Friday Photo Flashback

Happy 62nd Birthday to one of the coolest dudes in country music, Craig Morgan.

I met Craig back around 2002. He had recorded for Atlantic records in 2000, but when that label closed, he signed with Broken Bow Records. Craig was out doing a radio tour promoting his new album. He was going to stop by the station, do a quick interview on the air, and that would be the extent of it. I remember my boss telling me to make the interview quick because “he’s not that well known.” That was my plan, but my research before the interview revealed a few things that I wanted to ask about.

For example, he was an Emergency Medial Technician when he was young. He also served on active duty for the US Army in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Afterward, he stayed in the Army Reserve for about 7 years. In 1989, he was a member of the 193rd Infantry Brigades Airborne Battalion and took part in the U.S. Invasion of Panama. These were things that interested me, so I figured, they might interest my listeners too. My dad was an army guy, so I recall asking him about his service. He told some fantastic stories, he was quick witted and funny.

At one point during the interview, I saw my boss in the window of the next studio. I thought for sure he was going to give me the “finger across the throat” signal to end the interview. Instead, he was enjoying the interview so much, he have me the “keep going/stretch it out” signal. It remains one of my favorite interviews and he became one of my favorite artists.

Whenever he’d come to town, I’d make sure to go to the show. It was always great to hang out back stage with him. His record label rep, Jon, had roots in Michigan, so when we all got the chance to hang out, it was a blast. Craig never had a shortage of great stories. Craig and his crew were quite the pranksters. He told us of many pranks that they had pulled on each other and other artists.

Every year, the Country Radio Seminar would have “New Faces” show. It would feature 5 up and coming artists every year. I was so happy to be able to attend the year that Craig was featured. I recall Craig making a change in the songs he was going to play at that show. For some reason, he opted to play a song that wasn’t familiar, but he felt he had to sing. He sounded so good that night, I don’t think it mattered.

He would go on to have some big hits while at Broken Bow. They would include, “Almost Home,” “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “A Little Bit of Life,” and “International Harvester.” In 2008, he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. in July of 2023, he re-enlisted in the US Army Reserve while on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

I lost touch with him after “retiring” from radio. Getting to know artists like him is one of the things I miss most about not being on the air anymore. We always had a good time when he was in town!