Brad Morgan joins us to discuss his evocative musical journey from the heartlands of Iowa to the bustling city of Nashville. Raised on the values of hard work and community, Brad's story is a testament to the dreams held by many small-town musicians aiming for bigger stages. We unravel his early inspirations, his transition from aspiring football player to musician, and the significant role his family and local community played in fostering his talent. In our conversation, Brad reflects on his initial steps into the Nashville scene, highlighting both the excitement and the learning curve he encountered. He shares insights on his songwriting process, focusing on the importance of authenticity and the joy of creative collaboration. Discover how Brad's Midwest upbringing continues to shape his artistry, influencing the themes and messages in his songs. Join us for an engaging discussion filled with personal anecdotes, industry insights, and a closer look at the passion driving Brad’s musical endeavors.
Welcome back. Must Know People. It's John Ryan with you today. A special guest that we've been trying to cook up with for about the last couple of months, but his schedule is a little bit crazy. You know him. He's been around the area a lot. Brad Morgan from Manning. Brad, thanks so much for doing this. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. I'm excited for it. Absolutely. You're a busy guy. Man, you've been all over the area. Record this on a Tuesday afternoon. And by the way, we're recording out of Graham Park because it's like a gorgeous day. It's a beautiful day. So we had to take advantage of that. But you're playing around the area coming up the next couple of nights, and you're going to be around pretty much most of the summer, right?
Yeah. I'm in Charles City, Iowa tomorrow night. And it ought to have been Iowa Thursday night and then Holstein, Iowa on Friday night. And then all summer, just kind of around Iowa, around the Midwest.
It's the crazy season, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, definitely. It's the fun time of year for you, I assume.
I mean, to compare to farming around here, this is like the harvest season here. You got to go, go, go and get it while it's hot.
Yeah, absolutely. So speaking of that, you grew up in Manning. So let's kind of dive in right there and start with where you grew up. Shockingly, there's not a lot of information on you online about your background. It just says you grew up on a farm near Manning. So give me the background. Put some color in there.
Yeah. So I grew up right between Manning and Templeton on a farm, you know, went to Manning or I came Manning now. But you were a Bulldog. I was a Bulldog, and then my junior year was the first year of the Wolves. Okay. So I got a little bit of both there. But, yeah, I was, you know, band, choir, some sports, stuff like that. And, yeah, I mean, grew up pretty normal. Just loved music and started playing guitar junior high or high school and singing. And by the end of high school, I was out playing anything I could play, you know, birthday parties, bonfires, whatever. probably some bars I had to, uh, about my age to get into play and stuff like that. So yeah, I mean, Manning and Carroll County in itself, or, you know, I were sitting here in Graham park. One of my first shows with my high school garage band was right over here at the band show. So very cool. Uh, Carroll County and Manning, uh, you know, I feel like had a big part in shaping me and who I am.
You must've took to the guitar like right away. If you were confident enough to play shows that early.
Yeah. It was one of those things where, uh, I mean, fifth, sixth grade, I was like, well, I'm going to be a pro football player. I think that's, that's what I'm going to do. You know, it's easy. You know, you just get to play football all day and then, uh, you know, get a guitar for Christmas and it's like, Oh no, this, this is what I'm going to do now. You know? And it's Turned out to be a good decision because I was about 135 pounds in high school and not as good at football as I wanted to be. But yeah, it was one of those things where the guitar just felt right and singing was something I'd always done. And it was one of the only things where I'd do something and everyone was like, hey, that's not bad.
Were you self-taught?
Yeah. Really? I took a couple lessons here in Carroll from Brian Lenz after I'd kind of self-taught a little bit. And then we did a few lessons throughout my sophomore year of high school that summer. But other than that, yeah, mostly all self-taught.
You had to have a little more music in the background, too. I think I said your uncles or something had – Musically inclined, I guess.
Yeah, I had an uncle who, and he still plays, but he played country music. I have an older brother who played classic rock. So growing up, you know, I'd go to their performances and it was exciting. You know, it was like, wow, this is awesome. And you always kind of like learn from them, watch them, what they did and stuff. What was the first song you learned? Um... Ooh... I'm trying to think here. I mean, it's probably like smoke on the water, like guitar smoke on the water. The first one I could sing and play, that was probably like a Johnny Cash song or something. Maybe Folsom Prison Blues. It's hard to think back. That's been a while. Yeah. Was it your first band, a country band? No. I mean, we sang ACDC in Boston. Yeah, yeah. Tell me you were the lead singer. I was. Yeah, my voice was a little different back then, but...
Singing ACDC at junior high. Yep. Gotta love that. So whatever happened to those guys? You ever stay in touch with them? Yeah, they're still around here.
