Craig Morgan
Encyclopedia
Craig Morgan Greer is an American country music
artist. A veteran of the United States Army
, Morgan began his musical career in 2000 on Atlantic Records
, releasing his self-titled debut album
for that label before the closure of its Nashville division in 2000. In 2002, Morgan signed to the independent Broken Bow Records
, on which he released three studio albums: 2003's I Love It
, 2005's My Kind of Livin'
, and 2006's Little Bit of Life
. These produced several chart hits, including "That's What I Love About Sunday
," which spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard
country charts and was that publication's Number One country hit of 2005. A greatest hits
package followed in mid- 2008 before Morgan left the label for BNA Records
, on which he released That's Why
later that same year. My Kind of Livin' is also his highest-selling album, having been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA).
Morgan has charted seventeen times on the Billboard country charts. Besides "That's What I Love About Sunday
," six more of his singles have reached that chart's Top Ten: "Almost Home
," "Redneck Yacht Club
," "Little Bit of Life
," "International Harvester
", "Love Remembers
" and "Bonfire
."
Craig Morgan Greer was born in Kingston Springs, Tennessee
on July 17, 1964. He became an Emergency medical technician
at age 18, later serving in the United States Army
in Korea
. After taking part in a banquet which honored the military's first airborne unit, he wrote a song about the unit.
Morgan spent ten years on active duty as a Fire Support Specialist
in the United States Army, serving in the 101st
and 82nd Airborne Divisions before launching his music career. He holds Airborne
, Jumpmaster
, and Air Assault
qualifications. While stationed in Korea, he continued to work on his singing and songwriting, winning several awards for both and opening a Korean show for the band Sawyer Brown
.
Upon his return home to Tennessee, he worked various jobs to support his family, including as a construction worker, a security guard and a Wal-Mart
employee. He would later land a job in Nashville
singing demos
for other songwriters and publishing companies. The demos led to releasing his first album with Atlantic Records
, the self-titled Craig Morgan
in 2000. It produced three singles
, including "Something to Write Home About," which reached number 39 on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts. The album was produced by Buddy Cannon
and Norro Wilson
, with co-writing credits from Cannon, Bill Anderson and Harley Allen
among others. The album's final track, "I Wish I Could See Bakersfield," included a recitation from Merle Haggard
. Country Standard Time
critic Jon Weisberger gave the album a mixed review, saying that Morgan had a strong singing voice but that most of the songs were "by-the-numbers." Jim Patterson of The Ledger said that lead-off single "Something to Write Home About" was "pedestrian," but that the rest of the album was "an uncommonly assured hard-country effort."
Late in the year, Morgan charted a Christmas single entitled "The Kid in Me." Morgan left Atlantic Records in early 2001 when the label closed its Nashville branch, but said that he was not afraid of his musical future because he still had a publishing contract at the time.
, an independent record label
. The label released his second album, I Love It
, in March 2003 produced by D. Scott Miller, Phil O'Donnell and Morgan. Leading off this album was "God, Family and Country," a song dedicated to former Nashville session drummer Randy Hardison, with backing vocals from the group 4 Runner
. Following this song was Morgan's first top ten, the number 6 "Almost Home." This song also brought him to the Billboard Hot 100
for the first time, peaking at number 59 there. In addition, it won Morgan and co-writer Kerry Kurt Phillips a Song of the Year award from Broadcast Music Incorporated
. The album's next two singles, "Every Friday Afternoon" and "Look at Us", both reached the country top 30. By 2004, the album had sold more than 300,000 copies, and its success was cited as the beginning of a new wave of commercial success among independently-signed country music artists.
Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave I Love It four stars out of five, saying that Morgan's songwriting was "well-crafted" and that his service in the Army justified the patriotic themes of "God, Family and Country". Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time commended the album for maintaining a neotraditionalist country sound, but said that the ballads were "generic".
, in 2004. It included eight songs that he co-wrote, as well as guest vocals from John Conlee
and Brad Paisley
on "Blame Me". The first single release, "That's What I Love About Sunday
", became his only number one hit on the country charts and a number 51 pop hit. It was also the first number one for the Broken Bow label, as well as the first independently-distributed single to top the country charts in five years and the first independently-distributed single to spend multiple weeks at number one on the country chart since The Kendalls
' "Heaven's Just a Sin Away
" in 1977. "That's What I Love About Sunday" also placed at number one on that year's Billboard Year-End
charts for the country format.
