Country Artist Craig Morgan On His New Memoir ‘God, Family, Country’

Craig Morgan is a gifted singer/songwriter, dedicated family man, proud army veteran, and a man of strong faith. The country artist known for songs like “International Harvester,” “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” and “Soldier,” is also warm, honest, and has a deep sense of humor. All of those things shine through in his new memoir aptly titled “God, Family, Country.”

He shares stories of growing up in Tennessee, his years in the army as an Airborne Ranger which included some highly classified missions, his decision to leave the military to pursue a country music career, the road to becoming an entertainer, and his love and devotion to his family.

He also recounts the tragic death of his 19-year-old son, Jerry, who drowned in 2016, and how Morgan’s faith helped guide him through it.

“You can’t talk to me and not hear me talk about faith,” he says. “There are some difficult moments in the book, in particular when I’m talking about my son. It was difficult to go through that process, but I do believe it might help someone else reading this.”

After his son’s death, he wrote the faith-filled song “The Father, My Son and The Holy Ghost,” about trying to cope with the loss of his son. He says the words just flowed through him late in the middle of the night.

With the military such a big part of his life, Morgan also goes into detail about some of his different overseas missions including his involvement in Panama in 1989 working with the CIA in the ousting of Manuel Noriega. He says with some of the events so far back in the distance, he got a little assistance from his fellow soldiers.

“We brought in my whole team, we brought these guys to my place in Florida and sat there for two days, telling stories, and getting their perspective on what happened. It was fascinating because like I said, that happened so long ago I had processed it and kind of put it in a (mental) file cabinet somewhere.”

Since leaving the army, Morgan has maintained a strong connection to the troops, performing countless USOUSO
shows. In the book, he recalls going to Kuwait and Iraq in 2003 on one of those USO tours and while traveling in a convoy, ran into some unexpected military action. A guy stopped the convoy intent on detonating a bomb. He was promptly shot and killed. In the aftermath, Morgan, his instincts kicking in, grabbed an M-16 from a fellow soldier, but ended up not having to use it.

Morgan was accompanied on the trip by Nashville guitarist Mike Rogers who has no military experience and had been shocked by what had unfolded in front of them. He couldn’t believe what had happened and was surprised by Morgan’s demeanor as the singer sat there eating M&Ms.

“True story,” Morgan says. “I think back on that, and he was so shook up. I thought, hey, it’s okay, we’re gonna be all right, we didn’t get shot. Mike wasn’t mad or anything, he just couldn’t understand how I could eat M&Ms and be calm when that was happening.”

Part of what makes “God, Family, Country” such an entertaining read, is you can “hear” Morgan telling the stories. Every page truly reflects the way he speaks and tells a story. The book definitely captures his “voice.”

“Just wait til you hear the audio version,” Morgan says with a laugh. “They made me, a hillbilly, read it.”

The book was co-written by noted author, Jim DeFelice, who wrote “American Sniper,” the #1 New York Times
NYT
bestseller on the life of the late Navy SEAL sniper, Chris Kyle. For Morgan, it was important to choose a co-author who would understand and aptly depict his military background.

“The reason I worked with Jim was because I felt like he was one of the few guys who could truly capture my story. I knew he would understand the lingo and so forth.”

Morgan is currently promoting his book, and in October kicks off his God, Family, Country Tour 2022 featuring shows in more intimate settings such as theaters and auditoriums.

“I can hardly wait,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, I love playing in front of 60,000 people, but there is nothing more rewarding that sitting in a theater on a stool with my band behind me, singing songs, telling stories, and interacting with the crowd. And in some way, hopefully, inspiring people.”

On November 11th, he will also release his God, Family, Country Deluxe Album which includes older songs with some new ones, including his just released single “How You Make A Man.”

“I think it’s one of the better songs I’ve ever had the opportunity to record. I didn’t write it, but when I heard it, it felt as if it was something I’d just written. Because I do believe, like the chorus says, ‘you run, you crawl, you rise, you fall, you hit your knees until you learn to stand, that’s how you make a man.’”

He says the message is not only meant for men, but for people in general. He believes going through difficult things make us all stronger, if we accept and allow that to happen.

It’s something he hopes he’s been able to share in his memoir.

“The biggest message I have in my book, and in my life now, is to share that we’re all gonna experience heartache, hardships, and tragedy. But it’s not those tragedies that define us, it’s how we deal with them. And I’m really hopeful this book might in some way, encourage others to understand that.”

His book tour takes him to Los Angeles tomorrow (Saturday, October 1st) where he’ll sign copies of his memoir at Barnes & Noble at the Grove at 2pm PST.

For more information on the book, the tour, or his upcoming album, visit https://www.craigmorgan.com/