News• Slaid Cleaves- Austin artist has record a song that Mike wrote along with Slaid and Jeff Elliott titled "Hometown". It will be on Slaid's new CD, "Still Fightin' the War" on Music Road Records. The release date is June 2013. Check him out at www. saidcleaves.com.
• Had a great visit with old college friends from our time at Eastern Kentucky University this past weekend and played some music with them. It was great to get together with Barry Burkett, bluegrass singer, Gene Dobbs from the bluegrass group Diamond Head Mountain and Bruce Gilbert.
• Mike played an acoustic program with Allen Daugherty from the Red Brush band at the Spirited Goat Coffee Café in Yellow Springs, OH. Owner Michael Herrington "you guys were awesome-please come back".
• Visit to Memphis and St. Jude- Mike along with songwriter Jeff Elliott and actress Mymme Goode/See Memphis visited St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis in Nov. Songwriters have long supported the work of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "This is a place that treats kids from all over the world and treats them for free. It's not only a treatment center but it's also a research center. If people haven't been there or haven't visited, I hope they can take the time to visit. It is an amazing place and they are doing wonderful things in research. Go to www.stjude.org to learn more about how you can help.
• Mike has a new YouTube video channel. Check it out at www.youtube.com/mikemorganmusic.
• We recently played for the "Music in the Atrium" show at Grandview Heights Public Library. Mike performed an acoustic program and director Canaan Faulkner said" this was a great program and we hope to have Mike back sometime soon".
• We recently wrote a new song with Austin, TX Americana artist, Slaid Cleaves. The song is titled "Hometown USA". Slaid is one of the most compelling roots artists on the scene today in music. Check him out at www.Slaid.com Hometown is a good ole Texas ballad about two people chasing their dream and then coming home, meet each other and falling in love.
• Mike played a benefit on Feb. 5 for the Jackson Clothes Line and Food Pantry. Jason Hogue played bass for Mike on this show and is a premier bass player having worked with several name acts in the entertainment industry. . Also performing were Morgan Washam, The Black Diamonds, and The Presbyterian Church Praise Band. Mike says" it is a great pleasure to help out and I know they are doing very good things for the Jackson community.
• Mike appeared on Rodeo Roundup Radio with host Ron Penn on Sept. 16. Ron interviewed Mike on songwriting and discussed what was behind the technique of writing a good song as well as the story behind some of Mike's songs. They featured the song "To Old Too Cowboy" on the program. Rodeo Roundup is a cowboy/western music themed 1 hour program that currently airs weekly on 62 stations through the US.
• Mike was the featured speak at the Nashville Songwriters
Association Indy chapter where he discussed the current state of the music business and an approach to demos. Along with mike was Ron Penn from Rodeo Round up Radio. Ron gave an update on how radio stations choose songs.• Mike along with co-writer Jeff Elliott made a presentation to the Jackson Women's League in Jackson, May 7 sharing some of their secrets of songwriting and examples of their work.
• You need to check out Megan McKee's new CD Seek Ye First. Mike co-produced this project with Jeff Elliott. Megan is a flute instrumentalist and the CD features 18 hymns with varying musical arrangements. It is a very soothing and calming work of music. To purchase downloads or the CD go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/MeganMcKee.
• Check the Nov. /Dec. 2009 issue of "Over the Back Fence" magazine where you will find Mike's story "One Piece of Silver" as a featured article. This story is about a silver dollar his father received as a gift for his HS graduation and what that silver dollar meant for him and his family. To learn more, go to www.BackFenceMagazine.com
• On Sept. 19 Mike was the guest speaker for the Nashville Songwriters Association Indy chapter meeting held in Plainfield, Indiana. He also performed with a group of up and coming Indy chapter writers at the Chateau Thomas Winery. Those on the show with Mike included Amy Summers, Rene Longoria, Jared Christopher, Rhonda Thomas, Gary & Amy Antelept, Jody Fitzgibbon.• Mike recently played an acoustic program at Areopagatica Book Store in Columbus, Ohio. They feature a weekly music program and also have a poet society group. The store is a specialty store with rare and out of print books as well as some new. Mike said the sound was excellent and he met a lot of nice people and enjoyed being there.
• Shelby Lyn Rogers has recorded two of Mike's songs that he co-wrote with Jeff Elliott and Anthony Matrumalo. The songs are Half of Everything and Losing a Fortune and are included on the new CD "Music that Matters" produced by the Meldocial Hearts Foundation. The CD is available through their web site at www.melodicalhearts.org.
• Las Vegas artist, Linda Angeline has recorded "Let Me Be Your Reason" that Mike wrote with college friend Dave Howell and Linda. It will be on her new CD "Second Wind" to be releases in June 2009. Linda is an accomplished studio artist and has been called on by many Las Vegas acts to sing backup for them. She has performed on every major stage in Las Vegas. The CD will be available at lindaangeline.com.• Country Music artist Neville Anderson from Australia has recorded "The Tracks You Left on Me" written by Mike, Jeff Elliott and Ed Bruce. It is on his "Rambling Shoes" CD and is available through CD baby and his web site, nevilleanderson.com
• We lost a good friend and musician with the passing of Dwight Daugherty. I had the pleasure of working with him many times and he was one of the best acoustic players I've known. His first love was bluegrass music but he was very versatile and could play many different styles.
