Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – There are plenty of places Jim “Moose” Brown could call home after more than four decades in the country music business. Nashville, perhaps. Or the stages of some of country music’s biggest stars.
But when Brown learned this week that he had been selected for the Arkansas Country Music Hall of Fame, his thoughts went somewhere much closer to home. He thought about Arkansas. And Northeast Arkansas. And the place where his music career began.
Brown, a Nettleton native and graduate of Nettleton High School, has been named one of four members of the 2027 Arkansas Country Music Hall of Fame class by the Arkansas Country Music Awards.
He will be inducted alongside country music star Tracy Lawrence, songwriter and recording artist Dave Gibson and legendary Arkansas fiddler Eck Robertson.
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The four will be honored at the 10th annual Arkansas Country Music Awards on Monday, June 7, 2027, at Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus in Conway.
But for people in Jonesboro and Nettleton, Brown’s selection carries a particularly personal significance. This is one of their own.
The Nettleton Kid
Brown wasn’t born in Arkansas. He was born in Dearborn, MI, but his family moved to Jonesboro when he was 14.
It was in Northeast Arkansas that the future Grammy-winning musician began developing his talent.
Brown got some of his earliest performing experience with Southern Comfort, a local band, and with Blytheville singer John Tolley.
By the early 1980s, Brown had decided to take his music career to Nashville. He left Jonesboro in 1982 and began building a career that would eventually make him one of the most sought-after musicians working in country music.
He has never forgotten where he started.
In 2022, Brown returned to Jonesboro for a special homecoming concert at the Northeast Arkansas District Fair.
The event was billed as the “Jim ‘Moose’ Brown Homecoming Show”, with Nashville singer-songwriters Steve Azar, Wynn Varble and Don Sampson joining him.
At the time, KASU described Brown as a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who lives in Nashville but considers Jonesboro home.
That homecoming now looks like a pretty good preview of what Arkansas is recognizing with his Hall of Fame selection.
More Than 40 No. 1 Songs
Brown’s career is unusual because he has spent much of it outside the spotlight. You may not always see his name on the marquee. But there is a very good chance you’ve heard him.
Brown has played on more than 40 No. 1 country singles, according to the Arkansas Country Music Awards.
His keyboard and other instrumental work have appeared on recordings by some of the biggest names in country music, including Brad Paisley, Luke Combs, Jamey Johnson, Craig Morgan, Cody Johnson and Trace Adkins.
His résumé also includes touring with the Wilburn Brothers, Marie Osmond and Dan Seals.
And then there was Bob Seger.
Brown became a longtime member of Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band, performing on stage and recording with the legendary rock performer.
Today, Brown tours with another legendary name in country music: Vince Gill. He was on stage for Gill’s two shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis in late August.
The list of artists Brown has worked with is long, but his career isn’t limited to playing other people’s songs. He’s also a songwriter and producer.
The Grammy
Perhaps the most recognizable song with Brown’s fingerprints on it is one that became a country music and pop-culture classic.
“It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” recorded by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett, became a massive hit in 2003.
Brown co-wrote the song and won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song for his work.
The song wasn’t Brown’s only songwriting success. His compositions have been recorded by artists including Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Steve Wariner, Jamey Johnson, Ronnie Milsap and Josh Turner.
He also co-wrote Darryl Worley’s Top 10 hit “If Something Should Happen.”
Behind Some of Country Music’s Best Records
Brown has also made his mark in the studio as a producer.
He co-produced Darryl Worley’s “Sounds Like Life to Me” and worked with Jamey Johnson on the critically acclaimed album “That Lonesome Song.”
That album produced the song “In Color,” which went on to win major industry recognition, including CMA and ACM Song of the Year honors.
Brown also co-produced Johnson’s “The Guitar Song,” which was certified gold and received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.
And his work as a musician has earned him one of the industry’s most respected honors.
Brown has won the Academy of Country Music’s Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year award three times — in 2015, 2017 and 2023.
He has also played on movie soundtracks including Varsity Blues, Country Strong, Cars and Cars 2.
Already a Member of Another Arkansas Hall of Fame
Interestingly, Brown’s 2027 induction won’t be his first trip into an Arkansas Hall of Fame.
He was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2010. That Hall of Fame’s official records identify his hometown as Jonesboro.
Brown was also inducted into the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024.
Now he is receiving perhaps the most fitting recognition of all — induction into the Arkansas Country Music Hall of Fame.
“It blows my mind”
Brown reacted to the announcement on social media with a mixture of disbelief and gratitude.
“I’m both shocked and honored,” Brown wrote.
He pointed out the incredible list of musicians who have come from Arkansas and said being mentioned alongside names such as Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Conway Twitty, Levon Helm, Patsy Montana, Floyd Cramer, K.T. Oslin, Collin Raye, Shawn Camp, Tracy Lawrence and Dave Gibson “blows my mind.”
“Thanks to the ACMA,” Brown wrote, “it’s quite humbling to be recognized by your home state.”
It is an understandable reaction.
Brown has spent more than 40 years building a career in Nashville.
He has played on dozens of No. 1 records. He has toured with Bob Seger and Vince Gill. He has won three ACM awards for his work as a keyboard player. He has produced acclaimed albums. And he has a Grammy sitting on the shelf for a song that became one of the most recognizable country hits of the 21st century.
But now, when the Arkansas Country Music Hall of Fame welcomes Jim “Moose” Brown in June 2027, the honor will be coming from the state where his musical story really began.
From Jonesboro and Nettleton to Nashville and the world stage, Brown’s journey has come full circle. And for Northeast Arkansas, one of its own is finally getting the recognition he has earned.
A personal note from Trey Stafford, president/general manager of Jonesboro Media Group and JRN publisher:
My triplet sons Treyson, John David and Chaz have a band, TRIPPP.
Four years ago they were recording a song they had written (“Damned”) with producer Jon Conley, also a Northeast Arkansas native. They told me they were considering a Hammond B3 organ sound on it and asked me if I thought Moose would play on it.
I reached out to Moose, he said he’d love to and did, and it turned out great. A few weeks later, I asked Moose what the boys owed him for playing on their record. “How ’bout a hundred bucks?” he said and laughed.
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