May 21, 2025 • 18 mins
Join host Lynn Hoffman with country music singer-songwriter and US Army Veteran Craig Morgan. Craig delves into how he feels music has special powers of healing and he shares gratitude for his years of serving our country.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Music Saved Me as a writer. As an artist, we
must provide the lyric and the melody and the marriage
of those two in such a way that we create images.
And we do that from our own perspectives. But as
an artist and as a writer espace that I can
tell you, I try to write things that I think
(00:22):
that the majority of our fan base can in some
way attach themselves to something within that song.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm Len Hoffman, and welcome to another edition of our
Music Saved Me Podcasts, the podcast where we explore the
healing power of music.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
If you like this podcast, thank you, and please check
out our companion podcast, Taken a Walk, hosted by Buzznight,
which is available everywhere you get your podcast Now. Today
I am joined by a great singer songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee,
Craig Morgan.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
I get this.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Craig has a huge audience of fans reaching far and wide,
and over the years has earned two point five billion yes,
with a b billion streams of his music, over twenty
five songs on the Billboard charts, two hundred and fifty
appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, and on top of
all that, valiantly served our country as a seventeen year
(01:13):
veteran of the Army and Army Reserve, and recently Goosebumps
re enlisted as an Army Reserve soldier. Wow. I couldn't
even believe that when I heard it. And if you
think I'm done, no I'm not, because he's still busy.
In addition to his military and music career, he has
also found time to become a best selling author, a
noted outdoorsman, an actor, and TV personality. In fact, I
(01:36):
just saw him on a big morning show performing the
title track off his most recent EP called American Soundtrack,
which is now stuck in my head. I can't stop
singing it. Craig Morgan, welcome to Music Save Me. It
is a true honor to have you here on the
show today.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I'm honored to be here. Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I can't get that song out of my head. It
is so good. It is the soundtrack to my entire life.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh that's wonderful. That's what we all uh as songwriters
in particular, but as artists also, we strive to achieve
that that that thing where when you hear that song
once or twice, it's forever in your head or at
least part of it or something about it is in
your in your head.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's there American soundtrack. My husband's like, all right, enough,
how can I start off with asking you first? How
has music played a role in helping you navigate the
challenges that come across life? Sometimes?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Well, I would say primarily it's my livelihood. I mean,
so my you know, our our livelihood for me my
family has depended on me achieving and maintaining a certain
level of success in the business. Uh, for no other reason,
just for the financial standing. But I mean it's it's
(02:58):
opened up the doors. As you alluded to, some of
the other things that I've done. I don't think that
I would have been able to get into some of
the spots, acting and doing some of the things had
it not been for the music. So yeah, I mean
it's that's that's I would say, that's the primary I'm
not like a lot of folks. I will tell you this.
I truly appreciate, respect, love, and understand the impact music
(03:21):
has on people's lives. And I will tell you some
stories that I have been told about my music. But
for me, it's an occupation. It's what I do. That
doesn't mean that I don't enjoy playing. It doesn't mean
that I don't get something out of it. It doesn't
mean that I don't find it calming or sometimes or
(03:43):
sometimes the opposite. But but but for me, it is
an occupation. It's what I do. You know, It's again,
I truly respect and appreciate the impact. But for me,
it's I will tell you this, it ain't my therapy.
My therapy is that My therapy is a tractor or
(04:07):
being in the woods or you know, any place that
I can get a little closer to God. And the
music does that as well.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Sure does.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
There's moments in my music where I feel like I've
strengthened my relationship. But yeah, that's I mean, if that's
I don't know how you know, I'm always careful about
how I tend to be careful about how I wor
this because I would never want anyone, especially my fans,
to think that I don't appreciate what I've been blessed
(04:35):
with and in and around this music. But I can't
lie and say that it is my therapy, my personal therapy.
I have dear friends and they tell me that, you know,
that's their therapy is listening to music. I probably listen
to music less than any of my friends at all.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's interesting, but I understand it. My background is in music,
it's radio. But it's interesting how very rarely I listen
to the radio. Not saying that here, you know, but
it's when you're busy doing the work. You don't really
have time, do you.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
No, that's it. And when I am, when I do
have some time off, if I'm not writing that, which
is my only avenue outside of the entertainment world and
traveling and touring and all the other things that I'm
doing to maintain some sense of relevance in the business,
I'm doing something else and it's not It doesn't include
music very rarely. Even like when we go to Alaska
(05:31):
and we have our place and our business up there,
unless we have friends or a group that's there visiting
that's wanting to listen to music, we're not listening to music.
