Born in Texas and raised in Kentucky and Oklahoma, John Moreland started playing guitar at the age of 12 or 13. In the early 2000s during high school, Moreland played in local punk and hardcore bands,including local Oklahoma metalcore "Thirty Called Arson". He has cited Steve Earle as his "gateway" from punk and hardcore to folk music. Other influences were Guy Clark and Townes Van Zant. Moreland runs his own mail order business and ships his own records, packing the records and taking them to the post office himself. Three of Moreland's songs, "Heaven", "Gospel", and "Your Spell", have been featured on the TV show "Sons of Anarchy."
