Ben Moody

Benjamin Moody (born January 22, 1981) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He co-founded rock band Evanescence, which he departed in 2003 after the release of their debut album Fallen. After leaving Evanescence, Moody co-wrote and co-produced songs for Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Anastacia, Lindsay Lohan, Bo Bice, Daughtry, and Celine Dion.

Early life Moody was born on January 22, 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He described his youth in Little Rock as being lax, stating that "everybody has their fun. In Little Rock, I'm an infamous thief - it was all there was to do." He did not take guitar lessons, and took influence from 1980s artists like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe.

Career

Evanescence

In 1994, Moody met Amy Lee in Little Rock, Arkansas while at a youth camp. The two became musical collaborators and co-founded Evanescence. Moody abruptly left Evanescence on October 22, 2003 during their European tour, citing creative differences. Lee was informed by the manager, who asked her to beg him to stay, which she declined, stating "that's exactly what he wants me to do". In Lee's termination letter to the manager, she stated that Moody was physically and verbally abusive to her.

In August 2010, Moody released a statement on his history with Lee and Evanescence, where he said that he was a different person at the time, his friendship with Lee had deteriorated, and they had conflicting opinions, personalities, and desires with the band. Moody apologized to Lee for comments he made to her in anger. He said he realized the band would end if he stayed and believes he made the right choice. He added, "Evanescence has progressed a great distance from the original sound, and made it clear that they intended to expand much further. Amy is very artistic and never has had a problem thinking outside of the box and defying expectations."

Solo projects Beginning in 2004, Moody began collaborating with several artists, co-writing the track "Nobody's Home" for Avril Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, and co-writing the track "The End Has Come" with Jason C. Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones for The Punisher soundtrack. He then wrote with David Hodges, Kelly Clarkson, and others for Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, working on the songs "Because of You" and "Addicted". He collaborated with singer Anastacia on the song "Everything Burns", which is featured on her album Pieces of a Dream and the Fantastic Four soundtrack. Moody then assisted Lindsay Lohan on her album A Little More Personal (Raw) and worked with Bo Bice on the song "My World" (a cover from SR-71) for his debut album The Real Thing. Moody's debut solo album, You Can't Regret What You Don't Remember, was scheduled to be released in late 2005, and would feature bassist Marty O'Brien on bass, drummer Lance Garvin, guitarist Michael "Fish" Herring, and co-vocals from Jason Miller. He later produced the Godhead album The Shadow Line with Julian Beeston, and played a clown in their music video for the song "Push". He collaborated with Hodges again on American Idol Chris Daughtry's debut album, Daughtry (2006), for the song "What About Now".

In 2007, Moody worked with Celine Dion on her album Taking Chances. We Are the Fallen made their first public appearance together for a press conference at SIR Studios in Los Angeles, CA, on June 22, 2009. Their debut album, Tear the World Down was released in May 2010. The band toured for most of the year in support of the album, and filmed their first live DVD, Cirque Des Damnés, at the Avalon Theatre. The DVD was scheduled for release in late 2011.

In 2012, Moody teamed up with former Papa Roach drummer Dave Buckner, and former Rock Star Supernova frontman Lukas Rossi, to form a new band called The Halo Method. Before their debut show on the Shiprocked cruise in November 2012, former In This Moment bassist and studio engineer Josh Newell became their bassist.

Acting roles Moody started a television and film production company, Makeshift Films. He made a cameo as a zombie in the 2004 horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse. He also appeared in the 2007 release of the low-budget film Dead and Gone.

Personal life Moody identified as Christian and promoted his religious beliefs in interviews in the early 2000s. In 2005, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He struggled with substance use during his time in Evanescence, and entered rehab after leaving the band.

Discography

Evanescence

Fallen (2003)

Solo "Everything Burns" (2005) - Single/Music video Mutiny Bootleg E.P. (2008) All for This (2009) You Can't Regret What You Don't Remember (2011)

We Are the Fallen Tear the World Down (2010)

Other appearances Year Artist Song Release and/or explanation Notes2004 Avril Lavigne "Nobody's Home" Under My Skin Writing credits Ben Moody feat. Jason Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones "The End Has Come" The Punisher: The Album Main performer; writing creditsKelly Clarkson (with Ben Moody, David Hodges, Marty O'Brien, and Mark Colbert) "Because of You" Breakaway Writing credits, producer, and guitar "Addicted"2005 Ben Moody "Forever in Our Hearts" Song for tsunami relief made exclusively for iTunes Lead guitar Ben Moody feat. Anastacia "Everything Burns" Fantastic 4: The AlbumPieces of a Dream Main performer; writing credits and producerLindsay Lohan "Fastlane" A Little More Personal (Raw) Arranger, programming, producer "Edge of Seventeen" Programming and producer Bo Bice "My World" The Real Thing Producer 2006 Godhead "Push" feat. Jeffree Starr and Ben Moody The Shadow Line Producer2007 Daughtry "What About Now" Daughtry Writing creditsCeline Dion "Alone" Taking Chances Producer "This Time" Writing credits and producer "The Reason I Go On" Producer 2009 Daughtry "Open Up Your Eyes" Leave This Town Writing credits Halestorm "Innocence" Halestorm Writing credits 2010 Flyleaf "Arise" (Ben Moody Mix) Remember to Live Remixer