Justin Moore, "Small Town USA"

   This week I am writing about a new country music artist, Justin Moore, and his song "Small Town USA". Justin was born in Arkansas on March 30, 1984. He started to perform when he was a senior in high school. After he graduated from high school, he joined his uncle's band, which was a Southern rock band. Then in 2002, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee. He moved there to pursue a career in country music. Lucky enough he met a young producer by the name of Jeremy Stover. Jeremy introduced him to  a Scott Borchetta, a industry executive who was gonna launch The Valory Music Company and would most likely give him a record deal.

   In 2008, Moore was signed to the Valory Music Group, which is a imprint of the independent label Big Machine Records. After that, Moore released the single, "I Could Kick Your A$$".  Jeremy Stover and Randy Houser co-wrote Moore's first radio single, "Back That Thing Up". It went to number thirty-eight on the Billboard Hot Country Charts. Moore continued to work on his debut album. It was part of a special promotion called "So You Want to Be a Record Label Executive." This promotion put his music on sites like Myspace and iLike, where fans could create playlist of ten of his songs. The top ten songs that were picked were the ones he put on his final album. His next single, "Small Town USA," went on charts in February of 2009. Then following this was a digital EP entitled The "You Asked For It. On the eleventh of August, Moore released his self-titled debut album. He co-wrote nine of the ten tracks on this album. Then he debuted at number three on the Top Country Albums charts. Moore promoted the single and album on a "Small Town USA" tour, which of course began in his own hometown of Poyen. He also had several stops in other small towns, and he even performed acoustic shows at Walmart stores. On October 3, 2009, Moore's single "Small Town USA" became his first number one hit. His third single, "Backwoods", was released in October 2009. This song was his second Top 10 hit with a peak of sixth in April 2010. "How I Got To Be This Way", Moore's fourth single, debuted at fifty-four on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. This became Moore's third Top 20 hit on the country charts. Though Moore music career is just getting started, he sounds like he has been successful. I am curious to see what will come in the future from him.

   I picked this song because I have lived in Paris, Illinois my whole life.  Paris is definitely considered a small town. My mom came here after getting her last degree at ISU. She decided to work at the Paris Community Hospital. My dad came here to become an employee at Illinois Department of Transportation as an engineer. So I grew up here ever since I was born. Sometimes I really enjoy living in a small town. There are definitely some advantages but there are disadvantages also. I kinda like it here because I don't go to a huge school and there is not tons of people. I don't like to be around lots of people, so this is an advantage to me. The disadvantages are that sometimes you can feel left out socially, but I come to discovered it's good to have close friends but also people who you just enjoy talking to. Coming to high school, it kind of changes your whole outlook on the town you live in. Some of us might never return to Paris after high school. I am undecided to whether I will stay here or not. I know my dad will, but my mom is waiting for the day my brother or me move. I don't exactly want to stay here, but it will all depend on my life at that time. I have a few years to think about that anyways. Overall, I don't think this small town in Illinois is that bad, but probably not good enough for me to stay. If you don't know Justin Moore or his music, check out his personal website or search him on YouTube.