William Michael Morgan launches title track single “Vinyl” with renewed sense of self

"Vinyl" arrives at country radio among Top 5 Most Added

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Much has happened for William Michael Morgan since the release of his first single, “I Met A Girl,” and the 24-year-old returns to country radio as “Vinyl” – the title track from his debut album – arrives among the most added on the airplay charts. The honest offering mimics Morgan’s renewed sense of self, forged through a year that included major professional and personal milestones. The 2017 CRS New Faces honoree made his national television debut on NBC’s TODAY, garnered Gold certification for his No. 1 single “I Met A Girl” and celebrated his daughter’s first birthday.

“‘Vinyl’ is my favorite cut on the album and I think it tells a great love story,” shared Morgan. “During a time where I am focusing on personal growth, it felt right to choose something so honest as my next single. Vinyl has always been a timeless classic and that’s the kind of music I want to put out into the world.”

Written by Carson Chamberlain, Ashley Gorley and Wade Kirby, the signature track proves to be a standout for fans and critics alike with Saving Country Music asserting, “‘Vinyl’ has the stuff to seek and find appeal with the mainstream flock.” It has been a staple in the Mississippi native’s live set often earning a standing ovation. The Boot lauded “Vinyl” as “a mellow tune that hearkens back to the traditional country sound that Morgan is so adept at capturing.”

Influenced by country music legends such as Keith Whitley and Merle Haggard, it was fitting for Morgan to contribute pieces to the 2017 American Currents exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Morgan to honor iconic musicians, slated to perform October 12 for Opry County Classics at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

For full tour dates and more information

CONNECT with William Michael Morgan:

ICYMI: William Michael Morgan performs on NBC’s Today Show

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (January 4, 2017)

William Michael Morgan kicked off the new year with Hoda and Jenna on NBC’s TODAY, making his national TV debut on January 4 performing his No. 1 hit “I Met A Girl." 

Photo ID: (L to R) Hoda Kotb, William Michael Morgan,
Jenna Bush Hager | Photo Courtesy Warner Music Nashville

>>  Watch it HERE

The poignant song, along with his newest single, “Missing,” are featured on his recently released critically acclaimed debut album VINYL. 

(30 Sept 2016) 
William Michael Morgan - Vinyl (Warner Nashville)

11 Tracks/ Time: 38:21

Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com

William Michael Morgan released his full-length debut after putting out a 6 track EP (18 March 2016). 

The Mississippi native, who has a traditional sound, has enjoyed radio play with "I Met a Girl."

As of Jan 3, 2017 since the release of VINYL it had sold 19,400 copies

Morgan’s debut effort lands him on many year-end best albums lists, including Rolling Stone, iTunes, Saving Country Music, and top song of the year nods for “I Met A Girl” from Billboard and NPR.  The New York Times declares “…in the emergent field of gentleman country — an antidote to the bros of the last few years — William Michael Morgan stands tall.”  The praise continues, referring to “Vinyl” as a “sturdy, reflective debut album….  a throwback to the temperate wisdom of midcareer George Strait.”
 
The 23-year-old Vicksburg, MS native will join country music stars Lee Brice and Justin Moore on the “American Made” Tour with dates starting in January.  His breakout mega-hit “I Met A Girl,” which topped Country Radio charts and SiriusXM’s “The Highway” Top 45 Countdown chart, has garnered over half a billion audience impressions, including over 20 million on-demand streams. His critically acclaimed album VINYL debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart.

CONNECT with William Michael Morgan:

William Michael Morgan goes “Missing” in picturesque new video

WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN GOES “MISSING” 

IN PICTURESQUE NEW VIDEO

 

Music Video Premieres via Rolling Stone Country  

Taste of Country Unveils Exclusive Behind The Scenes Photos

NASHVILLE, Tenn – (November 23, 2016)

 William Michael Morgan is on a “mission to be ‘MISSING’” in his latest laid-back music video, which premiered via Rolling Stone Country this week.

Watch official music video (Published on Nov 22, 2016):

The scenic visuals, directed by Jack Guy and shot in beautiful Palm Springs, California, show Morgan leaving his worries behind with the help of a ‘60 Ford truck, and enjoying life’s simple adventures. Written by Rhett Akins and Marv Green, “Missing” is the follow-up single to his No.1 smash, “I Met A Girl,” the debut single from his current album VINYL, available everywhere now.

 

VINYL dropped Friday Sept 30, 2016:

Amazon UK - UK iTunes  | US iTunes - Amazon.com | Google Play

“My favorite part about shooting this music video was the location,” said Morgan.  “We were surrounded by a bunch of mountains and out in the desert. The sun was shining down on us. It was a lot of fun.”
 
