A Good Year for the Outlaw

“He can sing,” Diane correctly stated as we walked to the car last night. She’s right, as always, and she was talking about Craig Morgan, the country singer who performed in Carver Arena after Friday night’s Rivermen game. And Craig Morgan is about to go from “decent singer with a nice following” to “country superstar” thanks in no small part to the best songwriter going right now, my favorite songwriter, Jeffrey Steele. No one captures American small town life better than Jeffrey these days, picking up from the way John Mellencamp wrote our lives in the 80’s. The name of this blog comes actually comes from my favorite song penned by Jeff.

Jeffrey’s songs are responsible for turning many country music acts who’ve had average success into acts who are country superstars. To wit: Trace Adkins’ career-changing hit? “Chrome”, written by Jeff.  Montgomery Gentry’s career builders? “Gone”, “My Town”, “Speed” and several others, all written by Jeff. Where would Rascal Flatts be without “These Days” and “What Hurts The Most”, written by Jeff. The Van Zant brothers foray into country? “Help Somebody”, written AND produced by Jeff. Keith Anderson? Produced by Jeff.

And now, Craig Morgan is going to be the latest country singer to turn the corner from “he’s pretty good, he’s had some nice songs” to “Wow! That’s my favorite song EVER!”, thanks to Jeff. Morgan is a solid performer with a great voice, always has been, and has had some decent sized hits like “Almost Home” and “Redneck Yacht Club”. He’s one of those guys that country music fans like and say, “yeah, Craig Morgan…not bad”, but would not be an act that could be a Kenny Chesney/Toby Keith-type headliner.

But now, that is changing since Craig – with Jeffrey’s song “International Harvester” – has tapped into American farm life, and thus all of Middle America, i.e. country’s base. In typical Jeffrey style, the simplicity of the lyrics makes you slap you head and say “why didn’t I think of that!”, but in typical Jeffrey style, those same simple lyrics not only make for great sing-alongs and tremendous melodic hooks, but they have an inner, deeper meaning that is hard to explain, bu the kind of meaning that makes people BECOME the song, not just hear it and sing along.

Is it a “novelty” song? In a way, maybe, some people would think so. But I say no. Sure, it’s got a catchy hook, but the song is not satire…it’s the truth. Did the 6,500 or so who stuck around after the game last night sing along out loud and know every word? Absolutely. Craig Morgan has Jeffrey Steele to thank for a song that will pass the test of time, that will still be a big hit years from now when country stations play it as a “gold”, or “oldie”. Way to go Jeff, and way to sing it, Craig. Nicely done.