Reigning ACM New Artist of the Year Justin Moore added a second consecutive #1 debut on the Billboard Country Albums Chart to his list of accolades with “Off The Beaten Path.” This helped to produce Justin’s fourth and fifth #1 hits “Point At You” and “Lettin’ the Night Roll.” Combined with his previous GOLD-certified albums “Justin Moore” and “Outlaws Like Me” – he has sold over 5.9 million digital downloads. Justin has appeared on NBC’s “The Voice” and “The Queen Latifah Show” while his music has been featured on the ABC hit drama “Nashville,” Hannity & Colmes and NFL Rewind.
I had the pleasure of meeting Justin a few years back in Indianapolis for the Crown Royal’s Heroes Project. It was part of the “Your Hero’s Name Here” program where Crown Royal renames the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after a deserving hero. In addition, in 2013 Justin Moore released a special song called “Heroes,” to encourage people to celebrate and recognize the everyday heroes. For more information on the program by visit www.CrownRoyalHeroes.com.
Justin is a down to Earth guy that you can have a nice chat with while drinking whiskey. I have actually done that with Justin. It is always a pleasure when I get the chance to talk with him. This time I caught up with Justin to talk about fatherhood and a few other things.
Art Eddy: Let’s first talk about the great work you do with Crown Royal for the Crown Royal’s Heroes Project called the “Your Hero’s Name Here” where the Crown Royal renames the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tell me about that campaign.
Justin Moore: I am a small piece in the puzzle. Crown Royal and NASCAR deserve all the credit. I just go around and run my mouth. (Both laugh.) It is a really, really cool idea. Crown has done a really good job for some years. I have been fortunate to be a part of this for the past five years. It has been something that has been an annual thing for us. It’s been awesome to get to know these guys and gals and their families. Their stories are humbling and
encouraging. It makes me want to be a better person. That is what it is all about.
Not to be cliché, but it is awesome. You can nominate anyone you think it deserves recognition. It could be a firefighter, a teacher, or a military veteran. Whatever it is it is someone you feel that is a hometown hero. Whoever gets the most votes wins and has the Brickyard 400 named after them. They get treated like a king or a queen for that day. It is really cool to meet these families. I still see them when I am on the road during my shows. I literally have watched their kids grow up for the past five years. It’s been pretty awesome.
AE: What do you like most about working on this campaign?
JM: Once you meet these nominees it is really one of those moments that make you go I need to be a better person. I need to be more like him or more like her. Anytime you meet somebody in life no matter the circumstance that makes you want to be a better person it is something that you definitely want to be involved with.
AE: I am a big fan of the Crown Royal line. I like the new Regal Apple variant. What is your Crown Royal cocktail of choice to enjoy responsibly?
JM: I like the XR and the XO over ice. That’s it. I’m pretty simple.” I have to say those two variants are fantastic.
AE: You have definitely made a name for yourself in the music industry. You have been on the hit shows like “Nashville” and “The Voice.” When I met you in Indy a few years back for the Crown Royal event you were very humble and down to Earth. I think a lot of fans respect that about you. What has surprised you the most about what you have been able to experience with your success?
JM: It has been an incredible ride for us. For me staying humble like you said and I appreciate you saying that, staying humble and keeping your priorities in order are a must. Maybe I didn’t do that earlier on in my career, but I am certainly trying to do so now.
I have been incredibly fortunate to have the opportunities to in front of me that I have had. I moved to Nashville in 2002. I was hoping to have one hit song. Number one was never in my vocabulary. Now that I have five number one hits and to be able to sell over two million just blows my mind. All the credit goes to the people behind the scenes that worked their rear ends off for me. My family, who has to deal with me being gone. Also the fans. The fans have been there for me from the get go. They are as passionate about my music as I am. I am humble because that is the way you are supposed to be. I am a Christian and I believe in the Bible and that is what is says for you to be. I truly mean that. It is not just an aww shucks I don’t deserve any credit thing. I truly mean that. I wouldn’t be where I am at without all the people that it takes to get to the place in my career where I am at.