When I drive around in my car, I'm not listening
to music as a songwriter. There's two reasons. One, just because,
as you alluded to it said, it's what we do,
so I just don't do it when I'm not doing
it professionally. But two, I'm usually listening to podcasts and
(05:54):
stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Oh, really, tell me what podcasts have you been listening to.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I really enjoy Joe Rogan, theo Von. I also listen
to Catholic Answers Live. I love that program. It's one
of my favorites to listen to anything where people are thinking.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, what you're thinking. It's amazing because people really don't
talk about what they listen to for podcasts, and it's
interesting to find out, you know. And they also don't
go on each other's shows, which I think is crazy.
I think we should all be, you know, talking to
each other.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Absolutely, absolutely, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
It's funny right when we get on this zoom call
and I think there's a plane doing acrobats outside this studio.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I don't know if you can hear it or not.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's like zooming around in circles. Because you don't use music,
as you just said, as a form of therapy for yourself,
can you do you know what it is about the music?
Is it the writing or the arrangement of the words,
the words themselves, or the actual performance and being a
(07:01):
part of the entire thing. What do you think it
is about that that people can it can be therapeutic
for people listening. I mean, do you have any idea?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
I mean, I have my own perspectives, my own take
on it. I believe it's a combination of a lot
of things. But primarily what I've learned, and I think
what American Soundtrack, not the song, but this project in
general has shown me, is that it's not necessarily the
song as much as it is that moment in your
(07:33):
life when that song happens to.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Be playing interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
So you might be in a very low place in
your life and you hear a song and it lifts
you up. You will forever remember that moment because of
that song. And you will forever remember that song because
of that moment. So they married together. But there's no
question as a writer, as an artist, we must provide
(07:57):
the lyric and the melody and the marriage of those
two in such a way that we create images, and
we do that from our own perspectives. But as an
artist and as a writer especially, I can tell you
I try to write things that I think that the
majority of our fan base can in some way attach
themselves to something within that song. When you think about
(08:19):
Blue Collar Prayer, there's a line that says under her
Low's clothes, little Junior starting to show. I think that
every pregnant woman out there will relate to that line.
And I'm talking about a farmer in that song, I'm
talking about a soldier. I'm talking about different perspectives but
(08:42):
having the same thing of prayer. So that again, when writing,
I try to write towards and four the majority of
our listening audience. Because my wife and her family don't
buy my records.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
That is not surprising to me at all.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You know, you do what you do.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
She does what she does, and you know it's actually
probably better that way it is.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, I've been married to my wife now for thirty
oh gosh, thirty six years. Thirty seven great?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Oh did you hear it?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Thirty seven years? Yeah, and it met thirty seven years.
I bet she hasn't been to a dozen or more shows.
Just I mean, we have our life, and like I
said earlier, you know, music is my occupation. It's not
it's not who I am, it's what I do.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It's so true. You're right when I think about it.
My husband and I have been together almost thirty years
and he's never once come to a television taping or
he didn't never ever. We just actually had a conversation
about it recently. But there's something to that.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah, I'm trying to get her to go with me
on tour this weekend, just to spend the weekend with
me out on the road, mainly because I want her
to see the show that Blake and Trace and Dana
and I are doing. I want her to see that. Uh.
But but our livelihood is again, it's it's my livelihood.
It's not it's not who I am. It's a it
dictates and and and has impacted a large part of
(10:15):
who I am, but it's not it's not me as
a whole. Uh. And I don't know you know, again,
I can't speak on every artist behalf. I love music.
I love what it does. And like I said, I'll
tell you some stories about uh some stories I've been
told about what my songs have meant to people. And
I love that.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
That was my next question was, you know, what's the
reaction when you get that real you know, that affirmation
that what you wrote was connecting with your audience.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Uh. I'm gonna start with a story I was told
a long time ago. I had a soldier. We were
in Washington, state playing the State Fair that year. It's
a big state fair. Uh. And afterwards I decided I
had that I was releasing an album, so I decided
I was gonna do autographs appers. So I out there
to sign on. There's this huge line of people and
(11:02):
I thought, lord, man, I may never get through with this.
