider musical context. It came in 1993 with the duo Peaches & Bobo alongside American singer Peaches Lavon. Their album Simple Emotions, produced by Rugsted & Kreutzfeldt, was well received in both record stores and on radio. “That project put me in a new position,” he says. “Suddenly I was doing lead vocals in a studio setting, where you have to communicate the song in a very direct way.”

Other developments came more unexpectedly. A last-minute call to step in for a missing singer for The A-Team, which was opening the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, led to a long-standing role within the big band scene. “They called me the day before a concert and asked if I could step in,” Moreno recalls. “After that, I became part of the band and almost overnight, I was known as a big band singer. That opened up a whole new part of my career.”

Among the other defining collaborations on his CV are his work with the TCB Band, The Sweet Inspirations, and the Memphis Boys, the studio musicians behind many of Elvis Presley’s most iconic recordings. The latter collaboration led to many performances in Nashville and Memphis, as well as an invitation to perform on an Elvis-themed cruise. “That was five days on a ship where everything was Elvis,” he says. “People dressed up as Elvis, and different groups performing his music on different stages. It was a lot of fun – a very surreal kind of experience.”

Throughout it all, however, Moreno has kept a level head, and with gigs mainly centred in Denmark, he has been able to return home to his wife Liselotte and their three children most nights. Something he admits has been a perk not afforded to many musicians. “I’ve been able to sleep in my own bed most of the time,” he says. “And still be there the next morning – to be part of daily life, to make the packed lunches and all those things.”

Photo: Thomas Roger Henrichsen

High standards

That it has taken four decades for Moreno to release his own songs and his first solo album is not because the desire was not there earlier. Actually, he says, it has been something he wanted to do ever since he began singing, but the more time he spent interpreting and performing the material of some of the world’s best singers and songwriters, the higher the bar became. “It has taken a long time to get to a place where I felt that the songs passed my own quality control – something I could stand by and live with,” he confesses. “I’ve been listening to the best of the best all my life, and in a way that damages you a little bit – because the bar becomes very high.”

The album itself moves within a pop framework, but reflects a broad range of influences. There are touches of soul and funk, elements of country, and a clear love of classic songwriting throughout. Some songs draw directly on personal experience, including the song Never Went Back Home inspired by his mother’s journey from the United States to Denmark.

Having released the album in February, his first performance of the songs proved that even after four decades in the industry, music can still move him in new ways. “I recently did a concert where I only played songs that I had written myself,” he says. “And that’s something you can’t really compare to anything else. It’s so personal and very gratifying. You’re working from a completely different set of emotions.”

Photo: Flemming Grøn

A life in balance

Releasing his album at 60, Moreno proves that he has the courage to continue moving outside of his comfort zone, even in an ever-changing music industry, a quality that has defined his career from the very beginning. “Every time you step outside what you know, you gain something. It all adds up over time, and you keep expanding,” he stresses.

Indeed, while Moreno’s decision to finally publish his own solo record might at first seem like a significant shift in perspective, it is more a reflection of his continued desire to widen his own and others’ musical experiences. “I’ve had the pleasure of listening to so many great artists all my life. I want to participate,” he says, and concludes, “I want to give something that originates from me and that brings people the same kind of joy that I have felt. That’s the main thing for me.”

Bobo Moreno’s album Missing Pieces is available on streaming services such as Spotify, iTunes and YouSee.

Web: www.bobomoreno.dk
Facebook: Bobo Moreno Music
Instagram: @bobomorenomusic

Bobo Moreno’s album Missing Pieces is available on streaming services such as Spotify, iTunes and YouSee.

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