They're all good dudes. And yeah, I still keep in touch with a few of them.
So at what point did you say, I want to do this for a living? Was that like a show that you had and went, oh man, I am addicted to this?
Well, I think just... Playing guitar and stuff, learning guitar, that was like a moment where even before I could play guitar, I would sing and stuff. And I knew there was something about it that clicked with me. Definitely, I remember a junior high careers class we had, and you had to pick a career or whatever, and I picked entertainer. And I had this little cutout board with Kenny Chesney and ACDC and all these bands. And like, oh, yeah, that's not on our list of careers. And I was so disappointed. I was like, well, but that's what I want to do. But it was early on. It was early when I started picking around the guitar and singing that I realized that, yeah, this is it. nashville when did that come in the scene were you like even in junior high like i mean if you're going to be in music that's kind of the place to be right yeah i mean it's one of the places to be in this day and age not so much with the internet and you can pretty much be anywhere and do music but back back in that time yeah you if you wanted to do anything greater than playing in a bar it was like okay move to nashville or la or new york or whatever and uh So I remember probably like junior high-ish, I was like, oh, I'm going to move to Nashville. And it was just something I said, you know, it was like, and just kind of gauge people and everyone's like, oh, are you sure? That's a long ways. And it wasn't until I started playing all these, you know, opening acts for bigger artists that were like, man, move to Nashville. You need to move to Nashville. And, There was one in particular, Chris Kegel. I remember he pulled me aside. We opened for him, and he was like, hey, you know, you've been opening for us a lot around here. You know, you need to spread your wings a little bit. Like, you know, go down there, work your butt off, and, you know, that's what it takes. And that was kind of the first moment that put that seed in my mind that, yeah, maybe I do. And about a year later, I saved up money and made the decision to go down.
Coming from Iowa, did that have any advantage for you growing up in the Midwest? I don't know. Does it does it pay off when you get somewhere else?
I think so. I mean, I think there's a certain set of values around here, you know, the work ethic and just respect for people. And and I mean, I'm not saying that nobody else anywhere in the world or country has those values. But, you know, it was definitely ingrained in me at a young age here. I think that's helped a lot. Just, you know. maintaining good relationships and doing what you say you'll do and working hard.
You know, mom and dad probably had to be on board with you going to Nashville that early.
A little bit. I mean, I was out of college at that. I was probably 20, 21 years, 22 years old. So you were not straight out of high school going, mom, dad, I'm packing up the car and I'm leaving. I think they were still kind of like, oh, are you sure? Are you sure? But I mean, it's great now. They love coming down and visiting and Get down there a few times a year.
Got a free place to stay now. Yeah, that's right. So what was the first place in Nashville? I mean, I'm assuming probably pretty modest.
Yeah. Well, actually, I had a friend who, well, a friend who had a friend who was like, hey, I got this guy. He lives right along Old Hickory Lake in this huge house. He doesn't really like, he's not looking for a roommate, but he would need, he'd take one temporarily. And so I reached out to him. He was actually a Martina McBride's merch guy. And we met up when I went down there just to check things out. We hit it off. And so the first six months I lived with him and lived right along this lake. And it was about the most, you know, everyone talks about a cruddy apartment or whatever. And here I am like in a lake house. It was kind of a downgrade to move into my actual house that I ended up living in.
So, yeah. Tell me about those first few experiences in Nashville. Was it eye-opening for you right away? Or was it like, I'm going to take a little while to get settled in?
It was definitely like I went down there with the mindset of I'm going to learn, you know, I'm not going to, I'm probably, it's kind of funny to look back on because I'm like, it's not going to happen in a year or two. You know, I'm not going to get a record deal in a year or two, which is funny because here we are 11 years later. But I did, you know, the first few weeks down there, you know, it was kind of just like going around and hearing from songwriters and meeting with producers and, you know, just soaking it in, I guess, and other performers and entertainers and hearing their stories and, Oh yeah, I've been playing here for five years. Here's what you got to do to get booked here. And other people, Oh, don't play that place or whatever. And then like, Oh yeah, you should be songwriting, right? This many songs. And it was just kind of like, Whoa, you know, overwhelming. Yeah. And, uh, I remember, uh, My roommate at the time took me to meet Mark Hively, who was Martina McBride's tour manager. And, you know, I played at a little party at his house and we started working together. He was managing me and everything. We went around to some record labels all within like the first four months of living down there. So things were happening fast. They were, and maybe a little too fast for me. You know, I didn't understand the business. I didn't understand, you know, it was just kind of all over my head. I was shy. I didn't know how to talk to, you know, I was very quiet and reserved. And I think at that point in time is probably the wrong time. And maybe that's a good thing. Who knows? But, you know, he was taking me around and meeting and, you know, publishers and labels and stuff like that. It all just happened so fast.