And over to the side there was a young man
amputee standing there and I said, hey, you can come
on up. You don't need to stand. He said, no,
I want to wait till the end. I got a story.
And I'm like, bro, this may be a while, and
he said, I don't mind. So we got him a
chure and he sat there four hours later. He sat
(11:23):
there for four hours to tell me this story. He said,
I just wanted you to know that your music saved
my life. I said, buddy, it ain't. It ain't me
or my music. That's that's God. But I'm grateful that
he used my music. And he said, well, I just
got to tell you the story. He said, I first
time I was in Iraq and I was driving down
the road and I was listening to a song that
(11:43):
you had written called Paradise. It was my very first
thing on country radio. He said, I didn't know who
you were. And this, you know, this was many years
after that song had been released, and someone gave him
the CD, I guess. He said. We were driving down
the road and the CD started skipping or something on
these little portable seed players. He said. He bent down
(12:03):
to try to fix it, and a sniper shot through
the window and missing. And I said, well, bro, that
definitely wasn't me. That was the God thing. And he said,
but that was the first time. He said the second time,
I was sitting at my house and he said, everything
had piled up and I was done, and he said,
I can remember having the pistol and I was gonna
put it in my mouth and a song came on
(12:24):
the radio called Almost Home. Uh, and he said, I
didn't do it. He said, twice your music saved my life.
I'll never forget that story as long as I live. Uh.
That's you know, and and it's I know that God
uses that and I'm grateful and I'm just I'm humbled
and to be a part of anything that God's doing.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Uh. And I tried to make it clear to that
young man that hey, that wasn't me, man, But I
am thankful for the story and and and it just
changed me.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
What was his reaction when you you know, with your response.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Oh, we both cried. I ain't gonna gonna be honest,
we both sat there and cried. You know, is what
it is.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
That's such a beautiful Why do you what do you
think it is that makes music such a powerful tool
for emotional healing?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Well, again, I think it's the combination and the marriage
of the melody and the lyric. Uh. There have been
a lot of studies in the music world and in
the medical world concerning music, UH, talking about how a
melody can influence the whatever in your brain that controls
(13:29):
your emotions.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Interesting.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Yeah, there's a lot of great I work with an organization.
I got a buddy that started works with a group
called Guitars for Vets UH, and it's just absolutely amazing
these guys that have PTSD or contemplating suicide or any
of these things, when they put a guitar in their
hand and they go through a full twelve week program
learn how to play and how when they get to
(13:53):
that spot where they're they're really contemplating, you know, doing
something that when they put a guitar in the hand
they're able to release that and it changes their energy.
It's just fascinating. Again. I think it's the combination of
the melody, the lyric, and again that point in their
life where something's happening and they either hear a song
(14:15):
or in the case of guitarists for events, they start
playing and making up something that does it. But ultimately,
I ultimately it's God and music is just one of
the many tools that I believe He uses.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
I couldn't agree more. What advice would you give to
someone who's looking to use music as a way to
cope with personal challenges?
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Oh, experiment, use it, listen, don't don't, don't look for
it to be a hello end all. Oh, everything's wonderful,
because here's the deal. Here's what I've learned too. H
life is is. We're full of suffering. It's gonna happen.
The Bible is very clear. So don't expect life to
be fun and grand and easy all the time. You can't.
You can't live that way because if you do, you're
(15:01):
constantly going to be disappointed and hurt and broken. But
knowing that there's light at the end and accepting that
a certain level of suffering will lead to healing, will
make it easier, and music can do that, music can
calm that. I do believe that.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Do you find in your conversations with other writers and
performers you know that they don't quite understand where you're
coming from in terms of that, because so many do
use music as a therapy for themselves, and it is
why they even started writing to begin with. I mean,
so there's so many different levels of creating music.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Oh, absolutely, I've had these conversations, Yes, for sure. I
know artists, and some of which are very close friends,
that literally say they don't know what they would do
in and with their life if they were not in
the music world. And I mean, I don't tell them
that that's sad, but I think it's a little sad,
(16:00):
I really do. I've talked to musicians that if they
I've had I've got a close friend that once told
me that if he couldn't play, he would probably kill himself.