The album's next single, "Redneck Yacht Club
", reached number two on the country charts and accounted for his highest peak on the Hot 100, where it went to number 45. After it came "I Got You
". Morgan wrote this song while on tour with Keith Urban
, with the intention of having Urban record it, but decided to keep it for himself after recording a demo of it. My Kind of Livin' was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
for shipping 500,000 copies, and "Redneck Yacht Club" received a gold single certification for 500,000 music download
s.
Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a B rating, saying in his review that "Morgan's is an idealized Kind of Americana, to be sure. But at least he provides enough writerly detail to avoid setting off smarm alarms." Country Standard Time reviewer Jeffrey B. Remz was generally favorable in his review, saying that Morgan has "a strong voice" and "a number of quality songs," but his review criticized the album's "big and clean" production.
, was issued in 2006. Morgan and O'Donnell co-produced the album with Keith Stegall
, a record producer known for his work with Alan Jackson
, and Morgan co-wrote four of its eleven songs. The label shipped more than 200,000 copies of the album in its first week, and made special exclusive releases for retailers such as Target
and Wal-Mart
.
The album's first and third singles, the title track
and "International Harvester
" (the latter of which was written by Shane Minor
, Jeffrey Steele
and Danny Myrick), both entered the top ten. In between them, "Tough" reached number eleven. Kevin Oliver of Country Standard Time commended the album's neotraditionalist sound and called Morgan "a classic country singer" but said that, beyond the title track and "Tough," "the traditional sound is mostly wasted." Billboard reviewer Deborah Evans Price gave "Tough" a positive review, praising Morgan's "strong, warm voice" and calling the song "yet another gem" from the album.
A Greatest Hits
package followed in February 2008, shortly before his departure from Broken Bow.
. Conlee formally inducted him as a member during the October 25, 2008 edition of the Opry.
Although it had been first announced that Morgan would sign to Big Machine Records
' sister label Valory Music Group, he instead signed to BNA Records
, a division of Sony BMG Nashville. His first album for the label, That's Why
, was released in October 2008. Its first single, "Love Remembers
", became his sixth top ten hit by early 2009, but follow-up "God Must Really Love Me" peaked at number 26. BNA re-issued the album in May 2009, replacing two of its tracks with the newly-recorded "Bonfire
" and "This Ain't Nothin'
." The former was released that month as the album's third single, also reaching top ten. In October 2009, the music video for "God Must Really Love Me" won Video of the Year from the Inspirational Country Music Awards. In early 2010, "This Ain't Nothin'" was released as the album's fourth single. It became a top 20 country hit by year's end.
Morgan's last single for BNA, "Still a Little Chicken Left on That Bone", was released in October 2010. The song peaked at number 37 on the country music charts in January 2011. A month later, Morgan left the label.
. His first release for the label is "This Ole Boy", a song co-written by Rhett Akins
, Dallas Davidson
and Ben Hayslip
that also appears on Joe Nichols' 2011 album It's All Good
.
.
In February 2011, Morgan rescued two young children from a burning house in Dickson, Tennessee, and then manned a fire hose to help put out the fire.
On April 23, 2011 Craig Morgan became an honorary initiate of the Delta Theta Chapter (Arkansas State) of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
.
Morgan has an annual two-day charity (Craig Morgan Charity Fund) for Billy’s Place. The latest one was August 6, and 7 2011 and was the fifth and is held in Dickson Tn raised over $95,000. Morgan came up with the idea for Billy’s Place while serving as an assistant Dickson County sheriff's deputy from 1995-96. Through the Craig Morgan Charity Fund, Morgan plans to provide lasting funding to the home.
His long-term goal is to start additional Billy's Place homes around the country.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist. A veteran of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Morgan began his musical career in 2000 on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, releasing his self-titled debut album
Craig Morgan (album)
Craig Morgan is the self-titled debut album of country music singer Craig Morgan. Released in 2000 as his only album for the Atlantic Records label, it produced the singles "Paradise", "I Want Us Back", and "Something to Write Home About", which peaked at number 39 on the U.S. country charts...
for that label before the closure of its Nashville division in 2000. In 2002, Morgan signed to the independent Broken Bow Records
Broken Bow Records
Broken Bow Records is an American independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July of 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music The label's general manager is Jon Loba....
