William Roger "Bill" Moss

William Roger "Bill" Moss (September 17, 1935 – August 2, 2005) was an elected official, community leader, and one-time music impresario in the Central Ohio area, and was recognized nationally for his efforts concerning educational matters and practices.

Moss was born in Miami, Florida. His parents were Daniel (originally from Bahamas) and Mattie Lee Moss, originally from Gainesville, FL . Upon graduating from Booker T Washington High School in 1954, Moss joined the Army and was stationed in France. Here is where Moss was first bit by the entertainment bug, as he toured with many military music groups throughout Europe and the Far East.

Upon returning to the States, Moss moved to Los Angeles, California. While in Los Angeles, Moss went to Los Angeles Community College. managed a liquor store, worked for radio stations, and married, having a daughter, Sonya.

After being disenchanted with the Hollywood scene, Moss moved back to Miami in 1962.

One of the turning points in the career of Bill Moss came in 1964, when he moved to Columbus, Ohio, which was to be his home for the next 41 years. Having been divorced, Moss married Ruth, who was to be his wife for the rest of his life. They had four children, Loren C. Moss, Daniel C. Moss, William R. Moss III and Elynor R. Moss. For the next three years, Bill and Ruth Moss were to own and operate a restaurant, Nassau Daddy's Pit Barbecue, which specialized in barbecue items.

Moss recorded a few songs musically, including the 1969 song 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother'. In 1970, Moss founded his own record label, Capsoul, which was designed to be the Columbus alternative to Detroit's Motown.

After traveling the country for years to promote his record label, Moss became an activist in the school desegregation busing issue, a movement which he opposed. This led Moss to make his first run for political office, an Independent run for the United States House of Representatives in 1976, against incumbent Samuel L. Devine. Moss was defeated, but garnered nearly eight percent of the vote, and was blamed by many Democrats for the defeat of Columbus City Councilwoman Fran Ryan in that contest.

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