And that just kills me. It broke my heart to
think that you realize so much on one thing that
your entire being, your entire presence, depends on that. Uh.
I think it's imperative. When I talk to soldiers who
(16:22):
are struggling. I tell them you need to diversify, keep busy,
maintain some sense of mental acuteness and and uh, you know,
I always hear this analogy. Physically, a body in motion
stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest.
The same applies to your physical, spiritual, uh, everything else
(16:42):
in your life. You have to you have to keep
it occupied. I'm not a big reader. My wife can
read two or three books a day, I mean, and
she reads every day, every morning, every evening. But but
I am a listener, uh, to to books, podcasts, different things.
So I'm always keeping my mind occupied. Be creative, whether
(17:03):
it be writing a song, whittling a spoon, do something
that causes your brain to think and be creative. And
music can do that too. When you're trying to write
a song, or trying to play a guitar or trying
to play a piano, your creative juices are flowing, and
I think that flows into your entire energy and even
(17:24):
into your spiritual life.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Some very wise words of wisdom from a man who
knows Craig Morgan, thank you sincerely for your service to
our country. I don't think many people have done what
you are doing and it's pretty amazing. And also thank
you for your tremendous gift of the music that you
continue to put out while you're doing all of these
other things. It's just amazing. And thank you for sharing
(17:48):
some of your story on Music Saved Me Is. It's
just been I could talk to you for another hour.
Your energy is so amazing, and I just want to
steal a little bit for the day, for myself and
for people listening. So maybe you'll come back.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I will for sure. It's an absolute honor.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Thank you, Oh my god, thank you, and have fun
with Blake and Trace and everybody on tour. This year
is going to be a big one for you.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Well, if we don't, you'll read about it.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
I'm sure I will.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I've almost fallen, like the first pre shows, almost felled
on the stage. I was tripping over everything. It was terrible.
Oh it's been awesome and funny at the same time.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Another reason to go Yeah, well, Craig's what happened.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Thank you so much. Thank you,
Music Saved Me as a writer. As an artist, we
must provide the lyric and the melody and the marriage
of those two in such a way that we create images.
And we do that from our own perspectives. But as
an artist and as a writer espace that I can
tell you, I try to write things that I think
(00:22):
that the majority of our fan base can in some
way attach themselves to something within that song.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm Len Hoffman, and welcome to another edition of our
Music Saved Me Podcasts, the podcast where we explore the
healing power of music.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
If you like this podcast, thank you, and please check
out our companion podcast, Taken a Walk, hosted by Buzznight,
which is available everywhere you get your podcast Now. Today
I am joined by a great singer songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee,
Craig Morgan.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
I get this.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Craig has a huge audience of fans reaching far and wide,
and over the years has earned two point five billion yes,
with a b billion streams of his music, over twenty
five songs on the Billboard charts, two hundred and fifty
appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, and on top of
all that, valiantly served our country as a seventeen year
(01:13):
veteran of the Army and Army Reserve, and recently Goosebumps
re enlisted as an Army Reserve soldier. Wow. I couldn't
even believe that when I heard it. And if you
think I'm done, no I'm not, because he's still busy.
In addition to his military and music career, he has
also found time to become a best selling author, a
noted outdoorsman, an actor, and TV personality. In fact, I
(01:36):
just saw him on a big morning show performing the
title track off his most recent EP called American Soundtrack,
which is now stuck in my head. I can't stop
singing it. Craig Morgan, welcome to Music Save Me. It
is a true honor to have you here on the
show today.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I'm honored to be here. Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I can't get that song out of my head. It
is so good. It is the soundtrack to my entire life.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh that's wonderful. That's what we all uh as songwriters
in particular, but as artists also, we strive to achieve
that that that thing where when you hear that song
once or twice, it's forever in your head or at
least part of it or something about it is in
your in your head.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
It's there American soundtrack. My husband's like, all right, enough,
how can I start off with asking you first? How
has music played a role in helping you navigate the
challenges that come across life? Sometimes?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Well, I would say primarily it's my livelihood. I mean,
so my you know, our our livelihood for me my
family has depended on me achieving and maintaining a certain
level of success in the business. Uh, for no other reason,
just for the financial standing. But I mean it's it's
(02:58):
opened up the doors. As you alluded to, some of
the other things that I've done. I don't think that
I would have been able to get into some of
the spots, acting and doing some of the things had
it not been for the music. So yeah, I mean
it's that's that's I would say, that's the primary I'm
not like a lot of folks. I will tell you this.
