Justin Moore

Justin Moore
Justin Moore at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards
Background information
Birth name	Justin Cole Moore
Born	March 30, 1984[1] Poyen, Arkansas
Origin	Poyen, Arkansas, US
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals electric guitar acoustic guitar
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Valory Music Group[2]
Associated acts	Jeremy Stover

Justin Cole Moore (born March 30, 1984) is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Big Machine Records imprint Valory Music Group. For that label, he has released four studio albums—his self titled debut in 2009, Outlaws Like Me in 2011, Off the Beaten Path in 2013. and Kinda Don't Care in 2016. He has also charted eleven times on the Hot Country Songs, including the number one singles "Small Town USA", "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away", "Til My Last Day", "Lettin' the Night Roll", and "You Look Like I Need a Drink"; and the top 10 hits "Backwoods" and "Point at You".

Music career

Moore began performing during his junior year of high school.^[3] After graduating, he joined his uncle's Southern rock band and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2002.^[3] He met a young producer in Nashville, Jeremy Stover, who introduced him to Scott Borchetta, an industry executive who was planning to launch The Valory Music Co. Borchetta promised to give him a record deal if he would be patient.^[3]

2008–2010

In mid-2008, Moore signed to the Valory Music Group, an imprint of the independent record label Big Machine Records. The label then released the digital single "I Could Kick Your Ass". His first radio single, "Back That Thing Up", was co-written by Randy Houser and Moore's producer, Jeremy Stover.^[4] It reached number 38 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He continued working on his debut album, which was part of a special promotion called "So You Want to Be a Record Label Executive". This promotion placed his music on social networking sites such as MySpace and iLike, where fans were allowed to create playlists comprising ten of his songs; the Top 10 songs picked were then included on the final album.^[5] His next single, "Small Town USA", entered the charts in February 2009,^[6] followed by a digital EP entitled The "You Asked for It" EP.

On August 11, the label released his self-titled debut album, on which he co-wrote nine of the ten tracks.^[7] This album debuted at No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart.^[8] He promoted the single and album on a "Small Town USA" tour which began in his hometown of Poyen, Arkansas and included several stops in small towns, as well as acoustic shows at Walmart stores.^[7] On the Hot Country Songs charts dated October 3, 2009, "Small Town USA" became his first No. 1 single. "Backwoods" was released as the album's third single in October 2009. It became his second Top 10 hit with a peak of No. 6 in April 2010. The album's fourth single, "How I Got to Be This Way", reached Top 20.

2011–present

In February 2011, he released the song "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away", which was originally recorded by Rhett Akins on his 2007 album People Like Me but did not chart. Justin Moore's rendition debuted at 46 on the Hot Country songs chart. In June 2011, the song became his third Top 10 hit on that chart and three weeks later, it became his second Number One. The song serves as the lead-off single to his 2011 album Outlaws Like Me, which was released on June 21, 2011. Follow-up singles "Bait a Hook" and "Til My Last Day" both broke the Top 20; the latter reached Number One on the Country Airplay chart.

In December 2012, Moore announced plans to embark on a headlining tour in 2013, at the time tentatively planned to begin in March.^[9] Later in the month, he entered the studio to begin recording his third studio album.^[10] The album's first single, "Point at You", was released on March 18, 2013.^[11] It peaked at No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart in October 2013. The album, entitled Off the Beaten Path, was released on September 17, 2013.^[12] The album's second single, "Lettin' the Night Roll", was released on October 21, 2013, and became his fourth number one single on the Country Airplay chart in July 2014.

After that single's release, Moore sang guest vocals along with Thomas Rhett on Brantley Gilbert's 2014 single "Small Town Throwdown". Just like Moore himself, Rhett and Gilbert are also signed to Valory. Later, he recorded a cover of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" as a duet with the band's lead singer Vince Neil. This song is featured on the multi-artist tribute album Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe, which was released by Big Machine on August 19, 2014. A third single from Off the Beaten Path, "This Kind of Town", was released on October 20, 2014.

