Cory Morrow









































Cory Morrow
Cory Morrow


It is fitting that a south of the border gamble nearly two decades ago would ultimately yield an acclaimed Texas troubadour. Cory Morrow’s humble artistic beginnings read like the gritty lyric of an unwritten Townes Van Zandt song. This straight-shooting musician, who drops his ninth solo release Vagrants And Kings on May 20th through Sustain Records, a branch of Universal Music, started strumming at the age of 15. "My stepfather Joe brought home my first guitar after visiting a little Mexican border town," Morrow remembers. After quibbling with the shop owner over the price of the guitar, Morrow says Joe laid down $80 on the table, twice what the guitar was worth. "He took out a quarter and asked the shopkeeper, ‘Are you a gambling man?’ The guy said, ‘Yes.’ Joe said, ‘Call it. If it lands on what you call, then you take the money and keep the guitar. If it’s the opposite of what you call, I take the money and the guitar,’" Morrow recalls. One lucky coin toss later, the six string gained a new owner. Morrow enlisted in music lessons during his high school years, and soon he was banging out songs by Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top. When Morrow moved on to college at Texas Tech University, friends introduced him to the rootsy, honky-tonk fare of fellow Texans Robert Earl Keen and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Inspired to give expression to his own emotions, Morrow began penning guitar-based compositions in a similarly stripped down, organic style. In 1993, he pulled out of college and migrated south to Austin where he would pursue a career making music. Morrow dug into the local scene. He began playing gigs with a band, honing his songwriting craft and stretching his raw vocals by studying singers like Don Williams and Merle Haggard. Fifteen years, and thousands of live shows later, Morrow has emerged as one of the lone star state’s best-loved artists. Revered along with college pal Pat Green as a preservationist of the unique Texas music "sound," which combines elements of country, bluegrass, swing and blues, Morrow inspires a fierce loyalty in his fans. As an independent artist, he moved 200,000 discs through his own WriteOn label. His latest offering, Vagrants And Kings, finds Morrow at his strongest- artistically, personally and spiritually. Morrow’s rustic sound remains part singer/songwriter: poetic and acoustic at times. But it’s equal parts country rock: accessible, hooky and rowdy in the tradition of outlaws like the Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Produced with Morrow band bassist Steve Cargill and recorded with the rest of his road crew (Hoyt Stacy on drums, J.J. Soto on guitars, Nick Worley on fiddle and Tim McDonald ..s, as well as Cargill) the 10-track album is an honest representation of Morrow’s artistry, whether in studio or on stage. The interstate warrior, who averages nearly 150 shows a year, tracked the album at his Austin home on a Pro-Tools rig acquired from producer friend Keith Gattis. Morrow, who wrote or co-wrote every tune along with frequent collaborators Walt Wilkins and Liz Rose, among others, calls Vagrants And Kings a "snapshot” of his life. Notes Morrow, "The passion of the lyrics finally came through in the production of the music. I got to this place where everything made sense, where I was seeing life more clearly. Then the music started flowing." Morrow’s last studio offering, the reflective Nothing Left to Hide (2005), highlighted the artist’s struggle through an intense period of soul searching. That batch of songs found Morrow grappling with issues of forgiveness and recovery following his 2005 arrest for what he calls "serious mistakes." But Morrow has entered a new season. "Love Finds Everyone," a candid, buoyant track, sets the tone for the new CD: Even if you think you don’t need it, right when you think you’ll never feel it… Love finds everyone. "When I’m writing music, either I’m healing from the pains and wounds in my life or I’m celebrating the good things in my life," Morrow says. Songs like the tender "Radiates," the soulful, harmony-drenched "My Baby and Me" and the whimsical "I Can Wait" pay homage to a burgeoning, transformational love. And Morrow is unabashedly forthright about the emotions he conveys in his new songs: "Since I met my fiancée, Sherry, the last two years have been amazing. There have been problems that every day brings, but the difference is I get to share it with her, and she gives me perspective. She’s increased my faith, and she’s brought me back to the realization that I don’t have to do things on my own." Morrow’s first single, “He Carries Me,” continues the sentiment, albeit directed toward a higher realm. While themes of salvation and redemption are not new in Morrow’s work, on Vagrants And Kings he approaches such weighty issues with the fervor of a true believer. "Lord, You Devil," a Radney Foster co-write, is a humorous tune offering props to a mysterious, omniscient God. Morrow’s first radio single, the impassioned, gospel-tinged "(Sometimes I Stumble, That’s When) He Carries Me," perhaps best relays where Morrow has landed in recent days. Says Morrow, "For so long I tried to do it on my own. The thing is, you’re not supposed to do it alone. Why would you want to?"
Date Venue City State Note
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09/24/2010 - Saved and sober Cory Morrow celebrates ‘Brand New Me’ CD - Read More
08/26/2009 - Cory Morrow loves Texas, because his sound is bigger - Read More
06/27/2008 - Cory Morrow’s new CD ‘a celebration’ - Read More
05/09/2008 - Singer Seeks Spotlight Outside Texas Borders - Read More
More News
No Blogs Available
08/01/2005 - Cory Morrow Q&A - Read More
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Average Rating : 0              Total Reviews: 290


