| Your latest album Dead Girl Walking was the final project produced by the late Richard Landis. What it was like working with him and how his passing impacted the completion of the album? I mean, I know how the title fits with the lyrics. But is there a story behind using the title Dead Girl Walking?
I was really moved by the title track, which was written by Kelly Lang. Some of my team thought the title was too negative or provocative, but it’s really the only title I wanted for the album. As for Richard, well, I almost can’t find the words. Richard was a friend and trusted producer. He was responsible for my career-making album, Something In Red, and he remained a friend for life. I loved working with him. Richard understood my sensibilities and my style. He never led me astray on a song or arrangement. His taste was impeccable. I will miss him always.
You mentioned that you’re unafraid to express your feelings, especially regarding your experiences as a woman in the music industry. How have these experiences shaped the themes and emotions in your new album? I always thought you were pretty outspoken, but was there a time you didn’t feel you could speak your mind? Can you point to an example? (Or a time you did speak your mind and it wasn’t appreciated!)
Oh, I’m sure there have been plenty of times that speaking my mind was not appreciated! When I was young and trying to be accepted or welcomed into the industry and being very aware that I was the daughter of a Grand Ole Opry icon, I was far more reticent to share my opinion. I am very intentional about choosing songs that I can really feel and deliver. I’ve been called a “song stylist” and I suppose that’s true. I want to take something — whether I wrote it or not — and put my own experience, perspective and emotion into singing that song. I’ve always appreciated authenticity and at this stage of my life, I want to be nothing less than genuine.
You say you can’t “co-write by appointment” and need to truly “feel” a song before performing it. Can you describe your creative process and how you connect emotionally with the music across different styles?
As we say often in Nashville, “it all begins with a song.” It’s so true. When I am writing, I have to just go with the inspiration when it hits. I might be on the bus after a show at 2 a.m., or in the bathtub at home, or walking around a shopping mall. Some idea or feeling or something I witness will spark an idea or trigger emotion, and I can’t do that by appointment. Co-writing is common in Nashville, and I admire the great writers who craft songs that are impactful and lasting. I’ve certainly done it, but writing by appointment is challenging for me.
Being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry at just 24 and making your debut there at 13 is remarkable. How has your long-standing relationship with the Opry influenced your career and artistic development?
Being an Opry member is probably the single most important career milestone of my life. I wanted to be a member so badly and I would pester Hal Durham (then the Opry GM) to make me a member. Early in my career, there were record-label executives and managers who urged me to distance myself from the Opry in order to be more commercial or hip or whatever, but the Opry felt like home. It is my home and Opry members have been my family since my Dad (Opry star, George Morgan) introduced me to the Opry as a kid. I loved watching him perform and seeing how he’d joke around with other stars and musicians backstage. He was beloved and being part of that was just so special. It remains special to this day. This year, I’m celebrating my 40th anniversary as an Opry member and I still get butterflies before I step into that sacred circle on the Opry stage.
You’ve lived through a wide range of life experiences—from being a widow and single mother to a successful artist and survivor. How do these personal journeys influence the stories you tell through your music today?
My life, experiences, relationships, ups and downs are all part of the fabric of who I am. I know how to deliver a song and I may not have experienced every lyric, but I know how to drill down into the layers of life that provide a foundation for telling that story.
You’re collaborating with Larry Gatlin on a new project. What can fans expect from this partnership, and how does co-writing with him differ from your previous songwriting experiences? And how does that relationship avoid “co-writing by appointment?” (I love that term; it’s such a vivid image.)
I love Larry! He’s a friend and someone I respect and admire. Larry is so intelligent and well-read. I swear the man remembers everything he’s ever read. Just go check out my podcast (War Paint with Lorrie Morgan) for Larry’s guest episode and you’ll hear his brilliance. He knows how to distill all of the things he knows into a well-crafted story. Co-writing with him is an education and a simple joy.
Over the years, you’ve collaborated with legends like Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, and The Beach Boys. What have been some of the most memorable moments from these collaborations, and what did you take away from them?
I’m so grateful for those opportunities and my biggest memory was … almost always … thinking, “Me? They want to sing with ME?! Somebody is pulling my leg!” The Sinatra project was such an honor. It was a dream come true. I did How Do You Keep The Music Playing for that duets album and it remains one of my favorite memories.
Dolly, I just love. Who doesn’t love Dolly? She is a professional always; such a brilliant business woman.
And the Beach Boys? Oh, my gosh, what fun. Those guys were so welcoming and gracious. Just a couple of years ago, the Beach Boys made their own Grand Ole Opry debut and I was on the show that night. We had such fun and once again, performed Don’t Worry Baby together.
Video: Beach Boys make their Opry debut, in part backing up Lorrie Morgan covering their Don’t Worry Baby.
With a career that started so young and includes multiple Platinum albums, how do you continue to find inspiration and keep your music fresh for both yourself and your fans?
Music is just part of me. It’s who I am. I really can’t imagine doing anything else or expressing myself in any other way. I think that we just learn more and experience more and that desire to connect and communicate remains constant but it’s colored by new perspective, which is part of keeping things fresh. My band is so great. I have a truly amazing group of talented musicians who tour with me, and together we tweak and update things and try to put a new twist on older hist or classic covers in the show. They keep me inspired and it translates into our live shows.
You’ve balanced a lighthearted public persona with personal pain, mentioning that singing is your therapy. How do you channel your emotions into your performances while maintaining that balance?
You know, it varies. In some ways, I compartmentalize the songs and the performance, separate from anything that may be going on in my offstage life. I think it would be gut-wrenching to fully live in your own paid or emotions all the time. I’m certain that everything I am and do is influenced by my own experiences, but I can also live a separate life through songs that may be painful, or fun, or lighthearted, and that is the therapy.
One of the many times, however, that the music was pretty direct therapy appears on the new album. There is a song called I Think You’re The Greatest about a dog’s relationship with his or her person. I had just lost one of my precious fur babies and I was heartbroken. I put it all into that song.
As a renowned song interpreter who isn’t confined to recording only your own songs, what do you look for in a song before deciding it’s the right fit for you to record? How do you define interpreting a song?
I’m very proud to have had more than 40 charting songs, but I don’t choose songs for radio. I try not to even think about that part of the business, although it’s great when radio programmers support a song. No doubt. Even when I was young and label execs and managers were keenly aware of what was commercial or could be a hit, I still had to feel something, had to connect with the song in some way. Because life is full of so many twists and turns and seasons, what I look for can change over time, but in general, it has feel authentic. It is almost always something in the lyrics, but now and then a song comes along that has a unique musical cadence or memorable melody and that can hook me, too!
To come full circle: After Dead Girl Walking, do you envision more albums? What brought about this album?
I’d been wanting to do a new album for a long time, and this one took a long time! We started working on the album before Covid, and we had so many stops and starts with Richard’s health and other issues that arose. I’m grateful to the team at Cleopatra Records for their belief in me and for their patience. I’m proud of how the record came out and our ability to complete the vision Richard and I had together. A prior album of mine, I Walk Alone, was really personal; all songs of my own writing. Dead Girl Walking is also an incredibly personal collection. I wanted it to be a reflection of who I am now, what I feel now. Richard understood that, and we made it happen. Fans have been so appreciative and kind, telling me how much they love this new record.
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Morgan is the first woman in her genre to begin her career with three consecutive Platinum albums. Her latest album Dead Girl Walking is out on Cleopatra Records.