Lorrie Morgan, born Loretta Lynn Morgan on June 27, 1959, is the daughter of Grand Ole Opry legend, George Morgan. Morgan made her professional debut at 13 years old at the Opry with her rendition of “Paper Roses,” which received a standing ovation. When her father passed away in 1975, Lorrie took over his band for several years until the group came to a natural disbandment. In 1977, Morgan began to play with the Little Roy Wiggins Band, but began pursuing her passion for songwriting, juggling her writing sessions while working as a receptionist and demo singer at Acuff-Rose.
1978 marked the beginning of a streak of minor hit singles for Lorrie with the release of “Two People in Love” and “Tell Me I’m Only Dreaming.” In 1979, she scored another minor hit with a duet, “I’m Completely Satisfied,” featuring an posthumus recording from her late father, which was electronically overdubbed as a duo performance. The success of this single allowed her the momentum needed to begin touring Nashville nightclubs and opening for acts such as Jack Greene, Billy Thunderkloud, and Jeannie Seely. Lorrie also toured with George Jones, her duet partner, and spent two years as part of the Opryland USA bluegrass show as well as a guest singer on TNN’s “Nashville Now.”
Morgan hit the charts again with “Don’t Go Changing” in 1984, the same year that she became the youngest singer to ever join the Grand Ole Opry. In 1986, Lorrie married Keith Whitley. Two years later, she achieved her first top-20 hit, “Trainwreck of Emotion,” and gained great popularity and momentum with her follow-up hit, “Dear Me.”
Tragedy struck in 1989 with the sudden passing of her husband, Whitley, leaving her a single mother of two children.
“I have been a daughter, a bride, a mother, a divorcee, a widow, a single mother, a breadwinner and, ultimately, a survivor. In many ways, I am a living, breathing country song, and I know what I sing.”
Despite the heartbreak during that tragic time in her life, but she continued to work diligently and released her album, Leave the Light On, that same year. Once released, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA, and included her first ever No 1. single “Five Minutes,” along with other top-ten hits. Her 1991 follow-up album, Something in Red, which included the hit-single, “What Part of No,” went platinum.
Lorrie Morgan has been nominated for three Grammy nominations: Best Country Vocal Collaboration (1990, 1996), Best Female Country Vocal Performance (1992). She has also been nominated for CMA and ACM Awards. Additionally, Morgan was one of the few country artists to record with Frank Sinatra.
For more information, check out Lorrie Morgan’s Website at https://lorrie.com/pages/bio.