I truly appreciate, respect, love, and understand the impact music
(03:21):
has on people's lives. And I will tell you some
stories that I have been told about my music. But
for me, it's an occupation. It's what I do. That
doesn't mean that I don't enjoy playing. It doesn't mean
that I don't get something out of it. It doesn't
mean that I don't find it calming or sometimes or
(03:43):
sometimes the opposite. But but but for me, it is
an occupation. It's what I do. You know, It's again,
I truly respect and appreciate the impact. But for me,
it's I will tell you this, it ain't my therapy.
My therapy is that My therapy is a tractor or
(04:07):
being in the woods or you know, any place that
I can get a little closer to God. And the
music does that as well.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Sure does.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
There's moments in my music where I feel like I've
strengthened my relationship. But yeah, that's I mean, if that's
I don't know how you know, I'm always careful about
how I tend to be careful about how I wor
this because I would never want anyone, especially my fans,
to think that I don't appreciate what I've been blessed
(04:35):
with and in and around this music. But I can't
lie and say that it is my therapy, my personal therapy.
I have dear friends and they tell me that, you know,
that's their therapy is listening to music. I probably listen
to music less than any of my friends at all.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's interesting, but I understand it. My background is in music,
it's radio. But it's interesting how very rarely I listen
to the radio. Not saying that here, you know, but
it's when you're busy doing the work. You don't really
have time, do you.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
No, that's it. And when I am, when I do
have some time off, if I'm not writing that, which
is my only avenue outside of the entertainment world and
traveling and touring and all the other things that I'm
doing to maintain some sense of relevance in the business,
I'm doing something else and it's not It doesn't include
music very rarely. Even like when we go to Alaska
(05:31):
and we have our place and our business up there,
unless we have friends or a group that's there visiting
that's wanting to listen to music, we're not listening to music.
When I drive around in my car, I'm not listening
to music as a songwriter. There's two reasons. One, just because,
as you alluded to it said, it's what we do,
so I just don't do it when I'm not doing
it professionally. But two, I'm usually listening to podcasts and
(05:54):
stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Oh, really, tell me what podcasts have you been listening to.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I really enjoy Joe Rogan, theo Von. I also listen
to Catholic Answers Live. I love that program. It's one
of my favorites to listen to anything where people are thinking.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, what you're thinking. It's amazing because people really don't
talk about what they listen to for podcasts, and it's
interesting to find out, you know. And they also don't
go on each other's shows, which I think is crazy.
I think we should all be, you know, talking to
each other.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Absolutely, absolutely, you know.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
It's funny right when we get on this zoom call
and I think there's a plane doing acrobats outside this studio.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I don't know if you can hear it or not.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's like zooming around in circles. Because you don't use music,
as you just said, as a form of therapy for yourself,
can you do you know what it is about the music?
Is it the writing or the arrangement of the words,
the words themselves, or the actual performance and being a
(07:01):
part of the entire thing. What do you think it
is about that that people can it can be therapeutic
for people listening. I mean, do you have any idea?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
I mean, I have my own perspectives, my own take
on it. I believe it's a combination of a lot
of things. But primarily what I've learned, and I think
what American Soundtrack, not the song, but this project in
general has shown me, is that it's not necessarily the
song as much as it is that moment in your
(07:33):
life when that song happens to.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Be playing interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
So you might be in a very low place in
your life and you hear a song and it lifts
you up. You will forever remember that moment because of
that song. And you will forever remember that song because
of that moment. So they married together. But there's no
question as a writer, as an artist, we must provide
(07:57):
the lyric and the melody and the marriage of those
two in such a way that we create images, and
we do that from our own perspectives. But as an
artist and as a writer especially, I can tell you
I try to write things that I think that the
majority of our fan base can in some way attach
themselves to something within that song. When you think about
(08:19):
Blue Collar Prayer, there's a line that says under her
Low's clothes, little Junior starting to show. I think that
every pregnant woman out there will relate to that line.
