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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 28 october 2019

After son's death, Craig Morgan finds God's purpose in song

By KRISTIN M. HALL he passed out, praying until the song.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — he thought he couldn't any- "I felt a push. I felt shoved to
The last evening that coun- more and realizing that one do this, and not by people.
try singer Craig Morgan day he'll be reunited with For me, it was God," Mor-
spent with his 19-year-old his son. Morgan stepped off gan said.
son, Jerry, was during one stage, physically and emo- The song lyrics are also
of Morgan's performances tionally exhausted from the a reference to Morgan's
at Grand Ole Opry three performance, and told his conversion to Roman Ca-
years ago. friend Ricky Skaggs, the tholicism, which his family,
"The last pictures I have bluegrass singer and Coun- including Jerry, had been
of us together is on that try Hall of Famer, that he going through at the time
stage," Morgan, 55, said didn't know if he could sing of his death. That faith and
backstage at the Opry that song again. religious education is some-
House this week. "So this is "Ricky told me, 'You have to thing he leaned on heavily
a very special place. It was sing this song for the rest of over the past three years.
anyway before, but now your life,'" Morgan recalled. This July 16, 2019 file photo shows Craig Morgan performing at "And I know I'll see my son
it has additional meaning, Morgan's first song in three "Luke Combs Joins the Grand Ole Opry Family" at Grand Ole again because I know his
knowing this is where we years has now been cham- Opry in Nashville, Tenn. faith," Morgan said.
hung out together." pioned by his peers at the Associated Press Morgan, who announced
His son, Jerry, who was Opry and the larger musi- in September a new record
home visiting from college, cal community. His friend Daly and more joined Shel- texts from everyone." deal with Broken Bow Re-
died in a drowning acci- and fellow Opry member, ton's impromptu social me- Morgan, an Army veteran cords, said that the song
dent on Kentucky Lake in Blake Shelton, spent sev- dia campaign. The song hit whose had hits like "That's has given him a purpose
July 2016. Three years later, eral days tweeting about No. 3 on Billboard's country What I Love About Sunday" to help comfort others, es-
Morgan, who wasn't signed the song and urging his 20 digital song sales without and "Redneck Yacht Club," pecially people who have
to a label at the time, came million Twitter followers to the help of a label or radio said that since releasing lost a child, and that was
back to the Opry this past download the song from play. the song, he's been read- always God's plan.
summer to sing a song he iTunes and push it up the "I didn't even know what ing the hundreds of mes- "You know, the thing is, I
wrote about his son called charts. was happening," said Mor- sages sent daily to him by would much rather none of
"The Father, My Son, and Soon other celebrities like gan. "I was in Alaska and fans who identify with the this stuff happen and him
The Holy Ghost." Kelly Clarkson, Ellen DeGe- had no idea what was go- grief and pain, but also the to be able to be here," Mor-
He sang about crying until neres, Luke Combs, Carson ing on until I started getting hope that he described in gan said. q