John Morgan

John Morgan Biography by Mark Deming Country artist John Morgan writes and sings songs that offer a workingman's take on small town life, love whether good or bad, and good-time Saturday nights. His melodies blend the cocky strut of vintage country-rock with the polish of contemporary Nashville sounds, an approach that served him well on early singles like "Coldest Beer in Town" and "Right in the Middle." In 2022, he enjoyed a breakthrough hit with "Friends Like That," a rollicking breakup song that appeared on his 2023 EP Remember Us? Macon John Morgan was born on August 8, 1995, in the small North Carolina town of Sylva. He grew up surrounded by music, and by the time he was ten years old, he was playing guitar and singing in his family's bluegrass band. Morgan traveled with the band around the country playing bluegrass festivals, but when he moved to electric guitar, he dropped out of the act to hone his skills as a songwriter and instrumentalist. For two years, Morgan worked a day job to support himself while he focused on his songs, making occasional trips to Nashville hoping to get his foot in the door of the music city's songwriting community. In 2019, he threw caution to the wind and moved to Nashville to be closer to the business, writing with other tunesmiths who made the grade. Through an Uber driver, Morgan was introduced to Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy, a pair of Nashville songwriters who had penned hits for Jason Aldean. Morgan was invited to a songwriting session with them, and the results were better than anyone had expected -- Morgan was credited as a co-writer of four songs on Aldean's 2021 album Macon, and another four on the 2022 companion LP Georgia, including the hits "If I Didn't Love You" and "Trouble with a Heartache." Having made his name as a songwriter, Morgan's next goal was to break through as a performer, and Aldean signed him to his Night Train Records label, releasing his first single in 2021, "Coldest Beer in Town." Aldean helped spread the word by bringing Morgan along as an opening act for his 2022 Rock 'n' Roll Cowboy Tour in 2022, and in March 2022, Morgan represented North Carolina on the music competition TV show American Song Contest, where he sang "Right in the Middle." Late in 2022, Morgan had a significant hit with the song "Friends Like That," which later appeared on the 2023 four-song EP Man of Few Words. It could also be found on another EP from Morgan, 2023's Remember Us?, whose title track was another success for the rising star.