And I'm talking about a farmer in that song, I'm
talking about a soldier. I'm talking about different perspectives but
(08:42):
having the same thing of prayer. So that again, when writing,
I try to write towards and four the majority of
our listening audience. Because my wife and her family don't
buy my records.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
That is not surprising to me at all.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You know, you do what you do.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
She does what she does, and you know it's actually
probably better that way it is.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, I've been married to my wife now for thirty
oh gosh, thirty six years. Thirty seven great?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Oh did you hear it?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Thirty seven years? Yeah, and it met thirty seven years.
I bet she hasn't been to a dozen or more shows.
Just I mean, we have our life, and like I
said earlier, you know, music is my occupation. It's not
it's not who I am, it's what I do.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It's so true. You're right when I think about it.
My husband and I have been together almost thirty years
and he's never once come to a television taping or
he didn't never ever. We just actually had a conversation
about it recently. But there's something to that.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah, I'm trying to get her to go with me
on tour this weekend, just to spend the weekend with
me out on the road, mainly because I want her
to see the show that Blake and Trace and Dana
and I are doing. I want her to see that. Uh.
But but our livelihood is again, it's it's my livelihood.
It's not it's not who I am. It's a it
dictates and and and has impacted a large part of
(10:15):
who I am, but it's not it's not me as
a whole. Uh. And I don't know you know, again,
I can't speak on every artist behalf. I love music.
I love what it does. And like I said, I'll
tell you some stories about uh some stories I've been
told about what my songs have meant to people. And
I love that.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
That was my next question was, you know, what's the
reaction when you get that real you know, that affirmation
that what you wrote was connecting with your audience.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Uh. I'm gonna start with a story I was told
a long time ago. I had a soldier. We were
in Washington, state playing the State Fair that year. It's
a big state fair. Uh. And afterwards I decided I
had that I was releasing an album, so I decided
I was gonna do autographs appers. So I out there
to sign on. There's this huge line of people and
(11:02):
I thought, lord, man, I may never get through with this.
And over to the side there was a young man
amputee standing there and I said, hey, you can come
on up. You don't need to stand. He said, no,
I want to wait till the end. I got a story.
And I'm like, bro, this may be a while, and
he said, I don't mind. So we got him a
chure and he sat there four hours later. He sat
(11:23):
there for four hours to tell me this story. He said,
I just wanted you to know that your music saved
my life. I said, buddy, it ain't. It ain't me
or my music. That's that's God. But I'm grateful that
he used my music. And he said, well, I just
got to tell you the story. He said, I first
time I was in Iraq and I was driving down
the road and I was listening to a song that
(11:43):
you had written called Paradise. It was my very first
thing on country radio. He said, I didn't know who
you were. And this, you know, this was many years
after that song had been released, and someone gave him
the CD, I guess. He said. We were driving down
the road and the CD started skipping or something on
these little portable seed players. He said. He bent down
(12:03):
to try to fix it, and a sniper shot through
the window and missing. And I said, well, bro, that
definitely wasn't me. That was the God thing. And he said,
but that was the first time. He said the second time,
I was sitting at my house and he said, everything
had piled up and I was done, and he said,
I can remember having the pistol and I was gonna
put it in my mouth and a song came on
(12:24):
the radio called Almost Home. Uh, and he said, I
didn't do it. He said, twice your music saved my life.
I'll never forget that story as long as I live. Uh.
That's you know, and and it's I know that God
uses that and I'm grateful and I'm just I'm humbled
and to be a part of anything that God's doing.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Uh. And I tried to make it clear to that
young man that hey, that wasn't me, man, But I
am thankful for the story and and and it just
changed me.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
What was his reaction when you you know, with your response.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Oh, we both cried. I ain't gonna gonna be honest,
we both sat there and cried. You know, is what
it is.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
That's such a beautiful Why do you what do you
think it is that makes music such a powerful tool
for emotional healing?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Well, again, I think it's the combination and the marriage
of the melody and the lyric. Uh. There have been
a lot of studies in the music world and in
the medical world concerning music, UH, talking about how a
melody can influence the whatever in your brain that controls
(13:29):
your emotions.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Interesting.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Yeah, there's a lot of great I work with an organization.