AE: A few months ago I spoke with Darius Rucker and asked him about how he comes up with songs. I think it is fascinating how 
each artist comes up with a song. So for you does the process of writing a song always vary?
JM: First of all I just want to say that Darius is a great human being. He is one of my best friends. I love Darius. I have really looked up to him over the years as a person. He is a good one to talk to. I think if you ask an artist you will probably get ten different answers to that question. It never really happens the same way twice.
I have come up with a line for a song and that turns out to be the title. I have come up with a guitar lick and I don’t even know what the title is going to be. It sometimes happens on the bus. It sometimes happens at home. Recently it happened to me on a deer stand. I didn’t even have a guitar. I wrote it down on my phone. That is the cool thing about a song. Not to be cheesy or cliché sometimes a song just finds you. Some of my best songs or most successful songs have happened that way.
AE: Now switching to fatherhood, what are some of the morals you look to pass on to your children as they grow up?
JM: I have all girls. I have a five year old, a three year old, and an eight month old. My wife and I are just running around like chickens with their heads cut off. What I hope to pass onto my kids is a good moral foundation. I hope to teach them the things that my mom and dad taught me. I didn’t always listen. I didn’t always adhere to them. (Both laugh.) I hope that when my kids move out of our house they know right from wrong and keep their list of priorities in order. If we do that I think that they will be just fine.
AE: How do you balance work and family?
JM: I am fortunate enough to have my own bus. My family does get to travel with me as often as my wife can stand being on a bus for a few days. (Both
laugh.) You have to be cognizant of when you are booking tour dates. It could be someone’s birthday or Christmas. We get to a limit on shows. We say that we are going to do x amount of shows this year and that is it. It doesn’t matter how much money you get to play another show. You got to say no. That is family time.
We make certain to do that. We also make certain that we carve out a couple of weeks at a time throughout the year for us to go on vacation or do all the things we love to do together even if it is at home.
AE: What advice do you have for new dads out there?
JM: Oh wow. Sleep whenever you can. (Both laugh.) You don’t get a whole lot of it. So if they are down for a nap and you can catch 15 minutes for a nap, go for it. You don’t get too much of it when you become a father. All that said it is definitely worth it. It is the most rewarding thing that I have ever experienced in life.
Life of Dad Quick Five
AE: What is your favorite family movie you guys like to watch together?
JM: It changes week to week as you know with little ones. Right now their favorite is “The Little Rascals.” My wife and I are excited about it because we watched it when we were their age. That is the one for this week. Next week it will probably be a different one.
AE: Do you guys have a favorite song that you all like to sing and dance to as a family?
JM: They went to vacation Bible school recently. They haven’t stopped singing “Jesus Loves Me,” which I am incredibly proud of. We did a thing with CMT, where they filmed us the other day. They wanted us to sing a song together. I asked them what they wanted to sing and that was it. So that is the song right now.
AE: Describe the perfect family vacation.
JM: We have a beach house in Florida. The perfect family vacation for us is going down there. Nobody else. We don’t know anybody down there. Not that we are unsociable people, but it is good for us to get away, just unplug, and go down there on and hang out on the beach for a week.
AE: When you were younger was there an artist or group that made you want to become a singer?
JM: Dwight Yoakam. He is my favorite artist of all time. My parents have video of me as a three year old singing at the corner of our TV stand. That was back when you put TVs on a TV stand. There are probably kids out there who have no idea what I am talking about. (Both laugh.) The corner of the TV stand was my microphone. I would sing “Honky Tonk Man” at the top of my lungs. He was my favorite at the age of three and still is today.
AE: What was going through your head when you heard your song for the first time on the radio?
JM: It was just unbelievable. It was a sense of validation for all the hard work that I put in from that point and all the people who worked hard for me up to that point. The coolest thing about it was that I heard it about two miles from my childhood home. I lived in Nashville at that time, but now I live back in Arkansas where I am from. But at that time I lived in Nashville. I was driving home to visit my mom and my dad. That is when I heard my song on the radio for the first time. It was pretty cool.
Follow Justin Moore on Twitter @JustinColeMoore