The World Will Never Be the Same

The assassination of JFK. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The invention of the Internet. These are events that have shaped our world and forever changed it. An event or individual does not have to be so huge to make an impact in our world. Sometimes you don’t notice the impact they had until they are gone.

I believe that the heart of America is our diversity. Our country is a fusion of many different cultures and lifestyles that have entwined together to form a melting pot of ideas, technology, sports, art, and music.

LeRoi Moore passed away on August 19 in Los Angeles, California. As a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, he has been a great influence on music and pop culture over the last twenty years. Moore died from complications due to an ATV accident in late June. He was 46 years old.

Moore started the Dave Matthews Band with Matthews in 1991. He was already an established jazz musician in Charlottesville, VA., and used his connections to recruit drummer Carter Beauford and violinist Boyd Tinsley. Leroi Moore brought a jazz and blues feel to Matthews alternative-rock sound and was integral in establishing DMB as the “ultimate jam band.”

The band announced Moore's passing at their show on August 21, at the Los Angeles Staples Center, with Matthews saying, “It’s easier to leave than to be left. Though LeRoi is gone, we still have his music, and that will live on forever.”

Though many people may not know Leroi Moore by name they have undoubtedly heard his music and probably been touched by it. Moore made a huge impact on music in America, and he will be missed. The world will never be the same.