Dwight Anderson Daugherty, 52, died April 9 at his home in the Red Brush of Jackson County after a brief illness. His life revolved around his music and he played for many years with The Red Brush Band. Dwight was best known for his work with the stage adaptation of his grandfather's book, Out of the Redbrush for which he and his brother composed the score. More than his music, Dwight loved his family and friends and he embraced life with a passion that was uniquely Dwight.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Lorna, and his son, Pvt. Ry Anderson Daugherty, Fort Knox, Ky. Also surviving is his brother Allen who also worked with him in the Red Brush Band.
It was a pleasure to have known and played music with Dwight.
• Mike with friends Walt Cook and John Jones played in Jackson, Ohio with Stephen Salyers, a young up and coming Nashville artist on Jan 24 at the YMCA. This was to celebrate the birthday of Mrs. Bernadine Stockmeister. Mrs. Stockmeister is 90 and still kicking. She is such a nice lady and her family has been very generous to the city of Jackson, Ohio. There were about 800 people in attendance.
• Mike's song "Too Old To Cowboy" is on the new Chris MacArthur CD "Tuff Enough to Wear Pink". You can order at chrismacarthur.com. 15% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research.
• Mike performed at the Cowboy Poets evening in October at the Lillian Jones Museum in Jackson, Ohio. This is one of their annual fund raising events for the year. Also performing at the event were Beatrice Owen and Cowboy Poets, Paul Brown and Dean Armstrong.
• Stephen Salyers, Nashville Recording artist hosted a benefit songwriters' round at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky at the Paramount Arts Center on Oct. 24. The round format puts writers in the middle of the room, taking turns singing and playing their original work and telling stories. Four at a time, songwriters will sat in the round and each performed original songs, telling a bit about the inspiration for the song. The round setting originated at the Bluebird Café in Nashville and has become a popular format at many venues there and across the country.
Scheduled to join Salyers at the event are Rob McNurlin, Angie Fletcher, Steve and Carla Hunter, Mike Morgan, Dana Romanello and Jeff Ellis to make up two writer's rounds.
"This is a well-rounded, diverse group," Salyers said. "I couldn't be more excited."
The round benefits the Travis Hall Scholarship Foundation, which was established by Hall's brother, Bryan, after he was killed in a car accident in July 2007.
Salyers attended middle and high school with Travis Hall. The goal for the scholarship fund is to collect enough money to award $10,000 in scholarships by 2009.
Salyers said there is no particular goal for the round to raise, but he said he would love to raise $2,000.
• Mike's version of "Walker's Woods" was included on the CD "Music for the Markay". The CD was produced by the Southern Hills Arts Council to help raise funds for the renovation of the Markay Theater in Jackson. You can order the CD by contacting the center at art@shacmarkay.com or by calling 740-286-6355. The CD also includes songs written by Mike and co-writer Jeff Elliott; Back Then" by The Truants and "I Remember our Goodbye" performed by Jeff.
• Fred James from Bluesland Productions in Nashville has teamed Mike and Jeff Elliott up with blues singer/songwriter Bleu Jackson to do some co-writing. They have finished two songs, "Misery and Achin Blues" and "I Belong" and working on a few more. We are pleased to be working Bleu and enjoy his deep rooted blues soul music.
• The Southern Hills Arts Council held their annual fund raiser on Saturday, April 12th and Mike was one of the featured music performers. Also appearing was Morgan Washam and Susie Blanton. Proceeds from this even benefit the Markay Cultural arts Center in Jackson, Ohio.
• Mike and Dwight Daugherty from the Red Brush band played an acoustic evening at the Donkey Coffee and Espresso -Athens, Ohio to a packed crowd October 19. Mike says D-Wight is one of the best acoustic players around and we had a lot of fun working together. Watch for more.
• Mike and Ted Gilbert performed at the AAA South Central Ohio employee picnic on July 21 in Jackson, Ohio. They performed some old favorite's, blues songs and helped with a "name that tune" game for prizes to employees.
• On May 26, The Truants did a benefit to help the Jackson High School Alumni Association in Jackson, Ohio raise funds for the new football stadium. Mike is a graduate of JHS.
• Mike and co-writer Jeff Elliott performed at the CUMC Family Life Center in Jackson, Ohio for a benefit for the Life Center on April 29. Others who performed included Cathy McPherson, Contemporary Christian Group "Generations", Christ United Methodist Choir and Dave Samples.
• Mike and Co-writer Jeff Elliott just completed a writing session with Nashville songwriter John Foster. Their new song is called "You Better Not Cry" and blues artist Jennifer Dixon did the demo on their song.
• Mike performed with Steve Thieken and Jeannie Creamer of Home Remedy in Athens, Ohio at the Donkey Coffee and Espresso. March 30. This was an acoustic program.
• Mike performed in Jackson, Ohio Saturday (2/3) at a benefit fundraiser for the Food Pantry and Clothesline. Also appearing were Dave and Judy Johnson, Delver Richards and JoAnn Wood.
• Mona Golabek host of the popular radio show, The Romantic Hours featured a song lyric by Jeff Elliott and Mike on her show the week of Jan. 1, 2007. . She read the lyric to their song "I Wonder". To hear the excerpt click here. Mona's web site is romantichours.com. Mona Golabek, the creator and the voice of the Romantic Hours radio program, recordings, is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist.
• Mike and co-writer Jeff Elliott recently completed demo sessions on several songs working with Trent Jeffcoat, Tim Buppert, John Foster and Butch Baker. You can hear these songs and others by going to music and clicking on the song titles.
• Daryn Kagan former CNN News anchor featured Mike's story, "One Piece of Silver" on her web site darynkagan.com. The story is about his Dad and a gift he received; a silver dollar for his high school graduation. . Mike and Jeff Elliott are working on moving this story to song.
News last updated April 23, 2013
