Moby (real name - Richard Melville Hall) is an American DJ, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born on September 11, 1965 in Harlem, New York.

Moby started playing music when he was nine years old, originally studying classical guitar and music theory, and eventually learning piano and drums.

From 1982 to 1985 Moby was in a hardcore punk band called the Vatican Commandos, who released an EP called Hit Squad for God. He was also in a Joy Division-inspired post-punk group called AWOL, who released an eponymous album in 1983.

His first single for Instinct was "Mobility," but it was the second single, "Go," a progressive house track using the string line from "Laura Palmer's Theme" from the TV drama Twin Peaks, which reached the UK top ten in October 1991.

In 1996 he released a punk rock album called Animal Rights and toured Europe with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden. Moby usually writes all his own music, occasionally with collaborators, but Animal Rights included a cover version of Mission of Burma's That's When I Reach for My Revolver.

He plays keyboard, guitar, bass guitar and drums. After eight top 40 singles in the UK in the 1990s he released the album Play, in 1999, which sold 9 million copies worldwide. His follow up albums, 18, Hotel, and Last Night sold 6 million copies and have achieved gold and platinum status in over 30 countries.

He has also released music under the names Voodoo Child, Barracuda, Brainstorm, The Brotherhood, DJ Cake, Lopez, Mindstorm, Schaumgummi, and Pork Guys, and as a member of the bands Vatican Commandos, AWOL, Caeli Seoul and Gin Train.

www.moby.com