Justin Moore has four little kids of his own, ages 8, 6, 3 and 1. But when I caught up with him to talk about Father’s Day, he only wanted to talk about his dad, Tommy.
“My mom and dad are basically model parents,” Moore told me, promising that they are so perfect it would make me sick. “My dad is a great human being who always leads by example.”
So what has the elder Moore taught his son in all of his 34 years? Everything.
“How to be the head of the household, how to be the dad, how to be the husband. For me, to have him in my life and to witness how you’re supposed to do it? It’s been awesome.”
Moore moved his wife and their brand new family back home to Arkansas eight years ago, after putting in the early years in Nashville. And now they all live together on the land that Moore grew up on. “My grandfather grew up here, and his grandfather raised him. And he had four kids — three daughters and then a son, just like me — so my mom grew up here. And he gave each of his kids ten acres, so my mom and dad live here, I was raised here, and my parents and my grandpa still live here.”
Not only is Moore’s father leading by example now, he did so when Moore was a kid. “No matter what it was, when I wanted to be a catcher, he sent me to camp to be a catcher. When I wanted to be a country music star, he said, ‘Alright. Let’s do it.’ He has always been very supportive. I wouldn’t be where I am without him,” he said. To quote one of his songs, that’s how he got to be this way.
And to celebrate his father this year, on Sunday (June 17), Moore will most likely be bringing him to his daughter Ella’s state softball tournament.
“I’ll actually be home that weekend, which is weird for me in June, but I’ll be about two hours from the house coaching Ella’s team. My dad couldn’t have a better Father’s Day than that. He was obsessed with me growing up, and then when my first daughter was born, he could care less about me. Now it’s all about my kids."
“He’ll be in the stands yelling, close to getting thrown out,” Moore laughed.
By: Alison Bonaguro on cmt.com