A lot goes into that. So what did you learn that you needed to get better at?
Well, I think it was more just, you know, being myself. I think, you know, you went into those things and you're like, well, I need to be like Jason Aldean or I need to be like Luke Bryan. And then you realize there's already a Jason Aldean. There's already a Luke Bryan. They're not looking. Nobody's looking for that. And, you know, I think it all kind of ended up being a blessing, too, because in this day and age, you can have your own career. You don't need a label or a booking agency anymore. It can help, you know, but at this point, I get to make my own schedule, release the music I want to release, and so I look at it as a blessing in a sense.
You put a lot of stock in yourself at that point because you're one guy. You're a singer. You're a songwriter. You better have your own material because probably nobody's writing for you, right?
Yeah. I mean, you could find some songwriters and cut some of their music, but for me personally, I liked... I've always liked when an artist writes the song and releases it and not saying that anybody's wrong for doing it the other way. In fact, my song plan B is for beer was written by my producer. And at the time I was like, that's a great, that's a fun song. So, you know, but I've always kind of taken pride in writing or co-writing my own material.
Plan B is for beer. Plan C is for cold beer. Plan B is for damn cold beer. Plan E is for everybody here. So things didn't go your way. No worries, everything's going to be okay. You'll forget all about Plan A. Plan B is for beer.
Who do you think out there is a great writer, somebody you look up to?
Oh, there's so many.
Would it be people that we know or is it people behind the scenes?
Well, there's a lot of people behind the scenes. It's hard to say because I like different songwriters for different reasons. You know, there's some people that just rip your heart out. There's some people that... They can just come up with a fun kind of, you know, nifty line that turns into a fun, quirky song or whatever. And then you'll bring an idea to the table with some hit songwriter and they'll take that idea and just blow it up, expand it, you know, and make it even better. For example, I used to write with Gerald Smith, who his biggest hit was probably What Part of No Don't You Understand by Laurie Morgan. He had cuts from George Strait and George Jones and you name it. Colin Ray. And I used to write with him pretty frequently and You know, I learned a lot from him, learned a lot from my producer who he plays for Martina McBride now, but used to play for Clay Walker. And so he was, you know, very ingrained in all the songwriting process in Nashville and how it all worked. And so I learned a lot from people like that who you think you're on to something and they can take it and make it even better.
Your first songs that you wrote, I mean, take a look at them now, and you're probably thinking, okay, I had a long way to go there, but how do you even start to write a song? If somebody's out there listening right now going, man, I'd love to do something like that, how do you even begin?
You got to just do it. I mean, you just got to start at some point. I mean, there's definitely songwriting is one of those subjective things. It's artwork. So it's, there's no wrong way of doing it. Now there, there's a right way for commercial purposes, you know, in the Nashville, the Nashville way or whatever. Nashville sound. Yeah. Yeah. There's, there's a, definitely a process there. But I mean, if you're just doing it for your own enjoyment, just go for it. You know, I, and that's how I started it. I just, you know, I knew a few chords and now looking back at those lyrics, I think, what was I even writing? You know, this is, I mean, it's like, well, I got to rhyme this with this, with something. So let's just throw that word in there. And it wasn't very thought out, you know, you look back on that stuff, but. Definitely. I mean, some of my early stuff I wrote in Nashville, I wrote with people who were established songwriters and had been in the business for a while. So, you know, they kind of steered me in the right direction.
What came first, the music or the lyrics to you?
I think usually, probably earlier on, it was more of the music. And then lately, I mean, the last 10 years or so, it's been more hooks. You know, I get a hook, for example, the song Grain of Salt that I released. When we wrote that, we were just looking up idioms. And all of a sudden, Grain of Salt popped up.
You know stress is overrated. That's what he said to me as we were sitting at a beach bar on my break from reality. I told him of my problems I was facing in my life, how I just got fired. I'm so mentally tired and now I'm fighting with my wife. And he said, just take strawberries or limes. You put them in a blender with some ice. Listen close to my advice. Blend the bitter and the sweet. And don't take things so seriously. Because you'll just worry to a fault.
