Craig Morgan

The bread and butter of country singer Craig Morgan’s music is his laidback sentimentality and rural American values. He comes by the patriotism honestly—Morgan, a Tennessee native born in 1964, only pursued a career in country after 10 years of service in the United States Army. But his musical roots go back at least as far as his father, who was a professional bassist. In 2000, Morgan dropped his debut self-titled full-length, embracing old-school country sounds and even including an appearance from the iconic Merle Haggard on the wistful “I Wish I Could See Bakersfield.” In late 2002, he scored his first Billboard Hot Country Songs Top 10 with “Almost Home,” a cut in which an elderly homeless man takes a dreamy stroll down memory lane. And while some of Morgan’s greatest strengths are his poignant performances and lyrical vulnerability—on 2020’s “Soldier,” he invokes some gospel to pledge allegiance to a friend—he can also have a wicked good time. “International Harvester” brings the honky-tonk stomp as he spouts farming bona fides, and “Redneck Yacht Club” is all down-home fun in the sun. Lest you forget where his heart lies, the title track of God, Family, Country (2020) tells the story of a guy, not unlike Morgan, with three clear priorities.