Check out Taste of Country for an exclusive look behind the scenes of the music video.
 
The 23-year-old Vicksburg, MS native will be far from “Missing” as he continues on the road throughout the fall before kicking off 2017 by joining country music stars Lee Brice and Justin Moore on the “American Made” Tour.  

His breakout mega-hit “I Met A Girl,” which topped Country Radio charts and SiriusXM’s “The Highway” Top 45 Countdown chart, has garnered over half a billion audience impressions, including 14 million streams and 5.3 million views of its official video. His critically acclaimed album VINYL debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard’sCountry Albums Chart.
 
For more information and tour dates: 

CONNECT with William Michael Morgan:

William Michael Morgan earns his first No.1 With “I Met A Girl”

WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN EARNS HIS FIRST NO. 1 WITH “I MET A GIRL”
 
Longest Chart Run to #1 in Mediabase/Aircheck History at 49 Weeks
Debut Album Vinyl Available Now

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (October 3, 2016) – On the heels of Friday’s release of William Michael Morgan’s highly anticipated debut album Vinyl, the breakout star notches his first No. 1 on country airplay with the album’s lead single, “I Met A Girl.” A single that wouldn’t quit, “Girl” spent 58 weeks at radio and 49 weeks on the Mediabase/Aircheck chart, boasting the longest chart run to No. 1 in its history. Much like his debut track, Morgan also doesn’t quit. Having a number one song on country radio has been his dream since he received his first guitar at 11 years old. Morgan started playing out with guys three or four times his age, learning the old songs and savoring that classic honky-tonk style.

“Wow. We did it! What a dream come true,” said Morgan. "After 58 weeks of clawing and fighting and believing and trusting in our radio promo team, my management Joe Carter and Mike Taliaferro, the entire Warner Music Nashville team, country radio, the fans, my producers Jimmy Ritchey and Scott Hendricks, my family and friends for undying and unwavering support, and most importantly the good Lord above...I am proud and most importantly honored to announce my gratitude and many thanks to everyone involved in this most special moment in my life, and in my career! Here's to this No, 1 and hopefully many more to come. God bless all of you. And God bless country music!”

“I Met A Girl,” co-written by Sam Hunt, along with Trevor Rosen (Old Dominion) and Shane McAnally has racked up a staggering half billion plus in audience with more than 15 million streams, including 6 million views of its official video, and nearly a quarter million tracks sold. Named one of Billboard’s “Country Songs of the Summer,” the single has already topped SiriusXM’s “The Highway” Top 45 Countdown chart and has earned a spot on Spotify’s Hot Country Playlist, which taps into the hottest tracks worldwide from today’s superstars to the latest up-and-coming artists, for five consecutive weeks.

“This song truly paves the way for William Michael and the joyful traditional sound to get back on the airwaves,” says John Esposito, Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Nashville. “This historic run proves the tenacity of artist development, which is the cornerstone of how our label rolls!”

VINYL dropped Friday Sept 30, 2016:

Amazon UK - UK iTunes  |
US iTunes - Amazon.com | Google Play

“I Met A Girl” is among the 11 stellar songs included on Morgan’s debut album Vinyl, deemed a “must hear” by Rolling Stone and produced by award-winning Scott Hendricks and Jimmy Ritchey. Vinyl also features his next single “Missing” (Rhett Akins, Marv Green) a wandering-man’s anthem about gettin’ up, gettin’ out and unplugging for a while. 

Morgan has written with and drawn from many of Music City’s biggest present-day hit-making songwriters all the while taking inspiration from country music heroes like Keith Whitley, George Jones and his friend and mentor, '90s honky-tonk king Mark Chesnutt. The captivating combination creates a neo-traditional sound that is all his own.

NPR proclaimed that “[Morgan] knows his stuff and stands on solidly traditional footing,” while praising his “unreserved sentimentality” and “easeful, fine-tuned singing approach.” Sounds Like Nashville praises Morgan for proving "he is far from a one-trick pony. He manages to give a nod to his heroes without merely imitating them, which is a rare thing….and oh, yeah – He’s Country.”

And it isn’t just critics who are praising Morgan – other artists have offered their endorsements as well. ACM Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean professed his support saying “I think it’s really important to have those guys that are the traditionalists, that carry the flag in country music, and after hearing this guy sing I was like, ‘He could be the dude.’ I love the song, I love his voice and I hope he does well because I think we need this kind of thing in the format.”

Morgan has come a long way since his days of playing hayrides once a month and other various local bookings secured by his parents. 