, on which he released three studio albums: 2003's I Love It
I Love It
-Tracks 1-10:*Larry Beard – acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin*Mike Brignardello – bass guitar*Glen Duncan – fiddle*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Mike Johnson – steel guitar, Dobro*Jeff King – electric guitar*Paul Leim – drums*Chris McHugh – drums...
, 2005's My Kind of Livin'
My Kind of Livin'
-Personnel:*Eddie Bayers - drums*Jim "Moose" Brown - piano, keyboards*J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar*Larry Franklin - fiddle*Kevin Grant - bass guitar*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Lona Heins - background vocals*Mike Johnson – steel guitar, Dobro, Pedabro...
, and 2006's Little Bit of Life
Little Bit of Life
-Album:-Singles:...
. These produced several chart hits, including "That's What I Love About Sunday
That's What I Love About Sunday
"That's What I Love About Sunday" is the title of a song written by Adam Dorsey and Mark Narmore, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. The song was the first single from his 2005 album My Kind of Livin . In early 2005, it became his only number one single, spending four weeks...
," which spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts and was that publication's Number One country hit of 2005. A greatest hits
Greatest Hits (Craig Morgan album)
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released on September 30, 2008, by Broken Bow Records. No new material was recorded for the project since Morgan left Broken Bow earlier in the year...
package followed in mid- 2008 before Morgan left the label for BNA Records
BNA Records
BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, is a label group that shares ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BNA features country music acts on its roster...
, on which he released That's Why
That's Why
-Album:-Singles:...
later that same year. My Kind of Livin
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA).
Morgan has charted seventeen times on the Billboard country charts. Besides "That's What I Love About Sunday
That's What I Love About Sunday
"That's What I Love About Sunday" is the title of a song written by Adam Dorsey and Mark Narmore, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. The song was the first single from his 2005 album My Kind of Livin . In early 2005, it became his only number one single, spending four weeks...
," six more of his singles have reached that chart's Top Ten: "Almost Home
Almost Home (Craig Morgan song)
"Almost Home" is the name of a song by country music singer Craig Morgan. It was the second single from his 2003 album I Love It. The song was Morgan's first Top 10 hit on the U.S. country music charts...
," "Redneck Yacht Club
Redneck Yacht Club
"Redneck Yacht Club" is a song sung by country music singer-songwriter Craig Morgan. The second single released from his CD, My Kind of Livin, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart...
," "Little Bit of Life
Little Bit of Life (song)
"Little Bit of Life" is the title of a song written by Danny Wells and Tony Mullins, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It served as the lead-off single to his third studio album, also titled Little Bit of Life...
," "International Harvester
International Harvester (song)
"International Harvester" is the title of a country music song written by Jeffrey Steele, Shane Minor, and Danny Myrick . The song was recorded by American singer Craig Morgan on his album Little Bit of Life, which was released in 2006 on Broken Bow Records...
", "Love Remembers
Love Remembers
"Love Remembers" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Craig Morgan. It was released in May 2008 as the first single from his fifth studio album, That's Why, his first release for the BNA Records label, as well as his eleventh top 40 hit on the Billboard...
" and "Bonfire
Bonfire (song)
"Bonfire" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It is the third single released from his 2008 album That's Why. It is only available on later presses of the album. The song entered the top 40 on the U.S. country charts in June 2009. It is his...
."
Biography
Kingston Springs, Tennessee
Kingston Springs is a town in Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,773 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kingston Springs is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
on July 17, 1964. He became an Emergency medical technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
at age 18, later serving in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. After taking part in a banquet which honored the military's first airborne unit, he wrote a song about the unit.
Morgan spent ten years on active duty as a Fire Support Specialist
Artillery observer
A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away...
in the United States Army, serving in the 101st
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
and 82nd Airborne Divisions before launching his music career. He holds Airborne
Parachutist Badge (United States)
The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy...
, Jumpmaster
Jumpmaster
Jumpmasters are the expert Paratroopers in an Airborne unit who train and teach the military techniques for jumping from airplanes. They are responsible for transforming Soldiers who enter Army Airborne School into Paratroopers and managing Airborne jump operations in Airborne units across all...
, and Air Assault
Air Assault Badge
The Air Assault Badge, pictured to the right, is awarded by the U.S. Army for successful completion of the Air Assault School, a two-week course. The course includes three phases of instruction involving U.S. Army rotary wing aircraft: combat air assault operations; rigging and slingload...
qualifications. While stationed in Korea, he continued to work on his singing and songwriting, winning several awards for both and opening a Korean show for the band Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by five members of country pop singer Don King's road band: Bobby Randall and Jim Scholten , both from Midland, Michigan; Joe Smyth , Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard , and Mark Miller...
.
Musical career
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
employee. He would later land a job in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
singing demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
for other songwriters and publishing companies. The demos led to releasing his first album with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, the self-titled Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan (album)
Craig Morgan is the self-titled debut album of country music singer Craig Morgan. Released in 2000 as his only album for the Atlantic Records label, it produced the singles "Paradise", "I Want Us Back", and "Something to Write Home About", which peaked at number 39 on the U.S. country charts...
in 2000. It produced three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, including "Something to Write Home About," which reached number 39 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts. The album was produced by Buddy Cannon
Buddy Cannon
Buddy Cannon is an American country music songwriter and record producer. Active since the late 1970s, he is known primarily for his work as Kenny Chesney's record producer, for which he won the Academy of Country Music's Producer of the Year award in 2006.Along with Bill Anderson and Jamey...
and Norro Wilson
Norro Wilson
Norris "Norro" Wilson is an American country music singer, songwriter and producer, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, with co-writing credits from Cannon, Bill Anderson and Harley Allen
Harley Allen
Harley Lee Allen was an American bluegrass and country singer and songwriter.-Early life:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the bluegrass performer Red Allen.-Film career:...
among others. The album's final track, "I Wish I Could See Bakersfield," included a recitation from Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
. Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
critic Jon Weisberger gave the album a mixed review, saying that Morgan had a strong singing voice but that most of the songs were "by-the-numbers." Jim Patterson of The Ledger said that lead-off single "Something to Write Home About" was "pedestrian," but that the rest of the album was "an uncommonly assured hard-country effort."
Late in the year, Morgan charted a Christmas single entitled "The Kid in Me." Morgan left Atlantic Records in early 2001 when the label closed its Nashville branch, but said that he was not afraid of his musical future because he still had a publishing contract at the time.
2002-2004: I Love It
In 2002, Morgan signed with Broken Bow RecordsBroken Bow Records
Broken Bow Records is an American independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July of 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music The label's general manager is Jon Loba....
, an independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
. The label released his second album, I Love It
I Love It
-Tracks 1-10:*Larry Beard – acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin*Mike Brignardello – bass guitar*Glen Duncan – fiddle*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Mike Johnson – steel guitar, Dobro*Jeff King – electric guitar*Paul Leim – drums*Chris McHugh – drums...
, in March 2003 produced by D. Scott Miller, Phil O'Donnell and Morgan. Leading off this album was "God, Family and Country," a song dedicated to former Nashville session drummer Randy Hardison, with backing vocals from the group 4 Runner
4 Runner
4 Runner was an American country music vocal group founded in the late 1980s by lead singer Craig Morris, baritone Billy Crittenden, tenor Lee Hilliard, and bass Jim Chapman...
. Following this song was Morgan's first top ten, the number 6 "Almost Home." This song also brought him to the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for the first time, peaking at number 59 there. In addition, it won Morgan and co-writer Kerry Kurt Phillips a Song of the Year award from Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
. The album's next two singles, "Every Friday Afternoon" and "Look at Us", both reached the country top 30. By 2004, the album had sold more than 300,000 copies, and its success was cited as the beginning of a new wave of commercial success among independently-signed country music artists.
Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave I Love It four stars out of five, saying that Morgan's songwriting was "well-crafted" and that his service in the Army justified the patriotic themes of "God, Family and Country". Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time commended the album for maintaining a neotraditionalist country sound, but said that the ballads were "generic".
