Columnist Joe Delaney: Tracing songstress Morgan’s career path

Joe Delaney

Friday, March 30, 2001 | 9:05 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com

Lorrie Morgan, performing at the Orleans through Sunday, is an example of the new breed of female country music singers such as Faith Hill ... Morgan's diverse career includes recorded duets with Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams ... She was the featured distaff artist on the Eagles' tribute album, "Common Thread" ... She has also been featured on radio, television and print advertising for Dr. Pepper and Wrangler Jeans.

Her country roots do run deep ... Born just outside of Nashville, in Hendersonville, Tenn., she could have walked to Music City ... Her basic training course, starting in her teens, came touring with country legend George Jones, then married to Tammy Wynette, an early role model for Morgan.

Her next job was with Acuff-Rose, country music publishers, singing new songs on demonstration records that were intended for other female artists ... This resulted in her first recording contract, with Hickory Records ... From the beginning her major goal was to appear on WSM radio's "Grand Ole Opry" ... She was the first singer to do so prior to having a hit recording.

Morgan won the Country Music Association award for Vocal Event of the Year for her recordings with the late Keith Whitley ... Her personal life with Whitley was another basic training course ... The decade of the 1990s found Morgan winning various nominations and awards every year from major country music associations.

Her first three albums have been certified platinum. Albums four and five are gold and on their way to platinum ... Her sixth album, a "Greatest Hits" release, reached platinum status the first year ... Her latest album, the 11th, "To Get To You," includes "Another Lonely Song," first made popular by her idol, the late Wynette.

Very much her own person, spanning categories, Morgan sings only those songs she can relate to personally ... Her rendition, unplugged, just voice and guitar, of Sarah MacLachlan's song "Angel," would be worth the price of admission alone.

Weekend wrap-up

Saloon singer, first class, Sonny King has a busy weekend coming up with his debut with Blackie Hunt, performing in the new Bootlegger restaurant at 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the first in a series, plus observing his natal date, along with Betty Petty, a former Las Vegas showgirl in the '80s, from 1-4 p.m. Sunday (Coachman's Inn).

The ninth annual "Number One Fool Contest" takes place Sunday at the Tropicana Comedy Stop, with eight contestants vying at 7 p.m. to be crowned "Las Vegas' Number One Fool" and win $1,000 cash and an opportunity to perform at the Comedy Stop the following Saturday.

Final weekend for LV Little Theatre's "Run For Your Wife" and "The Balcony" in UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre; check in Accent for dates and times ... Jazz legend Harvey Mason and special guests Kenny Rankin and Gerald Albright will perform at the Nevada Minority Purchasing Council's sixth annual Excellence Awards Dinner at Caesars Palace tonight, starting at 6 o'clock. Call 894-4477 for ticket information.

Lance Burton's fourth annual magic special, "Master Magician: On the Road," airs at 6 p.m. Saturday on the Fox Family Network (Cox cable channel 37) ... Tommy Chong performs at 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday (Sunset Station) ... Sunday at 3 p.m., film actors Roscoe Lee Browne and Anthony Zerbe in "Behind the Broken Word," a series of special readings (Reed Whipple Cultural Center) ... Recommended.

Enjoy your weekend even more by making a contribution to the Sun Summer Camp Fund ... See you next Thursday.