Jon Moss biography

Synopsis

Profile

Born September 11, 1957, in London, England, to an unmarried Jewish woman, Jon Moss was adopted by the Moss family, a well-bred Jewish couple. After toying with the idea of becoming a boxer, he became a drummer. The stylish, dark-haired Moss went on to become a central part of the music scene in the 1970s and '80s.

After responding to an ad in Melody Maker magazine at age 19, Moss was briefly hired by The Clash on the condition that he would cut his long hair. It quickly became clear that he didn't share the band's political convictions, and he quit. He also played with the bands Adam & the Ants and the Damned.

When Boy George was looking for a drummer to join his group, Sex Gang Children, a friend suggested he contact Jon Moss. George hired Moss, and they renamed the group Culture Club in 1981.

Moss and George became secretly romantically involved.

In early 1982, Culture Club signed with Virgin Records, and by the fall their breakthrough single, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" became a hit. They had more hits with "Time (Clock of the Heart)," "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Karma Chameleon," which topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K.

The group released their second album, "Colour by Numbers," in the fall of 1983 and continued to have more hits with "It's a Miracle" and "Miss Me Blind." But their third album, "Waking Up With the House on Fire," didn't fare as well. The group went on hiatus in 1985, and Moss pursued other musical projects. Around that time, George became addicted to heroin and he and Moss broke up.

With George battling drug addiction, Culture Club broke up in late 1986, following the cancellation of their planned U.S. tour.

In 2006, Moss, along with bassist Mikey Craig and keyboard player Phil Pickett, reunited with a new band, Culture Club Reborn.

Although band members asked George to join them, he refused and then publicly criticized the replacement singer they hired. Moss was furious and spoke out against Boy George in the press. "He's like a nightmare ex-wife. This guy's being rude about me all the time. I've lived with it for years and I've just had enough," Moss told the Associated Press.

The new band disbanded after one live show.

In George's autobiography, "Take It Like a Man," he accused Moss of being "ashamed" of their romantic relationship.

"I'm not ashamed of anything," Moss, now married with children, told the AP in 2006. "My parents, all my friends knew. There's no problem there."

In 2010, the BBC aired the film "Worried About the Boy," which chronicled Moss and George's tumultuous relationship.

Moss is married with four children.

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