Hope all of you Frog Blog readers had a great Thanksgiving! Mine was nice and peaceful. I dare say it was the least stressful Thanksgiving I can remember for many years. That in itself is something to be thankful for!
One guy who must be pretty grateful these days is Justin Moore. Earlier this year, the young singer captured his first #1 hit with “Small Town U.S.A.” For his latest single, Justin once again draws inspiration from his roots.
Justin hails from the postage stamp-sized town of Poyen, Arkansas. He states: “I’ve learned that everybody is proud of where they are from, and it doesn’t matter what size it is. At the end of the day, they have a place to come home to and food on the table.”
As he was growing up, Justin’s parents encouraged his musical talent. He started singing in church, and his parents often made him take the lead parts. In school, Justin frequently got the lead in church plays, because he was one of the few members of the congregation that could sing on key. He won his first talent contest at age eight, and began performing regularly at local fairs and festivals.
When he was a senior in high school, Justin’s dad sat him down and asked if he would ever consider making music a full-time career. The thought had never occurred to him before. After mulling it over, Justin joined his uncle’s band. He also began making regular trips to Nashville, in order to learn more about the music industry. After graduation, Justin turned down several baseball scholarships to go to college. That lasted all of two weeks. He realized that Nashville was the place he really wanted to be.
In 2002, he made the move to Music City, where his songwriting skills soon earned him a publishing deal with Big Picture Music. That company was run by Keith Stegall, best known for producing Alan Jackson. Jason also hooked up with a guy named Jeremy Stover, who eventually became his producer and main collaborator. Jeremy introduced Justin to music exec Scott Borchetta (you saw him on the last season of CMT’s Gone Country), who was just about to launch Big Machine Records. Scott told Justin that if he was patient, he’d land him a record deal. Justin thought, “sure,” thinking it’d take a year or so. Not so fast. It took almost five years, which Justin spent continuously writing and developing himself as an artist. Finally, Borchetta signed Justin to his newest label, Valory Music Co., last year. His self-titled CD was released this past August. He describes his music as “old school country” lyrics set to music that has a distinct southern rock edge.
Justin Moore’s next big project: Fatherhood. He and his wife Kate are expecting their first child, a girl, in February 2010. They have already named her Ella Kole. Justin will be on the road with Brad Paisley the day before her scheduled birth. He shares: “It'll be touch and go. I might have to get on a jet and fly home, which I do not like to do. I guess if it's for my little girl, I'll have to do it.”
Justin’s new video is for his latest single, “Backwoods.”
Hope all of you Frog Blog readers had a great Thanksgiving! Mine was nice and peaceful. I dare say it was the least stressful Thanksgiving I can remember for many years. That in itself is something to be thankful for!
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