Craig Morgan (singer)

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Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan performing at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, California.
Craig Morgan performing at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, California.
Background information
Birth name Craig Morgan Greer
Born July 17, 1965 (1965-07-17) (age 42)
Origin Kingston Springs, Tennessee, United States
Genre(s) Country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, rhythm guitar
Years active 2000-present
Label(s) Atlantic
Broken Bow
BNA
Website craigmorgan.com

Craig Morgan (born Craig Morgan Greer, July 17, 1965 in Kingston Springs, Tennessee) is an American country music singer-songwriter. A veteran of the United States Army, Morgan began his musical career in late 1999 on Atlantic Records, recording one album (2000's Craig Morgan) for that label before the closure of its Nashville division in 2000.

Three years later, he signed to the independent Broken Bow Records, where he broke through in 2003 with "Almost Home", his first Top Ten hit on the country music charts and the first single from his 2003 album I Love It. He followed up I Love It in 2005 with My Kind of Livin'. His highest-selling album to date, it has been certified gold in the United States; it includes the single "That's What I Love About Sunday", which spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and was named as the top country single of 2005 by Billboard. My Kind of Livin’ also produced the #2 hit "Redneck Yacht Club".

Little Bit of Life, his third album for Broken Bow and fourth overall, was released in late 2006; it produced three additional singles, including the title track. In March 2008, Morgan left Broken Bow for BNA Records, a division of Sony BMG Nashville.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Craig Morgan during a USO performance, March 20, 2007
Craig Morgan during a USO performance, March 20, 2007

Craig Morgan Greer was born in Kingston Springs, Tennessee and grew up in rural Tennessee. He became an Emergency medical technician at age 18. A few years later, he joined the Army and was stationed in South Korea. He was in combat as part of Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989. During his deployment in Korea, Morgan wrote a number of songs and won various military singing and songwriting contests.

Morgan spent ten years on active duty in the United States Army, serving in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, before launching his music career. He also holds Airborne, Jumpmaster, and Air Assault qualifications.

In addition to his Opry appearances and regular touring schedule, 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 Foundation. [1]

[edit] Musical career

Hundreds of fans showed up to see Craig Morgan perform for the USO, March 20, 2007
Hundreds of fans showed up to see Craig Morgan perform for the USO, March 20, 2007

Upon his return home to Tennessee, he worked various jobs to support his family, including as a construction worker, a security guard and a sheriff's deputy. 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. In 2003, Morgan signed with Broken Bow Records and released his second album, I Love It. It featured his first Top Ten hit, "Almost Home".

In 2005, Morgan released his third album, My Kind of Livin', which included the hit "That's What I Love About Sunday." A four-week number-one hit in the early spring of 2005, it was the biggest country music song of that year according to Billboard. The album also produced two more singles: "Redneck Yacht Club" and "I Got You"; Craig had originally intended to offer the latter song to Keith Urban, but decided to record it himself instead.

Morgan's third album for Broken Bow, and his fourth overall, is titled Little Bit of Life. Its title track was a Top Ten hit on the country music charts in late 2006-early 2007, while "Tough", its followup, peaked at #11. "International Harvester", the third single, was released in late 2007 and reached the Top Ten in 2008.

In February 2008, Morgan announced his departure from Broken Bow;[1] he has since signed to BNA Records, a division of Sony BMG Nashville.[2] Sony stated that he will release his first album by late 2008.[3]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Album Chart Positions RIAA Label
US Country US 200 US Indie
2000 Craig Morgan Atlantic
2003 I Love It 16 124 4 Broken Bow
2005 My Kind of Livin' 7 40 3 Gold
2006 Little Bit of Life 13 57 3

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Country US Hot 100 US Pop 100 CAN Country
2000 "Something to Write Home About" 38 Craig Morgan
"Paradise" 46
"The Kid in Me" 68 Single only
2001 "I Want Us Back" 51 Craig Morgan
2002 "God, Family and Country" 49 I Love It
2003 "Almost Home" 6 59
"Every Friday Afternoon" 25
2004 "Look at Us" 27
2005 "That's What I Love About Sunday"A 1 51 74 3 My Kind of Livin'
"Redneck Yacht Club" 2 45 93 9
2006 "I Got You" 12 92 25
"Little Bit of Life" 7 75 17 Little Bit of Life
2007 "Tough" 11 76
"International Harvester" 10 67 28
2008 "Love Remembers"B 44 TBD
  • A "That's What I Love About Sunday" also peaked at #64 on Hot Digital Songs. The song has also received a gold digital certification.
  • B Current single.

[edit] References

[edit] External links