Awards

Moore won the award for New Artist of the Year 2014 at the Academy of Country Music Awards.^[13]

Musical styles

Steve Leggett of Allmusic describes him as having "a ready-made image. He was that good kid from a small town with a rowdy heart of gold who just happened to be able to sing about it."^[6] He has said that he learned to write songs because, when he had first moved to Nashville, no songwriters wanted to offer him material.^[7] His first album received mixed reviews from music critics: Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic referred to it as "anonymous country rock",^[6] and Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time referred to Moore as a "poseur" for name-dropping.^[14] Engine 145's Karlie Justus said that his influences were comparatively more authentic than most other acts on country radio,^[15] and Matt Bjorke of Roughstock said that his music has "a heavy dose of southern, country charm and twang."^[16]

Personal life

Justin Moore married his wife, Kate of Houma, Louisiana, in 2007. They have three daughters, Ella Kole, born February 11, 2010, Kennedy Faye, born November 21, 2011 and Rebecca Klein born July 14, 2014.^[17] He is an avid supporter of the Arkansas Razorbacks.^[18] He is from Poyen, Arkansas.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions				Certifications	Sales
		US Country [19]	US [20]	AUS [21]	CAN [22]
Justin Moore	Release date: August 11, 2009 Label: Valory Music Group Formats: CD, music download	3	10	—	—	US: Gold[23]	US: 550,000[24]
Outlaws Like Me	Release date: June 21, 2011 Label: Valory Music Group Formats: CD, music download	1	5	—	—	US: Gold[25]	US: 577,000[24]
Off the Beaten Path	Release date: September 17, 2013 Label: Valory Music Group Formats: CD, music download	1	2	—	5		US: 344,800[26]
Kinda Don't Care	Release date: August 12, 2016 Label: Valory Music Group Formats: CD, music download	1	4	61	15		US: 79,300[27]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Extended plays

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US Country [19]	US [20]	US Heat [28]
The "You Asked for It" EP	Release date: June 9, 2009 Label: Valory Music Group Formats: CD, music download	54	—	49
Point at You and Four Moore Hits EP	Release date: April 2, 2013 Label: Valory Music Group Formats: CD, music download	28	172	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Certifications (sales threshold)	Album
		US Hot Country [29]	US Country Airplay [30]	US [31]	CAN Country [32]	CAN [33]
2008	"Back That Thing Up"	38	—	—	—	—		Justin Moore
2009	"Small Town USA"	1	—	44	—	—	US: Gold[34]
	"Backwoods"	6	—	69	—	—	US: Gold[35]
2010	"How I Got to Be This Way"	17	—	—^[A]	—	—
2011	"If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away"	1	—	49	—	76	US: Platinum[36]	Outlaws Like Me
	"Bait a Hook"	17	—	63	—	—	US: Gold[37]
2012	"Til My Last Day"	7	1	51	8	76	US: Gold[38]
2013	"Point at You"	10	2	53	6	71	US: Gold[39]	Off the Beaten Path
	"Lettin' the Night Roll"	7	1	49	4	67	US: Gold[40]
2014	"Home Sweet Home" (with Vince Neil)	28	30	—	—	—		Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe
	"This Kind of Town"	50	44	—	—	—		Off the Beaten Path
2015	"You Look Like I Need a Drink"	12	1	79	1	—		Kinda Don't Care
2016	"Somebody Else Will"^[B]		46
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Notes

• A^ "How I Got to Be This Way" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 but peaked at number 1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.^[41]
• B^ Current single.^[42]

Other charted songs

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		US Country [29]
2012	"Run Rudolph Run"	58	The Country Christmas Collection
2013	"Off the Beaten Path"	44	Off the Beaten Path

Guest singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak chart positions					Certifications (sales threshold)	Album
			US Country	US Country Airplay	US	CAN Country	CAN
2014	"Small Town Throwdown"	Brantley Gilbert (with Thomas Rhett)	13	8	67	24	97	US: Gold[43]	Just as I Am

Music videos

Year	Video	Director
2008	"Back That Thing Up"[44]	Wes Edwards
2009	"Small Town USA"[45]	Chris Hicky
	"Backwoods"[46]	Kristin Barlowe
2010	"How I Got to Be This Way"[47]	Chris Hicky
2011	"If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away"	Peter Zavadil
	"This Is NRA Country"[48]	Adam Taylor
	"Bait a Hook"	Shane Drake
2012	"'Til My Last Day" (live)[49]	Justin Nolan Key
	"'Til My Last Day"[50]	Peter Zavadil
2013	"Point at You"[51]
	"Lettin' the Night Roll"[52]
2014	"Home Sweet Home" (with Vince Neil)[53]	Shane Drake
	"Small Town Throwdown"[54] (with Brantley Gilbert and Thomas Rhett)
2016	"You Look Like I Need a Drink"[55]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Result
2011	Inspirational Country Music Awards	Mainstream Inspirational Country Song - "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away"[56]	Won
		Inspirational Video - "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away"[56]	Won
2012	American Country Awards	Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist	Nominated
2014	Academy of Country Music Awards	New Artist of the Year	Won