And we actually wrote that as like a reggae song. And my producer goes, well, why don't we, you know, it's tequila. You got to have, you know, like nylon string Spanish guitar in there. Like, let's make this, you know, like more of a Spanish sound to it. And, you know, it just changed the whole dynamic of the song. So you can write the song totally...
a totally different vibe and still have the same lyrics and same phrasing and everything obviously no tequila aside but uh you know the jimmy buffett kind of influence in there and and his the way his way he puts together songs definitely comes out in that one i thought but yeah um where do you get your best songs when do you write do you sit down and write every day for songs no i i don't i mean some people do i i'm one of those people that if i get an idea
I kind of sit on that, let the idea ferment a little bit, and then I'll sit down and write it later. And I have gone to sessions where you sit down and you're like, well, what are we going to write about? And somebody, you go through your phones and you have little notes and everybody goes, what about this? What about this? Until you come up with something. But yeah, for me, it's mostly... If I get an idea that I can map out a story or a picture or, you know, OK, I could see a first verse being this. I could see a bridge being this or second verse, whatever. That really gets me to the table to start working on it.
You got to complete that story. You know, you got to bring it back around and stuff by the end of it. Do you write better with somebody else or because I know you've written with your wife.
Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes, yeah. I mean, sometimes I like to, there's certain things I keep personal or, you know, I just, I end up writing it and it turns out all right without anybody. But then there's some stuff I'll start writing and then I can't get over the hump and I need somebody else to come in and help out. And in the case of my wife, she doesn't sing or play an instrument or anything, but she always wanted to write a song with me. Um, she comes in, uh, I was writing with one of my buddies in Nashville and we were writing a breakup song, my song, two of us, we were writing that song and she comes in and starts throwing out ideas and we're like, Hey, that's, that's pretty good. So then she sat down and wrote that with us. And, uh, my song day one, uh, she came up with the whole idea for that.
Just remember it starts with A.
So, yeah, I mean, she's got some good ideas floating around, and I'm lucky to have them thrown my way.
You didn't just look at it and go, oh, beginner's luck. That's, come on.
Hey, they say, you know, like they say that first, your first ideas are some of your best, and then you got to create new ones after that.
Don't mess with the original plan or the ideas. So now it comes time you got to go to the studio. First of all, you got to buy the studio time, I'm assuming, at this point, right? Yeah.
Some people do it that way. I have a producer who has his home studio and I work with him. I, you know, we would pay a flat rate and he cuts the song and we've had that good relationship for about 10 years now working together.
I would assume you have to have ultimate trust in the guys producing your record because, you know, if it's some guy you don't know, he's got something else in his head that's not in yours.
Oh, definitely. And that happens, too, with Harry and I, when we go back and forth, you know, I'll be like, I don't know if I like that. And he'll explain why he likes it. And we go back and forth of that. And but yeah, it's just communication. It's, you know, you got to have to have somebody that kind of gets your vision and vibe and can create that. You know, there's producers out there. I know friends who are on their sixth or tenth or whatever producer and they just can't find that right fit. And I was pretty fortunate right away to find a good one.
Now I just deal with like commercials and things like that. So it's way simple production. I can't even imagine what goes into producing a record.
Oh, I watch him and I'm like, I have no idea what you're doing right now. I mean, it sounds great.
Keep doing it.
A lot of the time he'll be like, do you want to come down? I'm going to cut guitars. I'm like, I trust you. I don't need to be there. I don't know enough about tones and all, you know, I, I'll write the song and I'll give you the direction. Yeah. I trust you. I respect the heck out of anybody who knows what they're doing on that end. Yeah. Cause that end is so hard. Yeah. Well, I mean this, I just released a song, I write mine at the wrong time and I was going back and listening to it. I'm like, Ooh, I heard a pop on that verse. And he goes, I'll go back and listen. And he calls me up and he goes, yeah, you, you just had like a little like tongue click and,
on that one vocal line i'm like you went through like 40 different tracks to figure i'm like how do you do that yeah that that is crazy how many times have you had to like play a part to get it right in the studio does it normally come together pretty quickly
Um, well, Harry does most of the instrumentation. I mean, I'll send him a guitar vocal. And in that case, yeah, I'll have to. I'm not a great musician. I can play an instrument. I'm not a musician. There's a difference there. But yeah, there's plenty of times where I have to. play a part you know 15 times before i get it right or uh or go get a coffee go out mow the yard come back and try it again and just just clear my mind for a second um sure and vocally it's the same way because we'll i mean we'll do like 10 vocal tracks back to back and then we'll go through and comp them and figure out which lines you know sounded the best and you know if i burp or something cut that out and yeah
All those little flaws, those little tiny mistakes, because it really does kind of, you need a perfect take. Yeah. And I'm assuming he doesn't just like mix and match every single thing, but to a certain extent they do. But it's got to be a pretty clean take.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it takes a good musician and a trained vocalist and, you know, it's... And then you can do a few different takes. And if there's mistakes, you can cut and paste. And it's a lot easier than when you used to have to cut the tape physically and glue it back together.
