Jordan Moore grew up in Lowell, MI, singing in church and playing music with his dad and four siblings, mostly performing in retirement homes. While living out his football scholarship to college, he started singing lead in a rock band and got a taste of touring and meeting fans around the country and parts of Europe.
Like many other artists, he loaded up his wife and kids and moved to Nashville, only he headed there to work at a car dealership with his new degree in auto business management. He later recorded a demo with a previous bandmate, and he gave it to a customer who was in the music industry. That bold move launched him into a music career he had hoped for but never expected.
Jordan’s newest song “Up North Redneck” was meant to portray life in a small town up North. He wants to tell the stories of the folks who work hard in manual labor jobs, who can’t make excuses when snow and cold delay the job, and their strong work ethic that keeps them going. He says, “I’m from a small country town in Michigan, and honestly, life is just different there. The work ethic, the grit, the grind, the sense of community -- it’s a certain way of life that you just can’t teach someone.”
From the first notes of the song, you hear the dobro, the heavy beat, and metal scratching that sounds like a factory. The lyrics mention folks who work hard, getting dirty hands, then show up to a party where no one cares if the cops come.
To get to where you’re goin’
You gotta know where you come from
I’m a Southern comfort, up north red neck
Baptized by the winter, raised by saint and sinners
Ain’t about how much you’ve been givin’
Chase them dreams you’re drivin’
Hard work makes a livin’ up north
Jordan uses an echo effect on his vocals to add emphasis to some of the lyrics, and just lets his natural raspy baritone voice rock the rest of the words to this fun song.
The second verse mentions how the seasons come, when you can swim and enjoy the sun briefly, then harvest comes quickly and it’s time to get back to work. He says they drink beer, but they always rest and worship on Sunday.
The instrumental break features a frenetic guitar solo over the dobro, and the production effects make you think of the noises in an auto repair garage or a welder’s shop. Part blues and part southern rock, Jordan’s style of country makes you dance in your seat. He sings with a southern drawl that doesn’t make you think of boy who grew up in the Midwest snow being an “Up North Redneck.”
Writer: Jordan Moore
Producer: Noah Henson
Mix: Skidd Mills
Master: Brad Blackwood