 One of Moore's first teachers was Rusty Holloway, an instructor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who himself had played with Woody Herman and Dizzy Gillespie, among others.Heeding Holloway's advice, Moore enrolled at the university as a classical studies and jazz performance major, with a concentration on electric bass and double bass.He began playing in bands in Knoxville, including Without Warning (with Nick Raskulinecz) and Sage (with Travis Wyrick).