Who Is John Morgan? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Today’s spotlight is shining on an artist that is the full package. John Morgan is a singer, songwriter, and artist in his own right. We predict that 2023 is going to be a huge year for the entertainer; however, you can start becoming a huge fan now. We know we are!

Morgan grew up in western North Carolina surrounded by music, with his roots firmly planted in bluegrass. “I grew up playing bluegrass and that’s how I learned how to play guitar and learned how to sing, and do all that,” began the singer. “I started doing that when I was ten years old, and we would travel around and play bluegrass festivals all over the country.”

At eighteen years old, the entertainer quit the bluegrass circuit in favor of working outside of music, while simultaneously focusing on growing his songwriting skills. “I started writing my own songs […] It was kind of an easy transition for me to switch over to country music.” Morgan likens the trajectory of his switch from bluegrass to country music to one of his favorite artists, Keith Whitley. “Keith Whitley is one of my biggest influences even to this day.”

“I love my hometown where I grew up. I’ve never really envisioned myself leaving there, which is why when I quit playing bluegrass there, for two years, I didn’t do anything, I was focused on my job at the time. At that moment, I didn’t think that I would pursue music full-time.” Eventually, through trips to Nashville, Morgan caught the bug again.

“When I started making trips down here to Nashville, I really learned how much I loved songwriting and so that’s kind of where I cut my teeth and was digging into that aspect of music really trying to better myself as a songwriter first. I knew I could hold my own on guitar and sing good enough at the time, but I was just missing that triple threat.”

The Turning Point:

Just a few years ago, Morgan made the decision to move to Nashville to pursue songwriting and his dream full-time. “I moved to Nashville a little over three years ago now […] I got in with Jason Aldean’s camp through an Uber driver, which is a weird crazy story. I started writing songs with those guys and that’s kind of where I’m at currently.”

While Morgan feels fortunate to have had cuts on Aldean’s latest album, eight in fact, including the number one hits – “Trouble with a Heartbreak” and “If I Didn’t Love You” ft. Carrie Underwood, Morgan believes that his work ethic has helped him throughout his journey thus far. “When I finally moved to Nashville, and got to town and realized there were a million other people trying to do the same thing I’m doing, it makes you kind of level up.” Adding later, “Songwriting gave me enough confidence to drop everything that I was doing to pursue it full-time.”

Morgan continued to grind, getting into as many writers’ rooms as he could. “Even as an unsigned writer, I was writing with people who were also writing with people who have written hit songs and at least knew the layout of this is what a hit song requires formula-wise.”

Despite his early success as a songwriter, Morgan yearned to be an artist in his own right. His friend and fellow producer Will Bundy encouraged him to hone his skills as a songwriter and as a producer while working towards his dream.

“He just encouraged me and was like “dude I know you want to be an artist, I know you want to write songs, but this is working for me, and I feel like you have a good enough ear to do this too, at least get an ear with a publishing company”,” adding later, “I shadowed him for a couple of weeks to learn how to build a simple demo for a song after you write it. That in itself allowed me to get into bigger rooms.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Morgan is a signed artist with new music coming down the pipeline early next year. Already, the singer’s newest song, “Friends Like That” is making waves amongst country music fans and the industry. According to the singer, “‘Friends Like That’ was a song we wrote almost a year ago, it was one of those songs that was such a feel-good song. Will Bundy produced the demo for it. All of the elements came together for this song.”

While Morgan is attracted to and loves to write more sentimental songs, “Friends Like That” showcases a side of his artistry that fans get to see and hear for the first time. “It was just a cool idea from the beginning and we just kind of ran with it. It was really a song that I needed for me as an artist. I tend to write more nostalgic, more serious heartbreak songs I guess, and this was more of a feel-good, fun, I’m getting over you the way you want to kind of song. […] It kind of gives you a different side of who I am as an artist too.”

As a songwriter, Morgan will continue to pull from his own experiences, while relying on his supportive team in the process. Next year is already shaping up to be the year of John Morgan – new songs are currently being recorded and at least one new single is sure to come out in January. Make sure you pay attention and keep Morgan on your radar!

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