The 23-year-old Vicksburg, MS native continues to hit the road throughout the fall, including a performance tonight at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park in New York City. 

The Circle in the City concert series, presented by the Grand Ole Opry and Southwest Airlines, will feature his free acoustic performance beginning at 6:00 p.m. Morgan will head back to the historic Ryman Auditorium on Thursday, October 6 to perform on Opry Country Classics and will celebrate the release of Vinyl the following evening. The singer/songwriter will kick off 2017 by joining country music stars Lee Brice and Justin Moore on the “American Made” Tour. Morgan will start the trek January 12 in Indianapolis, IN and continue through March, playing 20 cities across the country.
 

CONNECT with William Michael Morgan:

William Michael Morgan ramps up for "VINYL" street week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (September 29, 2016)

On the eve of the release of his debut album, VINYL, Rolling Stone Country Artist You Need To Know singer/songwriter WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN is ramping up for a big week!

Riding high on the momentum of lead single, “I Met A Girl,” which is approaching No. 1 on the radio charts, Morgan will be hanging with fans on the road, at radio, and in person to celebrate the career milestone.

Release Date: 30 Sept 2016

William Michael Morgan - Vinyl 

Label: Warner Nashville)

11 Tracks/ Time: 38:21

Amazon UK - UK iTunes  |
US iTunes - Amazon.com | Google Play

On Friday, September 30, Morgan will be performing at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, followed by a hometown in-store appearance at the Vicksburg, Mississippi Wal-Mart on Saturday, October 1.

He will head to New York City afterwards for a special Opry in the Park performance on Monday, October 3 at Bryant Park and other media in support of album launch.  He’ll round out the week with an Opry Classics show at the mother church, the Ryman, in Nashville on October 6th. 

“I Met A Girl,” co-written by Sam Hunt, along with Trevor Rosen (Old Dominion) and Shane McAnally, continues to climb towards No.1 on the Billboard and Mediabase airplay charts and has already topped SiriusXM’s “The Highway” Top 45 Countdown chart.  The track boasts impressive vocals and numbers with half billion plus in audience, and more than 13 million streams, including over 5.7 million views of its official video.

William Michael Morgan was 11 years old when he got his first guitar and by age 13, he started playing out with guys three or four times his age, learning the old songs and savoring that classic honky-tonk style. His parents were right there, driving him to and from late-night gigs, often hours away, getting little sleep before they headed to their own jobs.

“They always encouraged me,” he says, “and a lot of people say it, but I wouldn’t be anywhere without them.” His dad handled an early MySpace account, networking and looking for opportunities. One came in the form of the Hayride, which William Michael played at least once a month for years starting at 14. That set in motion a chain of events that led to Nashville songwriting appointments and meetings with Music Row executives that eventually landed him both a publishing deal and a major label record deal with Warner Bros. Nashville.

He has written with and drawn from many of Music City’s biggest present-day hit-making songwriters all the while taking inspiration from country music heroes like Keith Whitley, George Jones and his friend and mentor, '90s honky-tonk king Mark Chesnutt. The captivating combination creates a neo-traditional sound that is all his own.

VINYL which is produced by award-winning Scott Hendricks and Jimmy Ritchey, includes 11 songs and is available Friday 30  September 2016:
Amazon UK - UK iTunes  | US iTunes - Amazon.com | Google Play

Vinyl is out today!! Download it here: https://t.co/8hCyLtJ2J3 pic.twitter.com/UhqSyXpGMu

— WilliamMichaelMorgan (@wmmorgan) 30 September 2016

VINYL is already receiving rave reviews from some of music’s toughest critics:

“Must hear.” -  Rolling Stone.
“Country Song of the Summer” – “I Met A Girl” - Billboard
 “…He knows his stuff and stands on solidly traditional footing.” -  NPR

“Steeped in all the goodness of ’90s country…William Michael stands in stark and proud contrast to the plethora of urban-influenced and inspired country songs on the radio today. And that’s a good thing.” – Nash Country Daily

“…Reminiscent of a young George Strait in its straightforward earnestness.” – Taste of Country

The 23-year-old Vicksburg, MS native continues on the road throughout the fall before kicking off 2017 by joining country music stars Lee Brice and Justin Moore on the “American Made” Tour. Morgan will start the trek January 12 in Indianapolis, IN and continue through March, playing 20 cities across the country.

Celebrating the release of his album with a performance of the title track live from the Franklin Theater!

Facebook Video : Click play and adjust volume:

William Michael Morgan fulfills lifelong dream opening for Garth Brooks in Fresno

CONNECT with William Michael Morgan: