Country music legend Lorrie Morgan is celebrating her 40th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member, and she's taking her scores of memorable songs and decades of memories on the road this year with a 40th anniversary tour. On Thursday, November 21 for one night only, Morgan will be in the New Orleans area to present a special concert at Metairie’s Jefferson Performing Arts Center (JPAC).
An intimate venue that seats around 1,000, JPAC makes the perfect place to experience why, after 40 years, this personable and conversational performer continues to fill venues large and small. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster, or by calling the JPA box office at (504) 885-2000.
Morgan is justifiably famous for her lustrous vocal phrasing and unforgettable storytelling. On records such as “A Picture of Me Without You" and "I Guess You Had to Be There," the ache is palpable. On tracks like "Watch Me," "What Part of No," "Five Minutes" and "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," she is feisty and sassy. She has kicked up her stiletto heels in fun on hits like "Except for Monday" and "Go Away." In her epic "Something in Red," Morgan comes across as an honest, struggling everywoman.
Lorrie Morgan has been a daughter, a bride, a mother, a divorcee, a widow, a single mother, a breadwinner and, ultimately, a survivor. In many ways, Lorrie is a living, breathing country song, and she knows of what she sings.
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Lorrie was only 13 when she first sang at the Grand Ole Opry.
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Now, she's celebrating 40 years as a Grand Ole Opry member.
A Nashville native who is the daughter of Country Music Hall of Fame member George Morgan, Morgan made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage at age 13, singing "Paper Roses." When Morgan was just 16 and beginning her musical career, her father died suddenly of a heart attack at age 51. Not long afterward, Lorrie began making her own records, and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry at just 24 years old.
Lorrie Morgan holds the distinction of being the first woman in country music to have begun her career with three consecutive Platinum albums. Her first three albums, Leave the Light On (1989), Something in Red (1991) and Watch Me (1992), each sold more than 1 million copies, thereby earning Platinum Record status. Morgan’s Greatest Hits collection (1999) also went Platinum. War Paint (1994), Greater Need (1996) and Shakin' Things Up (1997) all became Gold Records, racking up sales of more than 500,000 each. Country fans voted Lorrie Morgan their TNN/Music City News Female Vocalist of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
"Lorrie Morgan has been a daughter, a bride, a mother, a divorcee, a widow, a single mother, a breadwinner and, ultimately, a survivor. In many ways, she is a living, breathing country song, and she knows of what she sings.”
She is a peerless song interpreter, drawing from a deep personal well that runs the emotional gamut—from heartbreaking tenderness to cheeky boldness. Whether she’s covering a classic or debuting one of her own songs, Morgan is truly a song stylist in the grandest tradition.
"Where I am in my life right now, I'm not afraid to express what I feel," Morgan 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.”
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 from alcohol poisoning in 1989 left her a widowed, working mother. Their duet "Til a Tear Becomes a Rose" earned her a 1990 CMA award.
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.
On the outside, Lorrie is very lighthearted. Still, on the inside, she carries a lot of pain. Singing is her therapy, she has said.
"My dad used to say, 'You should never take yourself too seriously,' and I got my sense of humor from my dad. I love to have fun. I've reached the age where I feel that I deserve good company around me, people who can make me laugh, who love music and who love to have a good time.”
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this magical evening of heartfelt country music fun. Get your tickets now through Ticketmaster, or by calling the JPA box office at (504) 885-2000.
NOTE: Parking is free at the concert venue: Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70003. Visit www.jpas.org for directions and information.
