The excitement among Froggy Fans has been building for months, ever since we announced that country stars Billy Currington and Craig Morgan are coming to Watertown. Over the last two weeks, the radio station ran a fun contest, “Stop and Sing,” to give away tickets. It quickly became obvious to all of us Froggy DJs that our listeners know Billy’s and Craig’s songs by heart!  

A little bit about these two hunky hitmakers:

Craig Morgan (born Craig Morgan Green on 7/16/65 in Kingston Springs, TN) had his breakthrough hit in 2002, with “Almost Home.” When that song first came out, our phones were ringing off the hook with calls from Fort Drum soldiers who knew Craig. Morgan was in the Army for ten years, as a Fire Support Specialist. When he was stationed in Korea, he wrote songs in the little downtime that he had. Some of the resulting tunes won military songwriting contests. 

When Craig returned home after serving his country, he didn’t go chasing after a record deal right away. He held down a string of everyday jobs, including stints as a construction worker and a sheriff's deputy. Eventually, Craig landed a gig as a demo singer in Nashville, lending his vocals to tunes by other songwriters.  

In 2000, Craig Morgan’s self-titled debut CD was released on Atlantic Records. Unfortunately, the label closed its Nashville division by year’s end. He had better luck in 2002, when, I Like It, an album on the independent label Broken Bow Records, was released. “Almost Home” became Craig’s first Top 10 hit. Craig would go on to record two more albums for the label, My Kind of Livin', and, Little Bit of Life. A couple of the biggest hits from those CDs include “Redneck Yacht Club” and “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” The latter spent four weeks at #1. 

These days, Craig records on the BNA label. That’s Why, his premiere CD for his new record company, was released last October. The first single, “Love Remembers,” made the Top 10. It looks like Craig is headed in that direction once again as the song “Bonfire” burns up the charts.  
 

Billy Currington was born on 11/19/73 in Rincon, GA, part of a big family that included four sisters and two brothers. He had stars in his eyes by the time he was a junior in high school. An ambitious young Currington auditioned for a spot performing at Opryland Theme Park. He didn’t get it.  

Undeterred, Billy headed for Nashville. He supported himself working for a concrete company and as a personal trainer, while writing songs and recording demos in his spare time. When some of Billy’s original tunes got cut by Tracy Byrd and George Strait, the record companies started paying attention. Billy was signed to Mercury Nashville in 2003. His self-titled debut produced two Top 10’s: “Walk a Little Straighter” and “I Got a Feelin’.” Then, Shania Twain hand-picked him as a duet partner on her song “Party For Two.” That video (complete with Billy and Shania swinging on a chandelier!) got immense airplay on CMT and established Billy as a sex symbol.  

In 2005, Billy’s second album,  Doin' Somethin' Right, was released. Billy earned his first #1 hit with the first single, “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right.” Another chart-topper off the same record was “Good Directions.” This album eventually went platinum. 

Although Billy had to take a year off from performing and touring because of personal issues, his fans welcomed him back with open arms when he returned. His third album, Little Bit of Everything, was released in the fall of 2008. So far it has produced the #2 smash “Don’t” and the hugely popular #1 hit, “People Are Crazy.” 

Billy Currington and Craig Morgan in one great concert sounds like a winning combination. I have a feeling it’ll be a packed house at the Watertown Fairgrounds Arena. I look forward to seeing the show, taking lots of pictures and writing a review of the concert for Monday’s Frog Blog! 
 

Craig Morgan links:

www.craigmorgan.com

www.myspace.com/craigmorgan

http://twitter.com/cmorganmusic 

Billy Currington links:

www.billycurrington.com

www.myspace.com/billycurrington

http://twitter.com/billycurrington 

Take It Easy,

Cricket  

Listen to the Morning Splash with me and James Pond, weekdays from 5:50-9AM. We also stream live at www.froggy97.com  

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