'God, Family, Country;" Craig Morgan shares his love of each
Oct. 14—ASHLAND — Craig Morgan makes no secret of his devotion to the military.
His current 13-city tour, called "God, Family, Country," which will come to the Paramount Arts Center on Oct. 22, is a revival of a previous tour with new music and a different opening act.
The 59-year-old Tennessee native's album release of the same name also is the name of a book about his experiences in the Army, with alongside the CIA in Panama and fighting sex traffickers as an undercover agent in Thailand. He served 17 years in the Army as an E-6 Staff Sergeant and Fire Support Specialist.
"That was a big part of my life and still is a big part of my life," Morgan said. "I know fans know quite a bit about the music. I've been doing interviews for 20 years, but I never really wrote about it in detail like that. There are things in the book that, at the time, I wasn't at liberty to discuss and it was good to be able to talk about that."
Morgan surprised his audience at the Grand Ole Opry in July, when he was sworn into the U.S. Army Reserve live on stage. But even as a staff sergeant and warrant officer candidate, he said he will continue to pursue his musical career.
"A lot of people don't know, but in the reserves you serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year (in training)," he said. "I'm in an occupation that I can afford to leave at certain times. I can work my schedule around it and the reserves will work with you and let you make up for a weekend you have to miss on a Monday or Tuesday." He said he will be working with the U.S. Army Band and recruiting.
Morgan, a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2008, is known for hits such as "This Ole Boy," "Almost Home," "Redneck Yacht Club," "That's What I Love About Sunday," "Little Bit of Life," "International Harvester" and "Bonfire." He's charted 25 Billboard songs and has had more than 2 billion career streams.
But he finds time to act as an ambassador for Operation Finally Home, helping create awareness for its mission to provide mortgage-free, custom-built homes and home modifications to veterans, first responders and their families. The Texas-based group has been involved in more than 380 projects in more than 30 states since 2005. Morgan said he met the founder at a show.
"I loved what they do," he said. "They literally incorporate the local community with the veteran. The community is part of that family and the family is part of the community."
He said work is done by local businesses and organizations, saving the organization money.
"They have a physical and personal investment and the veterans know that and they appreciate that, and they want to give back as well," he said.
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