Lorrie Morgan is undeniably one of the most eloquently emotive vocalists of modern times, and she’s celebrating a very special anniversary in 2024. Morgan, the first woman in her genre to begin her career with three consecutive platinum albums, announces the first leg of her Ruby Anniversary Tour, celebrating her upcoming 40th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member. Inducted on June 9, 1984, Lorrie was just 24 years old when she became a member of the legendary institution.
“I was one of the only members who hadn’t yet had a hit record,” Morgan says. “I grew up at the Opry, and my dad [Opry star, George Morgan] first introduced me when I was 13 years old. From that moment, I pestered Hal Durham, the GM of the Opry, to make me a member. I love the Opry; always have and always will. It is my home.”
The Opry will celebrate Morgan’s anniversary with a special event during her Friday, June 8th appearance. It is sure to be a memorable night of music.
Morgan is also set to release a new album this year. Dead Girl Walking will be available this spring via Cleopatra Records. The project marks the final producing credit by the legendary Richard Landis who passed away in 2023 before the album was completed. It promises to be yet another collection showcasing the rainbow of emotions, from darkest heartache to bright, shiny humor, that is the hallmark of Morgan’s range.
“Where I am in my life right now, I’m not afraid to express what I feel,” she says. “I’m not afraid to express my views on anything, especially on being a woman and my experiences in this business and in life.”
In addition to the project with Landis, Lorrie is excited to be co-writing another project in collaboration with pal, Larry Gatlin.
Additionally, Morgan is at work on a new memoir. Claiming that she’s “too old to care what anyone thinks anymore,” Lorrie promises a few surprises and maybe even a bombshell or two.
“I want to share who I am, Morgan says, “and maybe even a few cautionary tales for other women.”
The country star also shares that her husband, Randy White, has been undergoing cancer treatment.
Lorrie Morgan has been around great songs all her life. She is a Nashville native who is the daughter of Country Music Hall of Fame member George Morgan. She made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage at age 13, singing “Paper Roses.” Her father died suddenly of a heart attack at age 51. She was 16 at the time and just beginning her musical career. Lorrie Morgan began making records shortly thereafter and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry at 24 years old.
Morgan is known for her lustrous vocal phrasing and the down-to-earth believability of her torchy performances. On records such as “A Picture of Me Without You” and “I Guess You Had to Be There,” the ache is palpable. She is feisty and sassy on “Watch Me,” “What Part of No” “Five Minutes” and “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength.” She has kicked up her stiletto heels in fun on her hits “Except for Monday” and “Go Away.” In her epic “Something in Red” she is an honest, struggling everywoman. She is a peerless song interpreter and introspective songwriter, drawing from a deep personal well that spans enormous tenderness to cheeky hutzpah. Whether covering a classic or sharing one of her songs, Morgan is truly a song stylist in the grandest tradition.
Morgan married fellow country singer Keith Whitley in 1986. She was signed to RCA Records in 1987, and her onslaught of hits began the following year. Whitley’s tragic death of an alcohol overdose in 1989 left her a widowed working mother. Their duet “Til a Tear Becomes a Rose” earned her a 1990 CMA Award.
Her first three albums, 1989’s Leave the Light On, 1991’s Something in Red, and 1992’s Watch Me, all earned platinum record awards. Her 1999 Greatest Hits collection is also platinum. 1994’s War Paint, 1996’s Greater Need, and 1997’s Shakin’ Things Up are all gold record winners.
She sang “The Sad Cafe” on Common Threads: Songs of the Eagles, which was named the CMA Album of the Year in 1994. Country fans voted Lorrie Morgan their TNN/Music City News Female Vocalist of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Morgan maintained her recording pace in the new millennium, releasing collections in 2002, 2004, 2009, and 2010. In 2012 and 2013, Morgan starred and sparkled in the lavish Enchanted Christmas productions at the opulent Opryland Resort in Nashville. She took that show on the road in 2014.
Morgan has recorded in collaboration with her father, as well as Whitley, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Tammy Wynette, The Beach Boys, Dolly Parton, Andy Williams, the New World Philharmonic, and Pam Tillis. She has toured with George Jones and shared a stage with Jerry Lee Lewis, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall Fame along with Whitley.
“My children and I are thrilled to see Keith’s name added to the list of stars who’ve earned their place in the Country Music Hall of Fame,” she says. “It is a well-deserved honor, though Keith himself would’ve been painfully humbled. I am happy for his family and the many, many fans who continue to point to Keith as one of the all-time greats.”
In 2013, Morgan teamed with fellow Opry star Pam Tillis, daughter of Country Music Hall of Famer Mel Tillis. for the duet CD Dos Divas. The two hitmakers then embarked on a joint tour that sold out every appearance in its initial two-year run. The stars continue to perform their collaborative Grits & Glamour shows, as schedules allow. The women connected as working mothers, as businesswomen, and as second-generation performers. They share an understanding, and a finely honed, if occasionally bawdy, sense of humor.
