George Thomas Morgan (June 28, 1924 – July 7, 1975) was a mid-20th-century American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer. He is a member of the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...

and a former member of the Grand Ole Opry. He is best known for his 1949 hit single " Candy Kisses". He is the father of singer

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. Mor ...

, who is also a country music star.

Biography

Morgan was born to Zachariah "Zach" Morgan and Ethel Turner in

Waverly, Tennessee Waverly is a city in and the county seat of Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,297 at the 2020 census. History Waverly was established by Steven Pavatt as a stop along the stagecoach road between Nashville and Memph ...

, United States, but was raised in

Barberton, Ohio Barberton is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 26,550 at the 2010 census. Lying directly southwest of Akron, it is a suburb of the Akron metropolitan area. History Barberton was founded in 1891 by industrialist O. ...

. He was, along with a few other contemporaries (most notably

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' cou ...

and

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

), referred to as a " country crooner;" his singing style being more similar to that of

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

than that of

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...

. Morgan was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1948, and is best remembered for the Columbia Records song " Candy Kisses", which was a No. 1 hit on the '' Billboard'' country music chart for three weeks in 1949. He also had several hits based on a "rose" theme: " Room Full of Roses", "

Red Roses for a Blue Lady "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" is a 1948 popular song by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett (alias Roy Brodsky). It has been recorded by a number of performers. Actor-singer John Laurenz (1909–1958) was the first to record the song for Mercury Recor ...

", and "Red Roses From the Blue Side of Town". His version of "Almost" (1952), written by Vic McAlpin and Jack Toombs, was Morgan's second million selling record. In the early 1950s he hosted a 15-minute radio program syndicated nationally by RadiOzark Enterprises in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

. In 1974, Morgan was the last person to sing on the stage of the

Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (also known as Grand Ole Opry House and Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2,362-seat live-performance venue located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee. It is best known as the home of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' fr ...

, before the Grand Ole Opry moved to the new Grand Ole Opry House. A week later, he was the first to sing on stage at the venue.

Death

He died in 1975 of a heart attack after undergoing

open heart surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to c ...

, and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in

Madison, Tennessee Madison (originally Madison Station) is a former settlement, now a suburban neighborhood of northeast Nashville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is incorporated as part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The p ...

Personal life

His daughter, country music singer

, released two songs as duets with her late father dubbed in: "I'm Completely Satisfied" (1979) and "From This Moment On" (2006).

Discography

Albums

Singles

^A"Room Full of Roses" also peaked at No. 25 on the '' Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

References

External links

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

br>Morgan's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, George 1924 births 1975 deaths Country Music Hall of Fame inductees American country singer-songwriters People from Waverly, Tennessee American people of Welsh descent Grand Ole Opry members Columbia Records artists Starday Records artists Place of death missing Burials in Tennessee 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Tennessee People from Doylestown, Ohio Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Ohio Singer-songwriters from Ohio