Moore was born Demetria Gene Guynes in Roswell, New Mexico, and spent many of her childhood years in Rogers Manor, Pennsylvania, a small town south of Pittsburgh. She pronounces her stage name "dem-EE", with the emphasis on the second syllable, just like it sounds in "Demetria"; this is often incorrectly pronounced "DEM-ee," with the emphasis on the first syllable. As a child, Moore had a difficult and unstable home life. Her biological father, Charles Harmon, left her mother, Virginia King (November 27, 1943 – July 2, 1998), after a two-month marriage, before Moore was born. As a result, Moore had the surname of her stepfather, Danny Guynes (March 9, 1943 – October 1980), on her birth certificate. Danny Guynes, who committed suicide in 1980, frequently changed jobs; as a result the family moved a total of forty times. Moore's parents were also alcoholics and often fought and beat each other. Moore was cross-eyed as a child, and wore an eye patch in an attempt to correct the pro