I Would Do It Again! An Interview With Dallas Moore
Since the age of 16, Dallas Moore has mastered the art of performing. With several albums under his belt and the experience of sharing the stage with almost all of his heroes, Dallas and his band have brought hangovers and excitement to Outlaw Country fans everywhere.
On the evening of April 12. Before The Dallas Moore Band took the stage, Dallas and I sat down and enjoyed some fine bourbon and several cold bottles of PBR. The following is the interview from that night.
JE: When did you first get into playing music?
DM: I got my first guitar when I was 16. My mom Madgelee Moore, in the 50’s she was on the Midwestern Hayride. I still got her records I grew up listening to. She was in a group called The Buckeye Belles. My dad came home from the war and she laid off the music for awhile. She didn’t get back into it until she got me a guitar when I was 16. I always played Baseball, Football and I boxed, that was always my thing. I always loved music, ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to be Elvis Presley or Waylon Jennings.
JE: Do you recognize this? (I show Dallas the necklace I’m wearing, which is a lightning bolt with the letters TCB)
DM: (Dallas laughs) Taking Care of Business in a flash!
My mom, (going back to her old records) she had this old Victrola, Around the house she had all the original records of Hank Sr. and that’s the kind of music I listened to growing up. I was always really into music but never gave a thought to playing it until she got me a guitar. All of a sudden I just took to it and I gave up everything else. When I started playing music with my friends, hell we did it backwards. Most musicians learn their craft, hell we didn’t even know what a bass player was, never mind the fact that you’re supposed to have one. We took my electric guitar and a distortion pedal and my friend had a set of drums. We just took everything and plugged it in. Ran a big extension cord across the middle of Montgomery Rd. which if you don’t know is a big f****** road in Cincinnati. The night I graduated high school I had a gig over in Indiana. Our parents was trying to keep us out of trouble but I think they probably started more trouble than they kept us out of.
JE: Are you originally from Cincinnati?
DM: I grew up in Norwood Ohio and Charlestown S.C. I kind of bounced back and forth. I graduated in Norwood and my mom and dad are still there to this day. My wife and I just moved out to the country. We’re about 45 minutes outside of Cincinnati and we love it.
JE: Who was/is your biggest inspiration?
DM: You know over time it’s grown so much. I’ve been blessed to share the stage, tour and sometimes become great friends with literally all my heroes with the exception of Elvis, Hank Sr. and Cash. The Dallas Moore Band has gotten to tour with or play with, to name a few David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band. Literally all of our influences with the exception of Elvis, Hank and Cash. Everything has shaped me and I feel as I go along I’m still learning and growing. I learn something new every night. I’m a lucky guy. I get to spend the evening playing all the songs I wrote and then I throw in all the things from my different influences which is very broad. When I graduated high school I went straight to Northern Kentucky University on a classical guitar scholarship. Through that I got to play in a big band jazz ensemble. Doing that it didn’t take me long to figure out that Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman was doing the same that Bob Wills was doing except they had a clarinet and Wills had a f****** fiddle. I put all that together and incorporated that into my music.
It’s crazy at this point in my career to not feel like you starting over but to feel that your reborn. You go through ups and down and right now everything is on such a positive upswing. We’ve always been a fringe on the outside kind of thing. Used to be you would have to go to Nashville to have a career and now that don’t mean shit anymore. It never stopped me, we’re still playing over 300 dates a year.
JE: I have heard several people say that you are one of the hardest working men in show business.
DM: It don’t seem like hard work cause I love what I do. Plus I really don’t know how to do anything else but pick on that guitar and if it wasn’t for that I would probably be living in a box somewhere.
JE: If you was not playing music for a living, what would you be doing?
DM: Maybe if I could go back in time and be a big time baseball player. Maybe get a big time contract like Joey Votto just got.
JE: Who’s you favorite baseball player of all time?
DM: Pete Rose!
JE: What’s your thoughts on Pete Rose not being in the Hall of Fame?
DM: I think it’s BS. (laughs) I call BS! I say horse pu**y!
JE: I have to ask this, If you could whip Brantley Gilbert’s a** would you?
DM: I don’t really know who the hell he is. I don’t really listen to modern country music. But you’re sitting across the table from me and I guarantee I could whoop his a**. I ain’t seen’em but I guarantee I could whoop his ass. But I probably wouldn’t whoop no one’s ass cause I’m really a nice guy.
JE: What is the Dallas Moore Band working on, is another album coming soon?
DM: Yea, we’ve already got it recorded. We’ll play a few songs of it tonight. It’s called Blessed be the Bad Ones. We are looking to release it this summer. Will either be mid to late July or either August about the time of my birthday. My birthday is AUGUST 7, so we might try to do something with that.
JE: What do you listen to when you’re driving down the road?
DM: I don’t listen to this modern country stuff. Everyone asks me my thoughts about Brantley Gilbert but to be honest I’ve never heard one of his songs. I really don’t know who he is. I’d probably still kick his a**. I get asked that a lot and I kind of feel like a dummy cause I don’t know who they are. If we listen to anything it’s SiriusXM Outlaw Country or Willie’s Roadhouse. I’ve lost touch with so called country radio because they didn’t play really anything I like. It’s all changed a bit and not my cup of whiskey. There’s all these ways they sell cd’s and such, I don’t have any of that. I still play all my old records. I have over 2000 records and that’s what I listen to. That’s what I grew up with. I still have the same record player I had when I was a kid.
JE: You play over 300 dates a year?
DM: That’s what I do. At the end of the day and at the start of the day, I ride motorcycles and sing country f****** music. And that’s what I do.
JE: What makes the studio where your last album Hank to Thank was recorded at so special?
DM: Herzog Studios. Most people have no idea at the volume of great classic country music that was recorded in Cincinnati. Hank Williams recorded 8 of his biggest songs including Lovesick Blues, I’m so lonesome I could cry and My Buckets got a Hole In it, right where we stood and recorded Hank To Thank. Flatt and Scruggs recorded Foggy Mountain Breakdown in Herzog Studios. Most folks don’t know that.
JE: You recorded I’m So Lonesome I could Cry in the same place Hank Recorded it?
DM: Yes and we recorded I’m So Lonesome I could Cry with my mom who recorded her songs at the same spot in 1953 and Hank To Thank features my mentor and Willie Nelson’s guitar player the great Jody Payne. My Mom and I came together with Jody Payne and the Dallas Moore Band. We recorded in the spot that Hank did. There was more than spirits flowing that night, it was very emotional.
JE: Have you ever smoked weed with Willie Nelson?
DM: I have not smoke weed with Willie but I have smoked Willie Weed with Jody Payne. I’m not kidding, don’t do it. It’s bad man but I tell you what, I would do it again!
JE: Dallas Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, is there anything you’d like to add?
DM: I’m just out here with my band, being me and doing my thing. Wherever that lands is great. It’s taken me all across the world. I love it and could care less if I ever have a quote unquote top 40 hit. I’m just trying to get my music out. The more people that hear my music, the more hopefully will like it.
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Talking with Dallas I learned a lot of things about him and his band. I had no idea about his classical guitar scholarship and that the whole band was so down to earth. They really are just a average bunch of guys with a lot of talent that loves music and performing. I sat there watching Dallas and the band make sure everything was ready. He promised he would show off some of his classical skills and I couldn’t wait to see. The lights dimmed and Dallas and The Snatch Wranglers took the stage.
Johnny Edlin
@kyjohnny13