DATE: Friday, April 6th
LOCATION: Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace
SHOW TIME: 7:00PM
BIO:
Craig Morgan was born in Kingston Springs, Tenn. After graduating high school he became an EMT and later enlisted in the Army, where he was stationed in South Korea. Morgan served on active duty for just over nine years as a member of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions and remained in the reserves for another six years. While in the Army, he wrote songs and won military singing and songwriting contests. After serving, Morgan returned to Tennessee and worked odd jobs to support his family before moving to Nashville. He landed a job singing demos for fellow songwriters and publishing companies. That led him to getting signed with Atlantic Records and releasing his eponymous debut album in 2000. The album was a mediocre success, and none of its singles cracked the Top 20.
Atlantic folded soon after, leaving Morgan label-less until 2003 when he signed with the independent label Broken Bow Records. His second album, I Love It, was released later that year. The album only peaked at No. 49, but its second single, “Almost Home” made it to No. 6 on the Billboard country charts, making it his first Top Ten hit. It also earned Morgan and cowriter Kerry Kurt Phillips a Broadcast Music Incorporated Song of the Year award. By 2004, I Love It had sold more than 300,000 units and indicated the beginning of a new era in country music: one where independent artists could achieve commercial success.
Morgan co-wrote eight of the tracks for 2004’s My Kind of Livin’. The album’s first single, “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” became his only No. 1 country hit. My Kind of Livin’ also spawned the No. 2 hit, “Redneck Yacht Club,” and the No. 12 single, “I Got You.” Morgan’s sampling of solid country was commercially successful and is certified gold.
It is his highest-selling album to date.
Little Bit of Life was released in 2006. It was also his final album under Broken Bow. The album wasn’t hugely successful, although reviews were generally positive. The first single was the title track, which peaked at No. 7 on the country charts. “Tough” followed, peaking at No. 11, and then “International Harvester,” which reached the No. 10 spot. Shortly after leaving Broken Bow in 2008, his Greatest Hits album was issued.
Morgan signed with BNA Records and released That’s Why in October 2008, right around the time he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The album’s first single, “Love Remembers,” became his sixth Top Ten hit. The album was reissued in 2009, having replaced two tracks with the songs “Bonfire” and “This Ain’t Nothin’.” The music video for “God Must Really Love Me” took home the Inspirational Country Music Awards’ Video of the Year award that same year. In 2011 he signed a deal with Black River Entertainment and released This Ole Boy in 2012. The title track became a Top 20 hit. The following year, he released his second greatest hits album.
He is currently in the studio working on his upcoming album for Black River Entertainment.
The first single, “When I’m Gone,” was released in September 2015, and the album is expected to launch in 2016.
Event Sponsors:
