Country singer records song about Pocatello, performs around the nation
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POCATELLO — Country singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cale Moon recently wrote and recorded “Pocatello,” which is catching on with fans nationwide.
The lyrics describe Pocatello’s iconic Oasis bar down by the railroad and a shoutout to his good friends from the Pocatello music scene, the band “Almost Famous.”
Moon has become a well-known performer around east Idaho since performing at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in 2015.
Born in Elko, Nevada, Moon has never lived full-time in Pocatello. However, he has performed in the city so much that it has become like a second home to him.
“I’ve lived in so many towns across the country that I claim ‘America’ as my hometown,” said Moon. “For the better part of a decade, I’ve written songs in Pocatello but not about Pocatello until now.”
Moon, whose country inspirations include singers Josh Turner (whom he had the honor of opening for), Chris LeDoux, George Strait, and Tracy Byrd, said the song started as a love song for Pocatello but ended up as a song about lost love.
“The love story is completely fictional,” he said. “My goal is to paint a vivid picture in the imagination of my listeners.”
Moon is not the first musician to record a song called Pocatello. Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Don Gibson wrote and recorded ”POCATELLO” in 1974. Gibson is best known for his hit song “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
Merle Haggard sang about Pocatello in his 1995 song “I Made The Prison Band, ” while John Fogerty also sang about it in his 2007 song “Somebody Help Me.”
Cale covers songs by Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney, Willie Nelson, and others but writes most of the songs he performs at his concerts. His motto is “real songs for real people living real lives in the real world.”
“As I play this song (Pocatello) across the country, you’d be surprised how many people know about Pocatello,” Moon said. “Although I’m not the first to do a song about Pocatello, my goal is to make it the most successful.”
Moon, who stays busy touring the country and caring for his grandparents, said he looks forward to returning to Pocatello soon to perform and shoot a music video.
“It’s always a privilege to tour Pocatello and east Idaho. It’s one of my favorite places,” he said. “Everywhere I go, there is something special about it that makes me want to stay there, but then that’s what keeps me looking down the road to the next town.”
Moon’s brand new song, “Look Up,” which expresses his love for Christ, and other music videos are on YouTube and his webpage Cale Moon.