Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 1, 1993 TAG: 9310010004
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Her Nashville roots run deep.
Morgan, 34, is the daughter of the late Grand Ole Opry star George Morgan, best-known for the 1949 million-seller, "Candy Kisses."
At 13, she made her own Opry debut under her father's tutelage, and spent the following three years touring with him.
When her father died in 1975, Morgan continued to pursue a music career. At 18, she performed at Opryland in Nashville, singing in a bluegrass show for two seasons.
At the same time, she continued touring small clubs and other gigs as a soloist, often playing with inadequate bands picked up on the fly.
Not a sure-fire path to stardom.
Morgan later worked for two years as a backup singer for George Jones. That proved to be a much better career move.
The exposure led to some minor recording success in 1985 and honors from the Academy of Country Music as best new female artist.
She also spent time as a demo singer and songwriter for Acuff-Rose, one of Nashville's biggest song publishing houses.
Her personal life also was connected to music. After a failed first marriage, Morgan married fellow country singer Keith Whitley, already an established Nashville name.
Morgan finally made her breakthrough in 1989 with the release of the album, "You Can Leave The Light On," which produced five Top 20 hits.
A duet she made with Whitley earned them the Country Music Association award for Vocal Event of the Year.
But her success was bittersweet. In 1989, Whitley died of alcohol poisoning at age 33. They had one son together. Morgan also has a daughter from her first marriage.
Losing Whitley didn't slow Morgan down.
Her second album, "Something in Red," released in 1991, fared even better than "You Can Leave The Light On."
The title track and a cover of George Jones' "A Picture of Me Without You," were two of the year's better releases and earned Morgan a CMA nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year.
On the concert circuit, Morgan labored as an opening act for Clint Black, Merle Haggard and Alabama, among others.
She started headlining this year after releasing her current album, "Watch Me." She will play the Salem Civic Center tonight.
In August, Morgan made her acting debut in "Proudheart," a one-hour special on cable's TNN about a woman who must rescue the family business after her father dies.
On a personal note, she has been linked romantically in recent months to Troy Aikman, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and the MVP of last season's Super Bowl.
by CNB