Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 29, 1990 TAG: 9006290176
SECTION: SALEM FAIR PAGE: SF-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID MEADOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It should be. Morgan has served an extended apprenticeship with some of country music's masters.
Her first teacher, with whom she made her first tour, was her father, the late Grand 'Ole Opry star George Morgan.
"He was absolutely the smoothest man on stage," Morgan recalled. "You never knew he had a nerve in his body. He talked so slow and so easy, and everybody understood everything he said. I always try to think like him when I'm on stage. I say to myself, `What would Dad do?' "
Morgan made her first professional appearance at the Opry at the age of 13. The Opry had plenty of other role models for the young singer - pioneers such as Jean Shepard, Jeannie Seely and Tammy Wynette. And years later, Morgan would tour with Opry legend George Jones as his singing partner.
Between stints with these two prominent Georges, Morgan presided over her own band, anchored by guitar great Little Roy Wiggins. She also sang in an Opryland USA bluegrass band that included ace fiddler Mack Magaha and soon-to-be-famous songwriter Dean Dillon. And she worked as a demo singer and songwriter for the famed Acuff-Rose publishing company.
During Morgan's stay at Acuff-Rose, the executives there asked her to do a guest appearance with pianist Floyd Cramer at a roast honoring publishing pioneer Wesley Rose. Although she sang only one song, she was promptly signed by Hickory Records, the Acuff-Rose in-house label.
Morgan's first two Hickory singles, "Two People in Love" and "Tell Me I'm Only Dreaming" charted in 1979, two years before she took to the road with Jones. These early records eventually won her a contract with MCA Records where, in 1984, she had a minor chart success with "Don't Be Changing." That same year, at 25, she became the youngest member of the Grand 'Ole Opry.
The urge to be on stage, she recalls, was among her earliest memories. "I never was pushed into the business. I loved performing, even as a child. I used to pretend I was one of the Beatles - I even had my mom give me a Beatle haircut. I used to charge my family when I was like 6 years old. I'd put on a Petula Clark record, the `Downtown' stuff, and my sister would have a flashlight and be on a chair. My whole family would come in, and my sister would say, `And now, ladies and gentlemen, Lorrie Morgan!' She'd put on the record ,and I'd come out with a perfume bottle for a microphone."
"Leave the Light On" is a meticulously crafted collection of songs that delves into love in all its moods. There is the abiding tenderness of the title cut and the chilling finality of "(It's Too Late) to Love Me Now." "Dear Me" expresses self-pity, while "Trainwreck of Emotion" rocks with resignation. Then there are the wistful envy of "Out of Your Shoes" and the bleak crumb-gathering of "I'll Take the Memories."
As viewers of her "Trainwreck of Emotion" video know, Morgan confronts her audience with a wisdom-soaked voice and fashion-model good looks. Morgan says she likes everything about the music business except her memories of the early, exhausting days traveling with George Jones' heavily booked troupe.
"It's something I'm glad I did, because it taught me a lot about what I do. George taught me so much about singing and performing. But it was kind of like school. I'm glad I went, but I'm glad it's behind me."
Morgan will perform two shows on July 7, at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $10.
by CNB