Ron Fountenberry dubbed his musical persona the Incredible Moses Leroy, taking the "incredible" part as a nod to the stack of comic books that were some of the silent companions of his quiet childhood. He settled on the stage name Moses Leroy as a tribute to his great-grandfather, who fought for civil rights in his home state of Texas. As an only child growing up in a suburb of San Francisco, the alternative pop/rock musician saw himself as anything but incredible. The reserved youth who would grow up to become a substitute teacher filled himself up on a diet of television programs like Solid Gold and American Bandstand, music from his radio and his mother's vinyl records, comic books, and daydreams. A shy boy, he didn't even try to play the guitar until he went off to college in San Diego, and even then the instrument wasn't his own, but a roommate's.