References

1. Kiley, Kayla (18 March 2010). "Inside country star Justin Moore". Cadillac News. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
2. "Big Machine starts new label, signs Jewel, Jimmy Wayne, Justin Moore". Country Standard Time. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
3. Emerson, LaTina. (2010, August 18). Road leads to Augusta for Moore. The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
4. "Back That Thing Up Lyrics- Justin Moore". Lyricsfreak.com. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
5. Petruziello, Francis (2008-10-14). "Justin Moore wants you to produce his album". The Cleveland Leader. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Justin Moore review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
7. Darden, Beville (2009-08-12). "Justin Moore Does Big Things With 'Small Town'". The Boot. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
8. "Strait leads all music in sales". Country Standard Time. 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
9. "More of Moore?". Country Weekly. December 3, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
10. "Justin Moore Begins Recording New Album". Taste of Country. December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
11. "Justin Moore New Album Shares New 'Point' of View". The Boot. February 25, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
12. Paxman, Bob (June 6, 2013). "Justin Moore Previews New Album, "Off the Beaten Path"". Country Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
13. "Academy of Country Music Awards Vote - Winners". CBS.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
14. Remz, Jeffrey B. "Justin Moore review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
15. Justus, Karlie (13 August 2009). "Justin Moore review". Engine 145. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
16. Bjorke, Matt (11 August 2009). "Justin Moore review". Roughstock. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
17. "Third Child on the Way for Justin Moore – Moms & Babies – Celebrity Babies and Kids - Moms & Babies". Celebritybabies.people.com. 2011-11-22. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
18. "Justin Moore gets to know some other good sports". Sports.espn.go.com. 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
19. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
20. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
21. "CHART WATCH #382". auspOp. August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
22. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
23. "American album certifications – Justin Moore – Justin Moore". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
24. Keith Caulfield (September 18, 2013). "Jack Johnson and Justin Moore Vying for No. 1 on the Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
25. "American album certifications – Justin Moore – Outlaws Like Me". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
26. Bjorke, Matt (April 8, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For April 8, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
27. Bjorke, Matt (October 30, 2016). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: October 31, 2016". Roughstock.
28. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
29. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
30. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
31. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
32. "Justin Moore Album & Song Chart History - Canada Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
33. "Canadian Hot 100 - Greatest Gainer". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
34. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – Small Town USA". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
35. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – Backwoods". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
36. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – If Heaven Wasn%27t So Far Away". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
37. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – Bait a Hook". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
38. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – Til My Last Day". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
39. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – Point At You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
40. "American single certifications – Justin Moore – Lettin' the Night Roll". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
41. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 622. ISBN 0-89820-188-8.
42. "Single Releases". MusicRow. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
43. "American single certifications – Brantley Gilbert – Small Town Throwdown". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
44. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : Back That Thing Up". Country Music Television. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
45. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : Small Town USA". Country Music Television. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
46. "Videos : Justin Moore : Backwoods". CMT. January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
47. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : How I Got to Be This Way". Country Music Television. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
48. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : This Is NRA Country". Country Music Television. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
49. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : Til My Last Day (Live)". Country Music Television. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
50. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : Til My Last Day". Country Music Television. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
51. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : Point At You". Country Music Television. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
52. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : Lettin' the Night Roll". Country Music Television. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
53. Thompson, Gayle (July 2, 2014). "Justin Moore Releases 'Home Sweet Home' Video (Watch)". The Boot. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
54. "CMT : Videos : Brantley Gilbert : Small Town Throwdown". Country Music Television. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
55. "CMT : Videos : Justin Moore : You Look Like I Need a Drink". Country Music Television. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
56. "Carrie Underwood, Justin Moore + More Nominated for 2011 Inspirational Country Awards". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 3, 2011.

External links

• Justin Moore at Big Machine Records