Dennis Morgan (songwriter)
Encyclopedia
Dennis Morgan is a songwriter and music publisher, best known for writing songs for Aretha Franklin
, Faith Hill
, Barbara Mandrell
, and Eric Clapton
. He has also published hit songs by Garth Brooks
, All-4-One
, Feargal Sharkey
, and Trisha Yearwood
.
Morgan's career as a songwriter started as a session musician in Nashville. His first songwriting success was "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed", a number one hit for Barbara Mandrell
in 1978. As a result, he and cowriter Kye Fleming were nominated for a Grammy. His partnership with Fleming also yielded more hits for Mandrell ("I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"), fellow country artists Sylvia
("Nobody
"), Ronnie Milsap
("Smoky Mountain Rain
"), and Steve Wariner
("All Roads Lead To You").
Songs by Morgan and cowriter Simon Climie
have been hits for pop
artists including Climie Fisher
("Love Changes Everything") and Aretha Franklin
("I Knew You Were Waiting For Me").
Morgan was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Foundation
's Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2004.
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
, and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. He has also published hit songs by Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, All-4-One
All-4-One
All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles...
, Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones...
, and Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
.
Morgan's career as a songwriter started as a session musician in Nashville. His first songwriting success was "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed", a number one hit for Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
in 1978. As a result, he and cowriter Kye Fleming were nominated for a Grammy. His partnership with Fleming also yielded more hits for Mandrell ("I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"), fellow country artists Sylvia
Sylvia (singer)
Sylvia Jane Kirby is an American country music and country pop singer and songwriter. More commonly known by the singular name Sylvia, she enjoyed crossover music success with the song "Nobody" in 1982....
("Nobody
Nobody (Sylvia song)
"Nobody" is the name of a Country Music song recorded by Sylvia, that became a Number One hit on the country charts in 1982.The song was first recorded in 1982 by Sylvia, who was already a Country Music star the previous year, achieving a #1 hit and 2 other Top Tens in 1981. "Nobody" was released...
"), Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
("Smoky Mountain Rain
Smoky Mountain Rain
"Smoky Mountain Rain" is a song made famous by country music singer Ronnie Milsap. Originally released in 1980, the song became one of his best-known songs....
"), and Steve Wariner
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel "Steve" Wariner is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records...
("All Roads Lead To You").
Songs by Morgan and cowriter Simon Climie
Simon Climie
Simon Climie is a songwriter/producer and the former lead singer of the UK pop duo Climie Fisher, who had hits with "Love Changes " and "Rise to the Occasion"....
have been hits for pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artists including Climie Fisher
Climie Fisher
Climie Fisher were a UK pop duo formed by vocalist Simon Climie and former Naked Eyes keyboardist Rob Fisher...
("Love Changes Everything") and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
("I Knew You Were Waiting For Me").
Morgan was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Foundation
Nashville Songwriters Foundation
The Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization foundation for the Nashville music community. Songwriters are inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame each year and the foundation's purpose is to "educate, archive, and celebrate the contributions of the members...
's Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
in 2004.