About Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan Greer is an American country music artist. A veteran of the United States Army as a forward observer and current member of the United States Army Reserve, 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 while also holding the No. 1 position on that year's Billboard Year-End chart for the country format. A greatest hits package followed in mid-2008 before Morgan signed to BNA Records and released That's Why later that same year. After exiting BNA, Morgan signed with Black River Entertainment and released This Ole Boy in 2012, followed by A Whole Lot More to Me in 2016.
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. He served on active duty for nine and a half years in the US Army as a member of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions and remained in the Army Reserve for another six and a half years. He took part in the U.S. Invasion of Panama in 1989. On July 29, 2023, Morgan re-enlisted in the US Army Reserve while on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. The oath of enlistment was administered by Gen. Andrew Poppas, commander of the United States Army Forces Command while Command Sergeant Major Todd Sims and Senator Marsha Blackburn stood by him on stage. It was in fact Senator Blackburn who played a key role in Morgan's re-enlistment.
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 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.
In 2002, Morgan signed with Broken Bow Records. The label released his second album, I Love It, in March 2003. 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. It peaked at number 49 on the country charts. Following this song was Morgan's second Top 40 hit, "Almost Home". The song originally fell off the Hot Country Songs charts from a peak position of number 33. However, it experienced an unexpected increase in airplay after falling off the charts, so it was reinstated at the number 25 position three weeks later. After re-entering the charts, the song went on to a new peak position of number six on Hot Country Songs, also reaching number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. 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 by Billboard 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".
Morgan released his third album, My Kind of Livin', in 2004. It included eight songs that he co-wrote, and 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 No. 1 on the country charts, spending four weeks in that position while also reaching No. 51 on the Hot 100. It was also the first No. 1 single for the Broken Bow label, as well as the first independently distributed single to top the country charts in five years, and the first such single to spend multiple weeks at that position since The Kendalls' "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" in 1977. "That's What I Love About Sunday" also placed at No. 1 on that year's Billboard Year-End charts for the country format.
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