2005-2006: My Kind of Livin
Morgan released his third album, My Kind of Livin'My Kind of Livin'
-Personnel:*Eddie Bayers - drums*Jim "Moose" Brown - piano, keyboards*J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar*Larry Franklin - fiddle*Kevin Grant - bass guitar*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Lona Heins - background vocals*Mike Johnson – steel guitar, Dobro, Pedabro...
, in 2004. It included eight songs that he co-wrote, as well as guest vocals from John Conlee
John Conlee
John Conlee is an American country music singer. Between 1978 and 2004, Conlee charted a total of thirty-two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recorded eleven studio albums...
and Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
on "Blame Me". The first single release, "That's What I Love About Sunday
That's What I Love About Sunday
"That's What I Love About Sunday" is the title of a song written by Adam Dorsey and Mark Narmore, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. The song was the first single from his 2005 album My Kind of Livin . In early 2005, it became his only number one single, spending four weeks...
", became his only number one hit on the country charts and a number 51 pop hit. It was also the first number one for the Broken Bow label, as well as the first independently-distributed single to top the country charts in five years and the first independently-distributed single to spend multiple weeks at number one on the country chart since The Kendalls
The Kendalls
The Kendalls was an American country music duo, consisting of Royce Kendall and his daughter Jeannie Kendall . Between the 1960s and 1990s, they released sixteen albums on various labels, including five on Mercury Records...
' "Heaven's Just a Sin Away
Heaven's Just a Sin Away
"Heaven's Just a Sin Away" is song composed by Jerry Gillespie, which was recorded in 1977 by The Kendalls. Released in 1977, the song went to Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts...
" in 1977. "That's What I Love About Sunday" also placed at number one on that year's Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November...
charts for the country format.
The album's next single, "Redneck Yacht Club
Redneck Yacht Club
"Redneck Yacht Club" is a song sung by country music singer-songwriter Craig Morgan. The second single released from his CD, My Kind of Livin, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart...
", reached number two on the country charts and accounted for his highest peak on the Hot 100, where it went to number 45. After it came "I Got You
I Got You (Craig Morgan song)
"I Got You" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released in December 2005 as the third and final single from Morgan's 2005 album My Kind of Livin, reaching a peak of number 12 on the U.S...
". Morgan wrote this song while on tour with Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
, with the intention of having Urban record it, but decided to keep it for himself after recording a demo of it. My Kind of Livin
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipping 500,000 copies, and "Redneck Yacht Club" received a gold single certification for 500,000 music download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
s.
Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a B rating, saying in his review that "Morgan's is an idealized Kind of Americana, to be sure. But at least he provides enough writerly detail to avoid setting off smarm alarms." Country Standard Time reviewer Jeffrey B. Remz was generally favorable in his review, saying that Morgan has "a strong voice" and "a number of quality songs," but his review criticized the album's "big and clean" production.
2006-2008: Little Bit of Life and Greatest Hits
His third and final album for Broken Bow, Little Bit of LifeLittle Bit of Life
-Album:-Singles:...
, was issued in 2006. Morgan and O'Donnell co-produced the album with Keith Stegall
Keith Stegall
Robert Keith Stegall is an American country music recording artist and record producer. Active since 1980, Stegall has recorded two-major label studio albums: 1985's Keith Stegall and 1996's Passages...
, a record producer known for his work with Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, and Morgan co-wrote four of its eleven songs. The label shipped more than 200,000 copies of the album in its first week, and made special exclusive releases for retailers such as Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
and Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
.
The album's first and third singles, the title track
Little Bit of Life (song)
"Little Bit of Life" is the title of a song written by Danny Wells and Tony Mullins, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It served as the lead-off single to his third studio album, also titled Little Bit of Life...
and "International Harvester
International Harvester (song)
"International Harvester" is the title of a country music song written by Jeffrey Steele, Shane Minor, and Danny Myrick . The song was recorded by American singer Craig Morgan on his album Little Bit of Life, which was released in 2006 on Broken Bow Records...