I got a buddy that started works with a group
called Guitars for Vets UH, and it's just absolutely amazing
these guys that have PTSD or contemplating suicide or any
of these things, when they put a guitar in their
hand and they go through a full twelve week program
learn how to play and how when they get to
(13:53):
that spot where they're they're really contemplating, you know, doing
something that when they put a guitar in the hand
they're able to release that and it changes their energy.
It's just fascinating. Again. I think it's the combination of
the melody, the lyric, and again that point in their
life where something's happening and they either hear a song
(14:15):
or in the case of guitarists for events, they start
playing and making up something that does it. But ultimately,
I ultimately it's God and music is just one of
the many tools that I believe He uses.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
I couldn't agree more. What advice would you give to
someone who's looking to use music as a way to
cope with personal challenges?
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Oh, experiment, use it, listen, don't don't, don't look for
it to be a hello end all. Oh, everything's wonderful,
because here's the deal. Here's what I've learned too. H
life is is. We're full of suffering. It's gonna happen.
The Bible is very clear. So don't expect life to
be fun and grand and easy all the time. You can't.
You can't live that way because if you do, you're
(15:01):
constantly going to be disappointed and hurt and broken. But
knowing that there's light at the end and accepting that
a certain level of suffering will lead to healing, will
make it easier, and music can do that, music can
calm that. I do believe that.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Do you find in your conversations with other writers and
performers you know that they don't quite understand where you're
coming from in terms of that, because so many do
use music as a therapy for themselves, and it is
why they even started writing to begin with. I mean,
so there's so many different levels of creating music.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Oh, absolutely, I've had these conversations, Yes, for sure. I
know artists, and some of which are very close friends,
that literally say they don't know what they would do
in and with their life if they were not in
the music world. And I mean, I don't tell them
that that's sad, but I think it's a little sad,
(16:00):
I really do. I've talked to musicians that if they
I've had I've got a close friend that once told
me that if he couldn't play, he would probably kill himself.
And that just kills me. It broke my heart to
think that you realize so much on one thing that
your entire being, your entire presence, depends on that. Uh.
I think it's imperative. When I talk to soldiers who
(16:22):
are struggling. I tell them you need to diversify, keep busy,
maintain some sense of mental acuteness and and uh, you know,
I always hear this analogy. Physically, a body in motion
stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest.
The same applies to your physical, spiritual, uh, everything else
(16:42):
in your life. You have to you have to keep
it occupied. I'm not a big reader. My wife can
read two or three books a day, I mean, and
she reads every day, every morning, every evening. But but
I am a listener, uh, to to books, podcasts, different things.
So I'm always keeping my mind occupied. Be creative, whether
(17:03):
it be writing a song, whittling a spoon, do something
that causes your brain to think and be creative. And
music can do that too. When you're trying to write
a song, or trying to play a guitar or trying
to play a piano, your creative juices are flowing, and
I think that flows into your entire energy and even
(17:24):
into your spiritual life.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Some very wise words of wisdom from a man who
knows Craig Morgan, thank you sincerely for your service to
our country. I don't think many people have done what
you are doing and it's pretty amazing. And also thank
you for your tremendous gift of the music that you
continue to put out while you're doing all of these
other things. It's just amazing. And thank you for sharing
(17:48):
some of your story on Music Saved Me Is. It's
just been I could talk to you for another hour.
Your energy is so amazing, and I just want to
steal a little bit for the day, for myself and
for people listening. So maybe you'll come back.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
I will for sure. It's an absolute honor.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Thank you, Oh my god, thank you, and have fun
with Blake and Trace and everybody on tour. This year
is going to be a big one for you.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Well, if we don't, you'll read about it.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
I'm sure I will.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I've almost fallen, like the first pre shows, almost felled
on the stage. I was tripping over everything. It was terrible.
Oh it's been awesome and funny at the same time.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Another reason to go Yeah, well, Craig's what happened.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Thank you so much. Thank you,
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