Justin Moore is a small-town boy living his dream. Just listen to his music – dirt roads, fishing, enjoying a cold beer sitting on a tailgate – it’s all there.
Moore, 28, will bring his country show to the 125th Sandwich Fair at 8 p.m. Sept. 7. Seats cost $15 and $20, and tickets are available at the ticket office in front of the grandstand.
He may be gaining popularity with country fans across the nation, but Moore hasn’t forgotten his roots. In fact, during a recent phone interview from Mount Morris, Mich., Moore said he has moved his family back to Arkansas.
From Poyen, Ark., population “somewhere around 300,” he said he loved growing up there.
“About a year and a half ago, I moved my family – my wife and two daughters – back near there. I lived in Nashville for nine or 10 years, but I wanted my kids to grow up like I did.”
He tries to keep their lives simple, but his wife, Kate, and daughters, Ella, 2, and Kennedy, 9 months, starred with him in the music video for his hit, “Till My Last Day.” He said it was filmed at his home and at a concert in Wichita, Kan.
Moore said his family travels with him when possible, too.
“When you’re out on the road so long, it makes it a lot easier,” he said.
And this summer has kept him busy playing fairs and festivals.
“They kinda all run together,” he said sheepishly when he initially couldn’t remember where he was calling from. “It’s fun playing the fairs outside the major cities, where folks don’t necessarily get to see bigger shows.”
Along with spending time with his family, Moore said he writes a lot of music while traveling, and often brings songwriting partners to join him. Moore writes a lot of his own music and said the process doesn’t happen the same way twice.
“It may be something I’m playing on the guitar that leads to something else. As a songwriter, you have to be of the understanding that it happens different ways,” he said.
He said he always has admired the talent of Dwight Yoakam and he listens to the same things every other country fan does – Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams.
Moore actually got his first break as a songwriter, after performing since he was a small child, winning a high school talent contest, singing Gospel music in church and listening to nothing but country music. He can sing thousands of country songs, from old to new, word for word.
His break-out year as a performer came in 2008, when he toured with the likes of Trace Adkins and Luke Bryan, along with serving as the opening act for The Rowdy Frynds Tour with Lynyrd Skynard and Hank Williams Jr.
The majority of 2009 and 2010 were spent touring with Brad Paisley. In 2009, his first album, “Justin Moore,” was released.
His second album, “Outlaws Like Me,” was released in 2011. In November of that year, he made a stop at the Northern Illinois Convocation Center in DeKalb with Darius Rucker and Thompson Square.
Local fans can see Moore’s non-stop country act next week in Sandwich where his songs will tell the story of a small-town boy doing all he ever wanted to do – play country music.