When I started in radio, that's what we did. We cut tape and all that. So what happens to the song after that? You get it done. You like the way it sounds. You can obviously release it out on YouTube or shoot a video for it. That's got to be a whole other ordeal.
Yeah, that's when that's when the work begins. You know, it's it's all a process, you know, from the day you start writing the song to the day it's complete. I mean, once it's cut, then you work on all the back end deal, the stuff, you know, if there's multiple writers working on the legal splits, you know, Putting it up, getting it ready to release to distributors, Spotify, Apple Music, that sort of thing. Pitching to radio and getting artwork done. It's a lot of work on the back end just to get a song out there. And then... You know, like I said, that's when the real work begins is the song's out there. Now what? You know, it's like, who are you going to promote to? And that's what makes this day and age so hard because you used to just go out on a tour and sell CDs and that was it. But now it's like.
It's got to be the complete package ready to go. Yeah, exactly. So I did notice some familiar faces in your most recent video. Oh, yeah. The song Going Down.
It's going to get ready about a half past nine. Get yourself ready for a damn good time. We'll be right back.
I recognize some people that used to be from here in Carroll. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Did you shoot that down in Nashville? We did, yeah, and I don't know who you're talking about.
Chris. Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, Chris Eglin. Yeah, Pizza Ranch was a proud sponsor of our music video. He was front and center a whole bunch. Yeah, he brought out some cactus bread and my wife's favorite, and so we were all full and happy.
Yeah, that was really cool. I loved that when I saw that. So how big of a pain is it to shoot a video? It's probably worse than recording, isn't it?
I kind of, I mean, it's, it's a process too, but I kind of find joy in it. It's fun. I mean, it's a long day by the time it's done, but it's kind of fun to create. You're, you're creating the vision that you had in your head for that song. A lot of the time, like, well, what were you thinking when you wrote that song? And that's, trying to portray that the best you can through a music video.
Yeah. That's where it all kind of comes together. It's got, it's got to tell a story too. It's got to match with the song and all that. So how long have you been on like video shoots to the point where you're like, Oh, just use whatever I've, I've worked with some pretty good people.
So, um, and you know, it's, it's kind of, I'm kind of like that where if I'm doing like a 20th take, I'm like, okay, I think we got it. But I get why we're doing more takes, you know. So it's been pretty good. Like the people I've worked with have been pretty prompt and pretty like get to the point and let's do this and get in, get out and make it easy.
So videos or just recording? Which one would you rather do? Um...
I think I like them both for different reasons. I think the recording is a little more stressful, I think, because that's what people are going to hear forever. On the other end of things, people are going to see that forever. But I enjoy both of them. They're both creating your vision in different ways.
So awards, you are the reigning, was it Josie Award, Modern Male Vocalist of the Year? That's right, yeah. That is really, really cool. Explain, first of all, what the Josies are.
Well, it's the largest independent music award show. And I know in the U.S., I don't know about the world. I know there's people, there's global categories there. So it is a global award show. The first year, somebody that I knew was nominated. I'm like, hey, that's pretty cool. I didn't even know there was independent music awards. So the next year, I submitted, and... we, you know, I, the initial, uh, uh, nominees came out and I was on it and I was like, well, you know, that's, that's all right. That's a big, it's a big award show, you know? And somebody texted me, a friend of mine was like, Hey, are you going to the Josie's? Like what? I'm like, well, you know, I, I wasn't nominated. Uh, you know, we had a show offer that weekend and he goes, yeah, you were, you're in the same category as me. I look it up. I'm like, Oh, I'm like, sweet. And so we went in there with zero expectations other than, hey, this is pretty cool. We get to go to the Grand Ole Opry house, walk a red carpet at the Grand Ole Opry house and, you know, watch some music, watch some awards. We have friends there, too. This will be this will be pretty, pretty fun, pretty cool.
That's, I mean, literally the Grammys for independent artists. Yeah, yeah, I guess. That's a big, big deal, man.
Yeah, so, yeah, we went down there that first year. That would have been fall of 23, and then... zero expectations and they called my name and we just looked at each other and my wife like screamed but nothing came out of her mouth like it was and we went up there I got to go up on stage and accept the award on the circle at the Opry House and it was just mind blowing and so then last year we went back that was for Male Rising Star and then in 24 we went back and ended up winning the Male Modern Vocalist and same thing you know it was like well we won last year that was pretty cool like can't expect to win again you know and then we ended up doing it again and um it was neil mccoy was there and like you know there was some pretty he was just got off stage when we went up and it was pretty awesome does that make waves in nashville do they notice those people that that win those awards and things i would assume they would right well i i want to say yes but i think you know it's just so many people and so many acts and um you know i think a lot of the time the labels look at your online following now and your streaming numbers and and all that And it's less about the performance. And with that said, I mean, around Nashville, you know, there's people like, oh, hey, this is Brad. He won. You know, like I think a lot of people like artists and songwriters respect that in Nashville because they're all in the same boat as you. You know, they're trying to make a career out of this. And when you're recognized for something, you know, it's especially when you're independent because there's not very many avenues that recognize you as an independent artist. So.