Cory Morrow  08/14/2007            
Cory Fan
I love Cory, and ended up buying this CD. Nothing special by any stretch, but not a bad CD. I just hope this is the end of his RE-RELEASE scam's he keeps trying to pull on his fans. His fans apparently seem to be dropping like flies as of late. :(
Cory Morrow  08/09/2007            
Casey P,
Well well well, if it ain't our oul pal CM trying to pull the wool over our eyes once again by releasing another live album filled with songs he wrote over a decade ago. When I saw this I wanted to vomit. Have you completely run out of new ideas? 0 Star's No Question about it.
Cory Morrow  08/01/2007            
TEXAS
I dont know about old Cory, he seems to be a little behind in the sense that he tries to shine in the light of other artists, i.e. Pat Green. Come on Cory lets see some new stuff with a little more of your own ideas/heart behind it.
Cory Morrow  07/27/2007            
Jude Harrison
Lets face it.. the Cory Morrow days are over. The 10 years CD flopped bigtime. For the past 10 years he has been playing the same songs.. its getting a bit old. Ive never seen an artist re-release the same songs over and over on different CD's. Its quite frankly disgusting to me. Just stop Cory.. not to mention your a complete jerk in real life.
Cory Morrow  07/17/2007            
hodgie
Get some new songs and stop tryin to be pat green's lacky
Cory Morrow  07/17/2007            
[email protected]
I have seen Cory Morrow several times and he has been great every time. I don't understand why I read a lot of reviews putting him down. I didn't know some of his band is changed. I'm sure he is still good with new members. Ya'll need to lay off of him. Keep up the good work Cory.
Cory Morrow  07/14/2007            
LONESTAR78
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DONT DIG THIS. THEN JUST GO AWAY. THIS WAS RECORDED A FEW YEARS BACK WHEN GLEN AND JOHN WERE STILL WITH THE BAND. THOSE WERE THE BEST YEARS IN MY OPINION. IM BUYING THIS. AWESOME MUSIC FROM THE BEST YEARS. HE DIDNT JUST RUN IN THE STUDIO AND DO THIS.
Cory Morrow  07/13/2007            
Me
***** People - ACL released this with the permission of Cory. Not the same as his doing. Not something he paid for, just agreed to. Sit back and enjoy the music.
Cory Morrow  07/13/2007            
Clayton
WTF? Has Cory Morrow completely run out of new ideas? This is a complete shame. Ten Years was a joke of a CD and now one again, THE SAME OLD "Cory Classics" live. In other words I can no longer write music. I am still holding onto songs written close to a decade ago..and havent matured as a musician. SAD!
Cory Morrow  07/12/2007            
bill
I'd love to say that I am going to give this one a shot. Maybe I'll start listening to him again when he quits wearing designer jeans and releasing the same old tired songs.
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