Country music star Justin Moore to headline at McGrath Amphitheatre

Justin Moore is working on new material, but the country singer-songwriter isn't rushing into the studio.

"I'm having conversations about the next album, but I'm taking my time," Moore said while calling from his Poyen, Arkansas home. "I'm fortunate since I have more than 20 hit records. I have more than enough songs to play. My biggest issue is that I can't play all of the songs, and there might be someone out there saying, 'Man, he didn't play such and such song.'“

That's a great problem to have, and Moore feels sheepish discussing it. "I don't want to sound boastful," Moore said.

But the diminutive sensation isn't bragging. Moore, 41, belts out an array of relatable tunes that have hit the top of the country charts. "Small Town USA," "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away," “'Til My Last Day," ”Lettin' the Night Roll," "You Look Like I Need a Drink," “Somebody Else Will,” "Why We Drink“ and "We Didn't Have Much" are some of Moore's songs which hit the number one spot on the Country Billboard charts.

Moore, who will perform Saturday at McGrath Amphitheatre, has been headlining big halls for more than a decade and has enjoyed considerable airplay, but remains down to earth while still residing in his native Arkansas.

"I love it here," Moore said. "I grew up loving music in rural Arkansas, and that had a big impact on me. When I was growing up during the 90s, the traditional country stuff is what I heard on the radio. I would listen to George Strait and Alan Jackson."

Moore remains the embodiment of the John Mellencamp hit "Small Town."

"I like it that way," Moore said. "I was out here fishing with my preacher yesterday, and he asked me who my favorite recording artist of all time is. That was a tough one. I love Hank Williams Jr., but it's Dwight Yoakam. When I was 4 years old, I would be singing Dwight's 'Guitars and Cadillacs' around the house, and I drove my parents crazy."

According to Billy Bob Thornton, who worked with Yoakam in the classic film "Slingblade," Moore's favorite country star hoped to become an actor. Thornton came of age in the same area as Moore.

"Billy is older than me, but he grew up just 12 miles from me in Malvern, Arkansas," Moore said. "My grandparents owned a homestyle barbecue restaurant. When Billy was a kid, he would tell my grandparents that he was going to make movies. After Billy became a movie star, he called the restaurant and asked for my grandmother. 'Hi, Miss Rebecca, it's Billy Bob.' My grandmother cut him off and said, 'Billy, I'm on my lunch rush. You know I can't talk now.' Click."

That's a lot of star power from rural Arkansas.

"But people that break out in the entertainment industry come from everywhere," Moore said. "I hung out with Billy Bob one night, and all he talked about was music. It was fun. I'm a fan of his work."

Moore is also a huge sports aficionado, and nothing is as dear to him as his beloved Arkansas Razorbacks. The Arkansas baseball team is in the College World Series and could make an impact when Moore takes the McGrath stage.

"If the Razorbacks are having a big half inning and the game is on the line, I might be a little late," Moore said. "I'm going to apologize in advance for that."

Moore is convinced if he was taller that he would have been a professional athlete as opposed to a singer-songwriter.

"I was obsessed with sports throughout high school, and if I kept growing and didn't stop at 5 feet six inches, I think I would have had a different life playing sports," Moore said. "There was nothing I enjoyed more than being on a baseball field or a basketball court."

Moore has a great deal of balance with family, career and his hobby, sports.

"I have no regrets," Moore said. "I love what I do. I think part of the reason I enjoy it so much is that I feel that same sort of adrenaline when I'm about to perform as I did when I was about to play sports. Stepping onstage is kind of like the feeling you get when you're introduced before the start of a basketball game. But music has given me this amazing life. I've had a great deal of success, and I've had some unusual things come my way."

One of the more unexpected experiences was Moore recording Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" with Crue vocalist Vince Neil.

"That was the most random thing I've ever done," Moore said. "My label president (Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta) was putting together a tribute album of Motley Crue. I had the chance to sing with Vince Neil. ‘Home Sweet Home’ is such a cool song, and it's so rooted in country music. The funny thing is that I said that I was going to do it in its original key, and Scott said that I couldn't do it because it was too high. We cut it without him knowing it, and I hit it in its original key. That was a lot of fun. But my entire career has been a lot of fun."