Years ago, we had Phil Vassar here, and we put on a concert down in Templeton and got to hang out with him all day. He was the coolest person. And we talked about Nashville a little bit, and he goes, man, you go to Nashville, the guy pumping your gas is a better musician than you are. He goes, there's so much talent there. It had to be just awe-inspiring to be amongst all that talent at that award show. Oh, yeah. And to win. That's even crazy. That's even cooler.
Yeah, it was. I mean, it was exciting. It was just like... You know, like the whole rest of the night, you're like, are you sure?
Is somebody going to come take this away from me? Yeah, yeah. Do you remember what your speech was?
When am I going to wake up? Oh, I don't know. I probably thanked my wife and family or something. I don't know. It was pretty quick.
But you've also been featured on Midwest Country Originals. Oh, yeah, yeah. And wearing the T-shirt, in fact, today on that show. Oh, yeah. Talk about that, because, I mean, that's pretty cool, too. You've gotten some awards from them as well. That's Midwest artists that really have gotten a great following.
Yeah, so years ago, I had just released Grain of Salt, and, you know, in my mind, I was like, you know, I... why don't we get together? There's a lot of Iowa country artists and I know Steve Shetler and Oskaloosa was doing this contest every year for Iowa artists. And I was like, there's so many of us. Why don't we get together and do something? And then I came across this Midwest CMO or Midwest Country Music Organization. And I was like, that's pretty cool. Yeah, I'll sign up and see what it's about. And The next year, Grain of Salt was nominated, and I was nominated for Male Vocalist, so I went up to Minnesota. It was in the Twin Cities area, and it was just such a great camaraderie of musicians, radio stations, you know, just... a big party of all people, Midwest country music in all industry types. And it was just, you know, a magical experience really. Cause it was like, man, this is like, I feel part of a family now, you know, I can feel like I know people and we're all doing the same thing. And, So, uh, you know, we became pretty heavily involved in it and, you know, swapped some gigs with people, started hosting some writers rounds, uh, songwriter rounds here in Iowa with some, you know, people from out of state, some people in state and, uh, A couple years ago, ended up winning male vocalist and won that two years in a row. And this last year, won a video of the year. But even cooler than that is just how it's grown, the whole organization. We're going to have the award show in La Crosse, Wisconsin this year. The radio station show, the Country Music Originals has grown. I think we're up to like 20-some radio stations across the Midwest now.
Kick 106.7 is one of them. On Sundays, I think. Yeah. By the way, in La Crosse, you got to go to the breakfast pub and club. They have the best Bloody Marys. All right. That's good to know. The bartender bragged to me and I said, well, you're going to have to prove that. And he did. So if you're in La Crosse, check it out. All right. Well, you know, that's the kind of event where you might need a Bloody Mary the next morning. That is absolutely. So let's talk personally. We've mentioned her a couple of times, your wife. We haven't mentioned her name yet. So tell us how you guys met.
Yeah. Well, my wife is Nikki. We met right before I moved to Nashville. We met at a bar in Ames.
Oh, I met this great guy, but he's moving to Nashville. That's right.
Well, yeah, I remember she was, you know, we were dating. I was like, you know, this isn't going to work out. I'm moving to Nashville. And she was like, no, it'll work out. And we've been together ever since. So we were long distance for about six months and then she moved down and we got married six years ago in May. So everything's been good and we're happy and got good families and we travel together.
She from Iowa as well?
Yeah, she grew up in Stanhope, Iowa.
Okay.
So yeah, another Iowa kid. So what was it about her that you guys got together with? What did you guys have in common? I think, you know, we were just kind of... Back and forth, like, you know, she wasn't like, oh, hey. She was, you know, ow, you know, like kind of take it or leave it kind of mentality.
Were you playing gigs at that time?
Yeah, yeah. So she was just kind of like, I don't know what the word to explain it, but I don't know. We just kind of BS'd each other a lot. And, you know, it was kind of just like a weird way of flirting, I guess, through insults. Yeah. But, no, she's a great girl and lucky guy.
Does she travel with you all the time?
Not all the time. She goes every once in a while and helps out, and she has a job in Tennessee. She does social media and marketing and books live music for a pizza pub chain, a local chain in Nashville. Well, there you go.
