Tina and others have asked me when it would be Lorrie Morgan's turn here, and today is the day. She of course has ties to the area spending a lot of her life in Doylestown. Lorrie Morgan had a nice run on the country charts and was very popular in a totally different era musically. She was a highly skilled vocalist with a very powerful voice that really cut through, and I was a fan.
I Loved This First Real Single
LM is the daughter of country singer George Morgan, and at 20 years old floated out her first few singles in 1979 to no avail. Then in 1989 she was signed to RCA Records and things started in the right direction. Her first single there, Trainwreck Of Emotion, I loved and thought it was a great song, but it had moderate chart success. But then things turned for the way better. Over the next 10 years or so LM ran off a real nice line of great songs, and very successful albums showing incredible versatility along the way. There were some missteps musically, and other ways - and a record company change or two, but she was a consistent hit maker.
GREAT Performance - Her First #1
Morgan's real calling card was her unusually powerful voice. I always felt she would sound good singing about any song you threw at her, and she did. Her hit songs ranged from traditional country, to pop country and even true pop. She recorded with a whole lot of artists in Nashville and from way and far beyond. She made a Christmas album that I think is simply fantastic as well, plus many other projects and speciality endevours. She is and was an unusual talent with a huge voice that was the envy of many young singers. There was a "realness" about her music too that fans loved. For the most part it was straight forward, to the point, and strong. And that really resonated with fans. Lorrie Morgan sounded very empowering in many of her biggest songs and that was loved as well.
Great Song #3 - Very Powerful Vocals
But LM's story in addition to her remarkable talent and success as she sold millions of albums, is her personal life. We don't get into that much here, but with Lorrie Morgan you have to as it's part of her legacy in country music and pop culture. Morgan has been married six times. Her first husband was Ron Gaddis who was in George Jones' band. Then superstar Keith Whitley until his death in 1989. She then married Clint Blacks bus driver in 1991, and then later country singer Jon Randall. She married country superstar Sammy Kershaw, and then later a business man named Randy White.
Big Song
She was also romantically linked to Dallas Cowboy QB Troy Aikman, and actor and politician Fred Thompson for a while. She was even spotted and photographed in the back of Bill Clintons limo when he was president, but she dismissed that as a "fabricated" situation. It seemed for a while that her private life was taking over her career. But with all of the outer noise, she was still a great vocalist with a big fan base.
Her Signature Song
In the end, Morgan sold about 8 million albums, was consistently on the charts songs for a decade or more, recorded with everyone and was as popular as any in a very competitive decade of the 1990's with over 40 singles. And through it all, the ups and the downs and there were plenty of each, she is a remarkable talent.
This Song Really Spoke To Many - Not Her Biggest Song - But Much Loved By Many
The wonderfully nimble and versatile, Lorrie Morgan!