" (the latter of which was written by Shane Minor
Shane Minor
Shane Allen Minor is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 1999, Minor released his self-titled album that year, and it produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
, Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey LeVasseur is an American country music singer and songwriter, more commonly known by the name Jeffrey Steele...
and Danny Myrick), both entered the top ten. In between them, "Tough" reached number eleven. Kevin Oliver of Country Standard Time commended the album's neotraditionalist sound and called Morgan "a classic country singer" but said that, beyond the title track and "Tough," "the traditional sound is mostly wasted." Billboard reviewer Deborah Evans Price gave "Tough" a positive review, praising Morgan's "strong, warm voice" and calling the song "yet another gem" from the album.
A Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Craig Morgan album)
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released on September 30, 2008, by Broken Bow Records. No new material was recorded for the project since Morgan left Broken Bow earlier in the year...
package followed in February 2008, shortly before his departure from Broken Bow.
2008-2010: That's Why
On September 18, 2008, Morgan was invited by John Conlee to become a member of the Grand Ole OpryGrand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. Conlee formally inducted him as a member during the October 25, 2008 edition of the Opry.
Although it had been first announced that Morgan would sign to Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an Independent American record label specializing in country music artists. It was launched in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his...
' sister label Valory Music Group, he instead signed to BNA Records
BNA Records
BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, is a label group that shares ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BNA features country music acts on its roster...
, a division of Sony BMG Nashville. His first album for the label, That's Why
That's Why
-Album:-Singles:...
, was released in October 2008. Its first single, "Love Remembers
Love Remembers
"Love Remembers" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Craig Morgan. It was released in May 2008 as the first single from his fifth studio album, That's Why, his first release for the BNA Records label, as well as his eleventh top 40 hit on the Billboard...
", became his sixth top ten hit by early 2009, but follow-up "God Must Really Love Me" peaked at number 26. BNA re-issued the album in May 2009, replacing two of its tracks with the newly-recorded "Bonfire
Bonfire (song)
"Bonfire" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It is the third single released from his 2008 album That's Why. It is only available on later presses of the album. The song entered the top 40 on the U.S. country charts in June 2009. It is his...
" and "This Ain't Nothin'
This Ain't Nothin'
"This Ain't Nothin" is the title of a song written by Chris DuBois and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released in January 2010 as the fourth single from his 2008 album That's Why. It is only available on later presses of the album. The song...
." The former was released that month as the album's third single, also reaching top ten. In October 2009, the music video for "God Must Really Love Me" won Video of the Year from the Inspirational Country Music Awards. In early 2010, "This Ain't Nothin'" was released as the album's fourth single. It became a top 20 country hit by year's end.
Morgan's last single for BNA, "Still a Little Chicken Left on That Bone", was released in October 2010. The song peaked at number 37 on the country music charts in January 2011. A month later, Morgan left the label.
2011: New label
On April 1, 2011, Morgan signed with Black River Music GroupBlack River Music Group
Black River Music Group is an independent record label in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in country music.- Background :Black River Music Group started in early 2007 by Nashville session player, Jimmy Nichols , Tonya Cochran Ginnetti, and billionaires Terry and Kim Pegula...
. His first release for the label is "This Ole Boy", a song co-written by Rhett Akins
Rhett Akins
Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. is an American country singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for the label , followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment...
, Dallas Davidson
Dallas Davidson
Dallas Davidson is an American country music singer-songwriter.Davidson moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 and joined Broadcast Music Incorporated for performing rights representation and signed a publishing deal with Big Borassa Music, which is administered worldwide by Third Tier Music.Trace...
and Ben Hayslip
Ben Hayslip
Ben Hayslip is an American country music songwriter. Hayslip attended Evans High School near Augusta, Georgia where he was an All-State first baseman leading the Evans baseball team to the 1988 Georgia state championship...
that also appears on Joe Nichols' 2011 album It's All Good
It's All Good (Joe Nichols album)
It's All Good is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Joe Nichols. It was released on November 8, 2011 via Show Dog-Universal Music. The album includes the top 30 single "Take It Off." Craig Morgan also recorded the track "This Ole Boy"....
.
Personal life
Morgan is married to wife Karen and has four children: a daughter, Alex, and sons Kyle, Jerry, and Wyatt. He and his family currently reside in Dickson, TennesseeDickson, Tennessee
Dickson is a city in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,244 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:...
.
In February 2011, Morgan rescued two young children from a burning house in Dickson, Tennessee, and then manned a fire hose to help put out the fire.