She does social media marketing. Yeah, there you go. Now we know who does that for you. Well, no, she doesn't do it for me. Really? Yeah.
As much as I'd love her to. No, she keeps busy with her job, so I'll let her do her and I'll keep my... Yeah. You got to be gone a lot though, don't you? Yeah, it's mostly the summer. I mean, and then, you know, maybe a weekend or two of every month, but it's, yeah, it's a lot of travel. It's a lot of time and... personal time and but it's it's nice because I can come back after the summer and I make my own schedule so I can put in a few months there to decompress and nice yeah focus you know get back in creative mode a week or two to get back in creative mode start writing and and stuff like that again you got to love being on the road though it's it's got to be something if you don't love it you're not going to be a musician I do I mean I like I It's weird, but I love the whole process, I guess. Like, I like saying, where are we tonight and tomorrow? Okay, we got to be there at this time. And then, like, the show is obviously the best part, but it's kind of just fun to be like, okay, we have an hour. What local restaurant's here? You know, where do we go? Where do we go for a Bloody Mary? But, yeah, I don't know. It's just... And I just love... It's a rush to me.
And you must know people. Your Rolodex must be huge for all the people who play it out in the Midwest and all that.
It is kind of weird because you have certain people in certain areas you know. And you always think when you see them, you're like, oh, yeah, I know you. And then you realize where you are and you're like, oh, yeah, I really know you. Because, you know, we had this experience together here or whatever. But, yeah, you know, you... It's like different worlds. You're plopped in different areas like Wisconsin, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota. You have different people from different pockets and your own little group wherever you go.
But everybody's got that one thread of commonality, which is country music.
Yeah, for sure.
And it's kind of a universal language.
Yeah, definitely. And it is weird because country music is like that where people are really like, ingrained in the genre where they they believe in the genre you know um and and that is that you know somebody hears oh there's a country guy playing oh yeah i'll go out and then they you know start following you and digging your stuff and you know that's a pretty special feeling how often do you play separately and how often do you play with the band I'd say it's a healthy mix. For example, this summer, I think it's about half and half, maybe a little more band towards the band side.
Don't you feel like you're jumping universes there a little bit?
A little bit, but I have the same core songs, and it's a different vibe acoustic than it is with the band. The band's a little more higher energy and a lot more work. it's a lot more set up and tear down and traveling but band shows are mostly weekends typically and then I do a lot of solo shows during the week
So the band that you have, are they kind of just dedicated towards you or do they go out and play others? They play in multiple bands at one time?
Yeah, a lot of the musicians play in multiple bands. And while I have a pretty consistent group, we do have a few different musicians at each instrument of people I have trusted and played with. And they all know the set. They're all great. I do have kind of my... I don't want to say A-list because they're all great musicians, but the people I'm used to playing with the most that are kind of my typical band. But we do have people that kind of fill in because, you know, everybody has lives and they can't do everything, every show.
So would you rather play in a bar or would you rather play outside like a street venue or a park or something like this?
It depends. I mean... It all depends on the show. You know, sometimes you get really excited for a show and you think this is going to be great. And it's kind of like, Oh, that's not what I expected. You know, I expected to be a little crazier than that or whatever. And then you play something where you're like, Oh, I don't know what this is going to be like. And you're like, wow, that was awesome. You know, that was, that was crazy. So it's hard to say. I mean, there are some shows, you know, anywhere around home I get excited for, you know, you see friends and family and stuff like that. Yeah. But it's always fun to go somewhere new and then, visit with people after the show that have never heard you before and see see what people think in new areas yeah you got an rv now to travel in so your step up and travel is yeah right yeah i mean it's i don't know how i used to do it looking back with a pickup truck and and we still do that sometimes but pickup and trailer and then you you would have to be there at like 2 p.m for a 8 p.m show sometimes and you're just sitting there sweating waiting waiting for the next few hours to go by and uh it's definitely nice to have an air conditioner and a tv what what do you do on a day off when you don't have a show and you're out on the road i mean how do you kill time Oh, I mean, find something to do. If it's somewhere around here, I'll, you know, go visit family or hang out with my parents or my wife's family or whatever. But, I mean, if we're out of state, I mostly try to book consecutive shows. But we've had days before where it's like, well, you know, is there any parks or is there any touristy things to go see? And so we've done some stuff like that over the years, just, you know, going and taking in the sights and sounds of the area.
So with all the music you play, do you listen to a lot of music when you're not on stage? I mean, are you just kind of like, let me turn it off for a while?
