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Lorrie Morgan is undeniably one of the most eloquently emotive vocalists of modern times. She is the first woman in her genre to begin her career with three consecutive Platinum albums, is back in the studio with award-winning producer Richard Landis, working on a new album. It is sure to be yet another collection showcasing the rainbow of emotions, from darkest heartache to bright, shiny humor, that is the hallmark of Morgan's range.
"Where I am in my life right now, I'm not afraid to express what I feel," she says. "I'm not afraid to express my views on anything, especially on being a woman and my experiences in this business and in life.”
Morgan is known for her lustrous vocal phrasing and the down-to-earth believability of her torchy performances. On records such as "A Picture of Me Without You" and “I Guess You Had to Be There," the ache is palpable. She is feisty and sassy on "Watch Me," "What Part of No,” "Five Minutes,” and "I Didn't Know My Own Strength." She has kicked up her stiletto heels in fun on her hits "Except for Monday" and "Go Away." On her epic "Something in Red" she is an honest, struggling everywoman.
She has been a daughter, a bride, a mother, a divorcee, a widow, a single mother, a breadwinner and, ultimately, a survivor. In many ways, Lorrie is a living, breathing country song, and she knows what she sings.
"I didn't want to just do another album. I want it to be something that really moves me. When I listened to songs for it, I'd think, No, not that one. I'm not going to be able to sing that one, because I'm not going to be able to feel it.' It is very important to me for this album to reflect the things that I am feeling today.”
Recently in Nashville, Morgan commanded a stage shared by the iconic Judy Collins, in a concert performance honoring the 30th anniversary of LA-based record label, Cleopatra Records. She continues to match any of her earlier efforts, with an emotional range and a stage presence that is as vibrant as ever.
She is a peerless song interpreter, drawing from a deep personal well that spans enormous tenderness to cheeky hutzpah. Whether covering a classic or sharing one of her own songs, Morgan is truly a song stylist in the grandest tradition.
"I have always been a songwriter and I do love to write," she comments. "But I'm only comfortable co-writing with a few people, and I don't like appointment writing at all. Plus, I'm not one of those people who says, 'If I didn't write it, I'm not going to record it. If somebody else's song is better, I'm going to record it and not my own.”
Lorrie Morgan has been around great songs all her life. She is a Nashville native who is the daughter of Country Music Hall of Fame member George Morgan. She made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage at age 13, singing "Paper Roses." Her father died suddenly of a heart attack at age 51. She was 16 at the time and just beginning her musical career. Lorrie Morgan began making her own records shortly thereafter and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry at just 24 years old.
Morgan married fellow country singer Keith Whitley in 1986. She was signed to RCA Records in 1987, and her onslaught of hits began the following year. Whitley's tragic death of an alcohol overdose in 1989 left her a widowed working mother. Their duet "Til a Tear Becomes a Rose" earned her a 1990 CMA award.
Her first three albums, Leave the Light On (1989), Something in Red (1991) and Watch Me (1992), all earned Platinum Record awards. Her Greatest Hits collection (1999) is also Platinum. War Paint (1994), Greater Need (1996) and Shakin' Things Up (1997) are all Gold Record winners.
She sang "The Sad Cafe" on Common Threads: Songs of the Eagles, which was named the CMA Album of the Year in 1994. Country fans voted Lorrie Morgan their TNN/Music City News Female Vocalist of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Lorrie Morgan maintained her recording pace in the new millennium, releasing collections in 2002, 2004, 2009 and 2010. In 2012 and 2013, Morgan starred and sparkled in the lavish Enchanted Christmas productions at the opulent Opryland Resort in Nashville. She took that show on the road in 2014.
Morgan has recorded in collaboration with her father, as well as Whitley, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Tammy Wynette, The Beach Boys, Dolly Parton, Andy Williams, the New World Philharmonic, and Pam Tillis. She has toured with George Jones and shared a stage with Jerry Lee Lewis, newly inducted into the Country Music Hall Fame along with Whitley.
"My children and I are thrilled to see Keith's name added to the list of stars who've earned their place in the Country Music Hall of Fame," she says. "It is a well-deserved honor, though Keith himself would've been painfully humbled. I am happy for his family and the many, many fans who continue to point to Keith as one of the all-time greats.”
In 2013, Morgan first teamed with fellow Opry star Pam Tillis, daughter of Country Music Hall of Famer Mel Tillis. for the duet CD Dos Divas. The two hit makers then embarked on a joint tour that sold out every appearance in its initial two-year run. The stars continue to perform their collaborative Grits & Glamour shows, as schedules allow. The women connected as working mothers, as businesswomen, and as second-generation performers. They share an understanding, and a finely honed, if occasionally bawdy, sense of humor.
On the outside, Lorrie is very lighthearted. Still, on the inside, she carries a lot of pain. Singing is her therapy, she has said.
"My dad used to say, 'You should never take yourself too seriously,' and I got my sense of humor from my dad. I love to have fun. I've reached the age where I feel that I deserve good company around me, people who can make me laugh, who love music and who love to have a good time."
Jamie O'Neal is a Platinum-selling 4 x Grammy nominated country singer songwriter who became a household name in 2001 with her back-to-back #1 singles, "There Is No Arizona" and "When I Think About Angels." With multiple hits that followed, including "Shiver", "Trying To Find Atlantis" and "Somebody's Hero," Jamie's career caught fire. She earned numerous accolades including an ACM award, Billboard Award, CMA nominations along with Grammy nominations. O'Neal has appeared on The Tonight Show, David Letterman, Emeril cooking show, Craig Kilborn and numerous other national TV shows.
While she has penned most of her own songs, Jamie has also written songs for such notable artists as Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, Idina Menzel, CeCe Winans (Grammy winning album) and more. Her voice can be heard internationally in major motion pictures including All by Myself for Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones' Baby.
She was also picked to perform with Carrie Underwood when she needed the perfect duet partner for CMT's 100 greatest duets with 'Does He Love You’. "I'm so happy to finally get some new original music out there for the fans" says O'Neal about her new album 'Sometimes'. Critics raved about the new music from her newest album release with Rolling Stone country touting "She hasn't lost an iota of her powerhouse vocal talent" while People Magazine's Tomás Mier says "The new rendition of the track 'There Is No Arizona' with Lauren Alaina features a vocal-driven, more anthemic sound compared to the 2000 original.”
American Songwriter's Tricia Despres chronicled how the version with Lauren Alaina "had both singers pushing each other to new heights," while Wide Open Country's Bobby Moore picked the collaboration for their Five New Songs You Need to Hear and characterized the track as "jazz and pop-infused glory." The album features new versions of some of her biggest hits re-recorded as duets with special guests Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride, Sara Evans and John Paul White of The Civil Wars fame. Singles off the album have featured heavily on Spotify Playlists including New Boots, Women of Country, New Traditions Country Heroes and several top Apple Music playlists. The album contains 8 brand new songs including the kick off single 'The World Goes On' which O'Neal says reminds us all who are going through hard times that "even though life is filled with ups and downs tomorrow brings us new chances, renewed faith and inner strength that we can get through the bad times to better days. If 2020 showed us anything it's that life is fragile and family and friends are what truly matter. Music has the ability to live on forever and be healing to us all and I'm just so excited to have my new music out there plus some of my hits in this fresh new way! We're finally back out on the road again with new songs and I'm loving getting to see the fans enjoying live music again!"
