Tate Martin Moore was born November 8, 1973 to Sally and Jeb Moore in Oxford, Mississippi. Tate was a social and happy kid who found a way to make music out of just about anything. His first musical instruments were Sally's pots and pans, and later his parents bought him toy instruments whenever they could afford them. For Tate's tenth birthday, his parents saved enough money to buy him a top-quality harmonica, which Tate has carried with him ever since and will play whenever asked.

As a kid, Tate was small and wiry and never went out for sports. He decided he'd rather be the class clown and he entertained all the other kids with his one-man shows. In high school, he worked every day after school at Oxford Music Store to earn enough money to buy his own instruments. His first purchase was an acoustic guitar and he later added several other instruments to his collection including an electric guitar, a bass guitar, and an electronic keyboard. Tate also wrote songs for the high school football team which, though risqué, were legendary. He managed to graduate high school with a 2.75 average and opted not to go on to college. He had a calling for music and followed his dream.

Tate plays guitar and sings with the Kudzu Kings, which he and some friends founded in 1994. Known throughout the Southeastern college and club circuits, the Kings have developed a unique blend of country, bluegrass and improvisational rock n' roll that has appealed to audiences of all types and ages. They have taken their sound cross-country and appeared with such diverse heavyweights as Widespread Panic, Leftover Salmon, Junior Brown and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, garnering rave reviews along the way.

When Tate is not playing music and entertaining friends, he works as a groundskeeper at Rowan Oak, legendary home of William Faulkner. He is currently single and enjoys playing the field. Aside from his music, he enjoys working on and refurbishing classic cars.

In 2001 while at work at Rowan Oak, Tate discovered the body of Achim Michaelis on the grounds. He was briefly a suspect in that case, but carried on with his life when his colleague Cal Swinney was found to have committed the murder of Mr. Michaelis.

In November 2002, Tate discovered the body of Wenzel Hitzig while walking in Avent Park.

Tate has become increasingly concerned at how many dead bodies he has discovered. Friends on the music circuit have joked he has missed his true vocation as an undertaker, but Tate is more concerned that someday the Sheriff's department might treat him as a suspect.