Finally Some News on the William Michael Morgan Front
You can almost forget with the rise of so many neotraditional country artists lately about ol’ William Michael Morgan. In many ways, he was personally responsible for helping to set off the neotraditionalist movement in the mainstream when his super traditional debut single “I Met A Girl” hit #2 on the Country Airplay charts amid the height of Bro-Country, and his 2016 debut album Vinyl debuted in the Top 10.
But it was very much one and done for Morgan. His followup single “Missing” stalled at #29, and then his label Warner Bros. had him releasing a succession of singles in 2018 trying to probe the commercial market trying to figure out where he might fit instead of letting him do his thing. Warner Bros. eventually dropped him in February of 2019.
The dropping of William Michael Morgan was definitely not due to him not having the talent. He just might have been a little ahead of his time, and his label had no idea what to do with him. Now with the success of more traditional-style artists all over the place in country, the time might be right for a William Michael Morgan resurgence.
Announced late last week, William Michael Morgan has singed with ONErpm, which is a label-like service company that distributes music, but allows artists to keep the control. Even more exciting, Morgan is also said to have new music on the way soon in the form of an EP produced by the legendary Keith Stegall, who along with being a solo artist, has produced scores of records for Alan Jackson, George Strait, and the like.
“It is an honor to be teaming up with ONErpm,” Morgan said, calling his latest project, “…something I’ve been working toward my whole career. All the ups and downs, the growth and learning—you can hear it all in this new music, the majority of which I have written as a result of my own life lessons.”
Morgan never went away entirely. He’s been releasing singles here and there to keep his core fans engaged, including some originals like 2020’s “Girl Like Mine,” and covers of “Behind Closed Doors,” “Please Come to Boston,” and Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” complete with Countrypolitan production.
William Michael Morgan may have been early previously, but he’s got a Gold Certified single to his name, and the timing might not be better for him now. Stay tuned.
April 11, 2023 @ 7:48 am
Great news. I really enjoyed his first album.
April 11, 2023 @ 8:15 am
Really like him a lot, “Missing” was one of those songs I missed on, because I thought that thing was going to be a hit. I think there are a number of other guys that song would have been a huge hit for, but maybe he just didn’t have quite enough traction yet. Hoping he can ride this wave of people wanting to hear real country music.
April 11, 2023 @ 8:29 am
Me too. Missing is a fun song, and I’m shocked that it didn’t do better than it did.
April 12, 2023 @ 7:53 am
I 100% agree, I thought Missing was going to be a huge hit. The entire album is really, really good. I’ve been a fan of WMM from the start and he deserves a lot of success in the business. I am glad to see that Keith Stegall is producing him — it should be a fantastic collaboration. I can’t wait to hear it.
April 11, 2023 @ 8:21 am
Been a fan of Morgan, especially his early stuff. Seems to be a good dude too. Saw him live at the local fair a few years ago. Unfortunately the turnout wasn’t great. He still put on a great show and spent some time with fans. Hope his new music is successful for him.
April 11, 2023 @ 8:55 am
This guy is right in the middle of the time when I completely tuned out mainstream country. Thanks for bringing this guy to my attention.
April 11, 2023 @ 9:01 am
First album was great and I had high hopes for him. Good luck to him.
April 11, 2023 @ 10:47 am
That’s awesome. I happened to be at the Opry the night he made his debut there and have been a fan of his ever since.
April 11, 2023 @ 11:06 am
His first album was great. Have it on vinyl and still spin it often. Pretty rare and it demands a decent buck now.
Really looking forward to his new work. Please come to Boston was a great cover as were the others mentioned.
April 11, 2023 @ 12:30 pm
What really confuses me is how the good ones struggle with radio/streaming/sales but the ones who are middle of the road have no trouble on that front.
April 11, 2023 @ 12:41 pm
One of my favorite singers in modern country. He has a great voice and should have reached a wider audience than he did. His little acoustic videos at the George Jones Museum I thought were awesome
April 11, 2023 @ 2:03 pm
“Please Come to Boston” is an amazingly good cover! I say that as someone who has adored the DAC version ever since I “discovered” it over a decade ago. Alongside Joe Nichols’ cover of “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” those are my two favorite covers of the past five years.
As for Morgan’s own material, I bought his debut (back when I still bought CD’s), and it showed a lot of promise. It was a mixed bag in terms of memorable content, but it was good.
April 11, 2023 @ 2:56 pm
When WMM is good, he’s great. But that first album of his was so uneven. Yes, it had “Missing”. But it also had “The girls are hot, but the beer is not”.
April 11, 2023 @ 6:07 pm
In all honesty, can a label like ONErpm push a single at mainstream country radio?
Im not being snarky, im just curious if it can.
Seems that all Top 40 hits at country radio are from a big label.
What’s the goal of ONErpm? Just to push his music on streaming or smaller markets? Obviously to be successful, he doesnt need to rely on radio marketing.
April 11, 2023 @ 8:29 pm
Come to texas where most are independent with tons of albumins.
April 11, 2023 @ 7:47 pm
I love his music! He’s a very talented singer/songwriter! Good luck, my friend!
April 11, 2023 @ 8:32 pm
Met William last year in Cancun at a music event. He’s a phenomenal singer & the nicest guy ever. I really like his song Cheap Cologne. I pray he sticks to singing what he wants to sing versus what Nashville agents force singers to sing. Like George said “ can you imagine if I didn’t wear a hat”. Be YOU William. Rooting for ya from TEXAS
April 11, 2023 @ 9:49 pm
I saw him in 2016 at Mississippi’s Atwood Music Festival and was expecting him to experience a meteoric rise. By the time I got to see him again in 2019 at Houston’s Ziegenbock Festival I wondered why his career had not gone as I had anticipated. He’s a solid performer. I hope his music is able to reach a wider audience in the near future.
March 29, 2024 @ 5:29 pm
Was excited to see information about him pop up on Facebook!! I got to see him at the Machine Shop in Flint MI. Was bummed when he didn’t come out with more music because he’s an amazing artist!!! I purchased the vinyl cd and still listen to it! Definitely need in country music!!!