A performer since his junior year of high school, Poyen, Ark., native Justin Moore moved to Music City in 2002. He signed to the Valory Music Co., an imprint of Big Machine Label Group, in 2008, and released his first-ever radio single, “Back That Thing Up,” that year.
After sharing an EP, You Asked for It, Moore dropped his eponymous debut record in 2009, showing off his writing skills by co-writing nine of the project’s 10 tracks. Justin Moore debuted at No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart, and since then, Moore’s name has been recognizable on the charts and within the country music scene.
Songs such as “Small Town USA,” “Backwoods,” “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” “Point at You,” “Lettin’ the Night Roll,” “You Look Like I Need a Drink” and several others have been standouts in Moore’s career; several of Moore’s singles have gone gold, and “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” has been certified platinum. Moore’s biggest awards win came in 2014, when he was named New Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards — though there was some controversy around his win, as Moore was nominated six years after his first single’s release. The ACM’s CEO later cleared up the confusion.
With three daughters and a son, Moore is living the family life and the country star life. And as he’s moved forward in his personal life and career, the singer’s perspective regarding fame has shifted.
“I wanted to be the biggest star in this town and sell more records than Garth Brooks and have more No. 1s than George Strait. Those were my goals,” Moore says. “I don’t know if it’s age, or if it’s the amount of time I’ve spent in this business, [but] those [goals] have changed for me … I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and where we are in our career, and, like I said, if those things come with what we do naturally, that’s fantastic.”
Moore says that he simply wants to “make the best music” he can, and has been concentrating on his live shows. Readers can flip through the photo gallery below to see some of the best photos of Moore live in concert: