Editing Geoff Moore (section)

== Early years ==

Moore was born in [[Flint, Michigan]]<ref name="CM_Vol_43">{{cite book
| title = Contemporary Musicians
| last = Belfiore
| first = Michael
| publisher = [[Gale Group]]
| year = 2004
| isbn = 0-7876-6796-X
| series = Volume 43
| location = [[Farmington Hills]], [[Michigan]]
| pages = [https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi0000unse_e7h8/page/133 133–134]
| chapter = Geoff Moore
| issn = 1044-2197
| editor = DeRemer Leigh Ann
| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/contemporarymusi0000unse_e7h8/page/133
}}</ref> in 1961. His father played [[baseball]] for the [[Toledo Mud Hens]], and later ran a [[steel]] fabrication plant.<ref name="CM_Vol_43" /> He attended Holly Area Schools at Patterson Elementary, Holly, MI through grade six and then started attending Brandon Schools in Ortonville, MI. He began singing while he was at [[Taylor University]] living in Wengatz Hall. At the time that he became a classmate to [[White Heart]]s future lead singer, [[Rick Florian]], when he stood in for the lead singer of his roommate's band. He graduated from Taylor in 1983.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/94/best-colleges-10_Taylor-University_94395_2.html | work=Forbes | title=#273 Taylor University Page 2 of 2 | date=August 11, 2010}}</ref> Newly married, he moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] soon after college.{{Citation needed|date=February 2016}} He was able to break into the music industry with the assistance of [[Michael W. Smith]] when the two met in the clothing store where Moore worked.<ref name="CM_Vol_43" /> He signed a publishing contract with Paragon Music, and began writing songs and singing on demo recordings. While with Paragon he wrote songs for fellow Christian singer and songwriter, [[Steven Curtis Chapman]].<ref name="CM_Vol_43" /> Since that time, they have become best friends and have co-written numerous songs together, including the title track on Chapman's 1992 [[Dove Award]] and [[Grammy]] winning release ''[[The Great Adventure (Steven Curtis Chapman album)|The Great Adventure]]''.

During the mid-1980s, Moore recorded three solo albums released on the Power Discs label, including ''Where are the Other Nine?'', ''Over the Edge'' and ''The Distance''. After signing to [[Sparrow Records]] in 1987, he put together a touring band, called "the Distance", to continue with his career.