Yeah, I'd have to say, like, I listen to a very wide variety of stuff. Give me the playlist. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes, I mean, it's everything from, oh, I mean, old, you know, Motown stuff to hip hop to... It's kind of, you know, some red dirt country, modern country, 90s country, old hard rock. It's everything. So sometimes I just let Spotify make the playlist for me too. And it's kind of interesting because I do listen to so much variety that you might be listening to a playlist that's like really upbeat. And then all of a sudden it's like, whoa, where did... Where did that come from?
Do you have, like, just a bunch of people you know that are, like, super talented that, man, these guys could be big time as well?
Oh, yeah, for sure. Especially with the Midwest CMO. I have a lot of friends that have acts in Iowa and, you know, the surrounding states that I'm like... Definitely in Nashville. There's so many in Nashville. Can you drop some names for us?
Give us a little Spotify playlist that people need to look up.
Well, I don't know about a playlist, but some artists locally, Corey Waller and the Wicked Things are good friends of mine. In Nashville, I have a buddy, Scott Levi Jones. He's got some really fun kind of... I've written with him quite a bit. My song, Beer Disappears, and Two of Us, I wrote with him. But he's got some just kind of fun... quirky stuff uh I really enjoy but yeah I mean I have a buddy Aaron Simmons who's gonna I think he's gonna drop a song we co-wrote this year down in Nash he's from Minnesota but he lives in Nashville but yeah there's there's a lot of a lot of people it's hard to name them so what do you think when you listen to country music our country radio right now what do you think about all the the direction of music what do you think Well, I think it's crazier, the lack of direction. I mean, I feel like it's going every different direction. You know, you have a far end of a spectrum that's, uh, you know, you're Morgan Wallens who, you know, they have more of like that hip hop or modern pop sound. And then on the other end, you have a Zach top who, you know, it's like straight out of the nineties, eighties or nineties. So it's awesome. Like I, I enjoy it. I mean, I, to an extent, I guess. I'm a songwriting. I like hearing the story or the lyrics, but I do enjoy the wide variety of different things. It keeps it fresh, and you don't get tired of hearing the same song played 40 times over.
I didn't think a few years ago you'd ever see somebody like Jelly Roll. Oh, yeah. That's another example, yeah. He just brought a whole different attitude towards everything.
Yeah, for sure.
Did it make you want to put rap in your music?
You know, I've, I've written some stuff, but it's, it's not anything I would ever, maybe not at this point, I guess. It's been more just for fun. In the experimental stage. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't write much for other artists. So, you know, it's, it's one of those things I've never thought were exactly my style. You know, I, I enjoy it, but it's, it's you know, I, I, I don't typically write songs and say, you know what? I think this person should, I'm going to write this for this person. I don't do that very often.
Your summer is kind of busy. You're going to be all around the area. Give us an update on the schedule. What do you have coming up?
Yeah, this week, we talked a little bit about this week. Audubon and Charles City and Holstein. We'll be in Jefferson coming up in August. We'll be, let's see here. Yeah, it's hard. I'll be in Wisconsin in July. I put you on the spot. Sorry about that. Yeah, it's all right. Hey, it keeps my mind fresh. I got to think about it. But yeah, I mean, we'll be in Shaler, Iowa in July, Humboldt, Okoboji a few times this summer. So we'll be around. How about new music?
You know, where you're working on some, you're probably continuously working on new music, right?
Yeah, I mean, I just released, we talked about going down earlier. I wrote a song with Royce Johns called Right Mind at the Wrong Time that we just released recently. I'm not recording at the moment, but hopefully after summer shows, we can get back into that because it's just... get so busy in the summer that I feel like if I released a song right now, I'd kind of get lost in the mix and stuff. So we've got plenty of music on deck. It's just a matter of getting it cut and out there and recorded. So I safe to say life is good right now, right? Yeah, it's great. I get to, you know, do my thing. I get to play music for a living and you know, that's about all you can ask for really.
So cool to meet somebody who is from Manning right here in this area. You know, it's making it on the music scene and all the awards you've won and stuff. So very cool stuff. Thank you so much for doing this. I appreciate it, man. Well, thank you for having me. This is great. Yeah. And a beautiful day in the park on top of everything. That's right. Brad Morgan is our latest must-know person. Look him up on Spotify, Apple, iTunes, anywhere else I'm missing, YouTube. All of it.
Yeah, bradmorgan.com. bradmorgan.net. You can find me on the streaming services. You can social media, give me a follow, like. And then right here, Carol Radio, you can find my music on the Midwest Country Music Original Show.
Yeah, man. And on kick 1067, we play some of the singles too. So Brad, thanks so much. Appreciate it, man. Appreciate you having me. All right. Brad Morgan on must know people.
