Mike Morgan (musician)
Encyclopedia
Mike Morgan is an American
Texas
and electric blues
musician. He has released thirteen album
s to date, on various record label
s including Rounder
, Black Top
and Severn Records
. The majority of his releases have featured his long standing backing band, The Crawl. Morgan has played alongside Darrell Nulisch
, Lee McBee
, Gary Primich
, and Randy McAllister
.
. He received his first guitar at an early age, and initially concentrated on playing rock music
. In 1985 he converted to blues and blues-rock
, before relocating back to Dallas in 1986. There he met Darrell Nulisch
, who both were founding members of The Crawl. The group
was named for a Lonnie Brooks
song.
Mike Morgan and the Crawl earned a reputation playing around Dallas and the Fort Worth
area, before Nulisch left them in 1989, to be replaced by the singer and harmonica
player, Lee McBee
. Following a performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
, their debut 1990 album
, Raw & Ready, saw them undertake national and international tours. Further albums including Full Moon Over Dallas, and Ain't Worried No More ensued, before Morgan recorded without his backing group on Let The Dogs Run (1994) with Jim Suhler. In 1994 Mike Morgan and the Crawl appeared on the bill at the Notodden Blues Festival
. Later group releases included their Black Top swansong, I Like the Way You Work It, but at the end of the 1990s McBee left the band. Buoyed by the experience of playing behind Nulisch, Keith Dunn
, and Chris Whynaught, 2000's Texas Man saw Morgan's vocalist debut. Live in Dallas (2004) followed before Morgan's latest effort, Stronger Every Day, released in March 2008, included further accompaniment from McBee and Randy McAllister
.
Recent activity has seen a reduction in touring, and Morgan working as a sales manager in a Mesquite, Texas
, motorcycle
dealership
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Texas
Texas blues
Texas blues is a subgenre of blues. It has had various style variations but typically has been played with more swing than other blues styles....
and electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
musician. He has released thirteen album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s to date, on various record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s including Rounder
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
, Black Top
Black Top Records
Black Top Records was a New Orleans, Louisiana based independent record label founded in 1981 by brothers Nauman S. Scott, III and Hammond Scott. The label specialized in blues and R&B music. The first release was "Talk To You By Hand" by Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets...
and Severn Records
Severn Records
Severn Records is an American independent record label that concentrates on blues music. Since its founding in 1998, Severn has issued more than 50 albums. Its motto is "Roots Music for the 21st Century".-History:...
. The majority of his releases have featured his long standing backing band, The Crawl. Morgan has played alongside Darrell Nulisch
Darrell Nulisch
Darrell Nulisch is an American electric blues singer and harmonica player. Prior to his solo career, he was a member of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets and The Broadcasters...
, Lee McBee
Lee McBee
Lee McBee is an American electric blues musician, singer and harmonica player.Though he is primarily a regional blues act in the midwest, McBee gained national attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his work with Mike Morgan and the Crawl and for his band the Passions...
, Gary Primich
Gary Primich
Gary Primich was an American blues harmonica player, singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for his 1995 album, Mr. Freeze.-Biography:...
, and Randy McAllister
Randy McAllister
A Grammy nominee in 2002 for "Givers and Takers", Randy McAllister is a Texas singer and songwriter with over 100 original compositions recorded on eight albums. His most recent release was entitled "Dope Slap Soup". He has toured the United States and Europe.-External links:*...
.
Biography
Morgan was born in Dallas, but grew up in Hillsboro, TexasHillsboro, Texas
Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County in Central Texas. The population was 8,232 at the 2000 census.Hillsboro, located on Interstate 35 where I-35E and I-35W meet south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is the primary center for trade and commerce in Hill County...
. He received his first guitar at an early age, and initially concentrated on playing rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. In 1985 he converted to blues and blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
, before relocating back to Dallas in 1986. There he met Darrell Nulisch
Darrell Nulisch
Darrell Nulisch is an American electric blues singer and harmonica player. Prior to his solo career, he was a member of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets and The Broadcasters...
, who both were founding members of The Crawl. The group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
was named for a Lonnie Brooks
Lonnie Brooks
Lonnie Brooks is an American blues singer and guitarist. He was born in Dubuisson, Louisiana, United States...
song.
Mike Morgan and the Crawl earned a reputation playing around Dallas and the Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
area, before Nulisch left them in 1989, to be replaced by the singer and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
player, Lee McBee
Lee McBee
Lee McBee is an American electric blues musician, singer and harmonica player.Though he is primarily a regional blues act in the midwest, McBee gained national attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his work with Mike Morgan and the Crawl and for his band the Passions...
. Following a performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
, their debut 1990 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Raw & Ready, saw them undertake national and international tours. Further albums including Full Moon Over Dallas, and Ain't Worried No More ensued, before Morgan recorded without his backing group on Let The Dogs Run (1994) with Jim Suhler. In 1994 Mike Morgan and the Crawl appeared on the bill at the Notodden Blues Festival
Notodden Blues Festival
Notodden Blues Festival is one of the largest blues music festivals in Europe and the largest in Scandinavia. The festival is held in Notodden, Norway, usually in early August.-History:...
. Later group releases included their Black Top swansong, I Like the Way You Work It, but at the end of the 1990s McBee left the band. Buoyed by the experience of playing behind Nulisch, Keith Dunn
Keith Dunn
Keith Dunn is a harmonica player, singer, producer and songwriter. He was born in Boston and has been playing blues music for over 30 years. He is the founder of record label DeeTone Records.-Biography:...
, and Chris Whynaught, 2000's Texas Man saw Morgan's vocalist debut. Live in Dallas (2004) followed before Morgan's latest effort, Stronger Every Day, released in March 2008, included further accompaniment from McBee and Randy McAllister
Randy McAllister
A Grammy nominee in 2002 for "Givers and Takers", Randy McAllister is a Texas singer and songwriter with over 100 original compositions recorded on eight albums. His most recent release was entitled "Dope Slap Soup". He has toured the United States and Europe.-External links:*...
.
Recent activity has seen a reduction in touring, and Morgan working as a sales manager in a Mesquite, Texas
Mesquite, Texas
Mesquite is a city located within the Dallas/Ft.Worth area of Texas. As of the 2010 US Census, the population was 139,824.-History:The city was founded May 22, 1873, by a Texas & Pacific Railway engineer who purchased land along the Texas & Pacific line outside of Dallas...
, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
.
Discography
- Raw & Ready (1990) - Black TopBlack Top RecordsBlack Top Records was a New Orleans, Louisiana based independent record label founded in 1981 by brothers Nauman S. Scott, III and Hammond Scott. The label specialized in blues and R&B music. The first release was "Talk To You By Hand" by Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets...
- Mighty Fine Dancin (1991) - RounderRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
- Full Moon over Dallas (1992) - Black Top
- Ain't Worried No More (1994) - Black Top
- Let the Dogs Run (1994) - Black Top
- Looky Here! (1996) - Black Top
- Lowdown & Evil (1997) - Zensor
- The Road (1998) - Black Top
- I Like the Way You Work It (1999) - Black Top
- Texas Man (2000) - Severn Records
- Live in Dallas (2004) - Severn Records
- Free Ourselves (2005) - Mike Morgan
- Stronger Every Day (2008) - Severn RecordsSevern RecordsSevern Records is an American independent record label that concentrates on blues music. Since its founding in 1998, Severn has issued more than 50 albums. Its motto is "Roots Music for the 21st Century".-History:...