On April 23, 2011 Craig Morgan became an honorary initiate of the Delta Theta Chapter (Arkansas State) of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Charitable efforts
Morgan frequently performs at military bases both in the U.S. and abroad. He was awarded the 2006 USO Merit Award for his tireless support of US soldiers and their families. Morgan has been active in raising money for the Special Operations Warrior FoundationSpecial Operations Warrior Foundation
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is an American tax-exempt 501 nonprofit organization founded in 1980 to provide college scholarships and educational counseling to the surviving children of Special Operations personnel killed in training accidents or operational missions...
.
Morgan has an annual two-day charity (Craig Morgan Charity Fund) for Billy’s Place. The latest one was August 6, and 7 2011 and was the fifth and is held in Dickson Tn raised over $95,000. Morgan came up with the idea for Billy’s Place while serving as an assistant Dickson County sheriff's deputy from 1995-96. Through the Craig Morgan Charity Fund, Morgan plans to provide lasting funding to the home.
His long-term goal is to start additional Billy's Place homes around the country.
Albums
- Craig MorganCraig Morgan (album)Craig Morgan is the self-titled debut album of country music singer Craig Morgan. Released in 2000 as his only album for the Atlantic Records label, it produced the singles "Paradise", "I Want Us Back", and "Something to Write Home About", which peaked at number 39 on the U.S. country charts...
(2000) - I Love ItI Love It-Tracks 1-10:*Larry Beard – acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin*Mike Brignardello – bass guitar*Glen Duncan – fiddle*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Mike Johnson – steel guitar, Dobro*Jeff King – electric guitar*Paul Leim – drums*Chris McHugh – drums...
(2003) - My Kind of Livin'My Kind of Livin'-Personnel:*Eddie Bayers - drums*Jim "Moose" Brown - piano, keyboards*J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar*Larry Franklin - fiddle*Kevin Grant - bass guitar*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Lona Heins - background vocals*Mike Johnson – steel guitar, Dobro, Pedabro...
(2005) - Little Bit of LifeLittle Bit of Life-Album:-Singles:...
(2006) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Craig Morgan album)Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released on September 30, 2008, by Broken Bow Records. No new material was recorded for the project since Morgan left Broken Bow earlier in the year...
(2008) - That's WhyThat's Why-Album:-Singles:...
(2008)
Top Ten hits
- "Almost HomeAlmost Home (Craig Morgan song)"Almost Home" is the name of a song by country music singer Craig Morgan. It was the second single from his 2003 album I Love It. The song was Morgan's first Top 10 hit on the U.S. country music charts...
" (#6, 2003) - "That's What I Love About SundayThat's What I Love About Sunday"That's What I Love About Sunday" is the title of a song written by Adam Dorsey and Mark Narmore, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. The song was the first single from his 2005 album My Kind of Livin . In early 2005, it became his only number one single, spending four weeks...
" (#1, 2004–2005) - "Redneck Yacht ClubRedneck Yacht Club"Redneck Yacht Club" is a song sung by country music singer-songwriter Craig Morgan. The second single released from his CD, My Kind of Livin, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart...
" (#2, 2005) - "Little Bit of LifeLittle Bit of Life (song)"Little Bit of Life" is the title of a song written by Danny Wells and Tony Mullins, and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It served as the lead-off single to his third studio album, also titled Little Bit of Life...
" (#7, 2006–2007) - "International HarvesterInternational Harvester (song)"International Harvester" is the title of a country music song written by Jeffrey Steele, Shane Minor, and Danny Myrick . The song was recorded by American singer Craig Morgan on his album Little Bit of Life, which was released in 2006 on Broken Bow Records...
" (#10, 2007–2008) - "Love RemembersLove Remembers"Love Remembers" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Craig Morgan. It was released in May 2008 as the first single from his fifth studio album, That's Why, his first release for the BNA Records label, as well as his eleventh top 40 hit on the Billboard...
" (#9, 2008) - "BonfireBonfire (song)"Bonfire" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It is the third single released from his 2008 album That's Why. It is only available on later presses of the album. The song entered the top 40 on the U.S. country charts in June 2009. It is his...
" (#4, 2009)