It’s safe to say that country music star Kip Moore is a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Whiskey Riff Raff was excited to have Kip Moore join the podcast recently to help promote his new album Solitary Tracks. While he was on, we talked to him about his journey thus far, how he’s carved out his own lane for himself in terms of his unique sound in the country genre, the challenges that come along with a career in the music business, his impressive success touring internationally, what’s on the horizon for 2025 and beyond and much more.
Needless to say, Kip Moore just might be the most interesting man in the country music world. He loves to ride a wave surfing out on the ocean just as much as he likes to ride a hit onto the country charts, and he appreciates keeping life exciting… like when he ran into the cartel during a motorcycle trip through Mexico. The “Damn Love” singer loves to live life on the wilder side.
Moore also has a great appreciation for a variety of genres outside of country music. When it comes to southern rock, the country artist seems to prefer Lynyrd Skynyrd above all else. That was made clear when we asked Kip if there was a song that he wishes he had wrote, and the country artist almost instinctually responded with one of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s greatest hits:
“‘Simple Man.’ If there’s ever a song that I just wish was mine… that I could sit down with at a songwriter’s round and say, ‘Here you go. Let me just play one song and I’ll be getting out of here.'”
There’s no other way to say it… “Simple Man” is a masterpiece.
Believe it or not, the song was featured on Skynyrd’s debut 1973 album Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd, which also included “Tuesday’s Gone” and the eternal “Free Bird.” When a band strikes gold right out of the gate (three separate times) like that, it’s no wonder that artists like Kip Moore wish they could have been the one to think up an all-time-classic.
Moore went on to say that the band’s original vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant, is an idol of his:
“Ronnie Van Zant is one of my all time favorite vocalists ever. He might be my favorite vocalist ever. And it’s not that he’s doing crazy, melodic things. You believe every word out of that man’s mouth. ‘Simple Man’ would be that song for me. Unequivocally that would be it.”
Though “Simple Man” takes the cake in term’s of the, “What song do you wish you had wrote?” question, there’s another Lynyrd Skynyrd related track that would seemingly take the runner-up position. Moore also shouted out Eric Church’s emotional “Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones,” which was featured on the Chief’s 2021 Soul album:
“I’ve got a lot that I wish I would have written. ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones’ is one. When I heard that song, I just wept. That song made me pull the truck over on the side of the road. I remember where I was and I was just stopped in my tracks. I was like, ‘Holy cow, what a way to spin this whole thing.’ It just blew my mind.”
Definitely a song worthy of stopping you in your tracks.
It’s always intriguing to hear an artist put themselves aside and admit that there’s some songs out there that they’d love to have to themselves. But that’s the beauty of songwriting, is it not? There’s always that desire to create a song that will stand the test of time, and Kip Moore talked about that drive – among other things – in the latest episode of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast.
Check it out:
And while you are here, you might as well listen to some of Kip Moore’s favorite songs:
“Simple Man”
“Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones”
