Lathan Moore signs with label, ready to hit the national country stage

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Harrisburg native Lathan Moore is prepared to hit it big in the country music scene. His four years of trying to impress the Nashville, Tenn., music industry has paid off with his being signed to a label and a CD and tour coming up in the spring.

Moore signed a recording contract with J&V Records.

"It's an independent label that is fairly new and has deep pockets. They have quite a bit of money," Moore said.

The CD is produced by Norro Wilson who has worked with many of the big Nashville, Tenn., musicians and has picked out for Moore five "A-drawer" songs.

"You've got A-drawer, B-drawer and C-drawer. A-drawers are what makes it," Moore said.

He is working on writing his own songs, but believes recording them is a project for the future.

Still he plans to show his producer some of his original songs in a meeting.

"If Norro winds up liking them enough we'll put it on there," Moore said.

He said success in the country music world depends on successful songs and good connections. Moore's greatest talent is his voice and he can play rhythm guitar.

Moore began his musical career as most do, singing with family and in churches.

"I grew up singing in church and was in choir in high school. I played in bands," Moore said.

He was the only member of the Harrisburg High School band to perform on Taylor Field playing his instrument in his football uniform, he said.

"It's always been my goal to make a career out of singing," Moore said.

Moore sang with a gospel trio in Marion and performed with The Gaithers.

He attended college and worked in the coal mines to raise money for his relocation to Nashville, Tenn.

Moore performed for years on Broadway for the Nashville, Tenn., tourists, but realized those clubs had little future for him. Broadway is the main music strip in town with little one-room bars bosting that Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty and other country greats had performed there.

But so many aspiring stars are so willing to play for free simply for exposure the pay is small and the club owners are demanding.

"You don't make money there are so many people down here trying to make it," Moore said.

Broadway was good for Moore for the stage exposure, but he is greatful to be moving on to better opportunities.

The musicians he is recording with are known in Nashville, Tenn., as the A-Team and he said the musicians can be heard on about 85 percent of country songs currently on the radio.

The recording process has been involved with a month and a half and only five songs recorded.

There are another five to go.

Moore's favorite song he has recorded is called "Love in Your Life." He believes the song will have broad appeal for its universal message that love holds us together. It uses the examples of a mother having just given birth holding her baby to her husband and they cry with joy. A farmer is ill and can't farm his land so neighbor farmers do it for him. A man sits his glass down on a sink and decides he can't make it on his own and lets God into his life. Another verse describes an old man at his wife's grave who says, "See you, baby. See you on the other side."

Moore is looking forward to his first tour planned for spring. He hopes to return to Southern Illinois and get bookings for local festivals.

Moore, a 2000 HHS graduate, is the son of Wayne and Kathy Moore of Harrisburg and has two brothers, Chris of Plainview, Texas, and Aaron of Park Hills, Mo.

-- DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.