{"id":18187,"date":"2019-09-04T10:43:41","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T16:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1811373"},"modified":"2019-09-04T10:43:41","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T16:43:41","slug":"the-craig-morgan-qa-weve-been-praying-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/music-news\/the-craig-morgan-qa-weve-been-praying-for\/","title":{"rendered":"The Craig Morgan Q&amp;A We\u2019ve Been Praying For"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/bonaguroa\/\" title=\"Posts by Alison Bonaguro\" rel=\"author\">Alison Bonaguro<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">13m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>Everyone in country music has been praying that the day would come when <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/artists\/craig-morgan\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Craig Morgan<\/a> was ready to talk about his son Jerry\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1768564\/body-of-craig-morgans-son-recovered\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">death<\/a>. He has done so with his new song \u201cThe Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost,\u201d and today, Morgan was ready to talk with us about his son, his faith and his music.<\/p>\n<p>Jerry Greer died in July 2016 when he was tubing on Kentucky Lake in Humphreys County, Tennessee, shortly after graduating from Dickson County High School.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo\" id=\"1bc1aacf\">\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"><noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;img&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.85&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=480\" srcset=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=481 481w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=660 660w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=768 768w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=980 980w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1200 1200w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1500 1500w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/Craig-Morgan-PH-Christopher-T.-Martin--1567611141.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1800 1800w\" title=\"Craig Morgan PH Christopher T. Martin\" class=\"js-srcset-img shortcode-image portrait p3x4\" alt><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div class=\"photocredit\">Christopher T. Martin<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>CMT.com: Before we talk about the song, let\u2019s talk about Jerry. What was he like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Craig Morgan: Jerry was just a super stud. Good looking, amazing athlete, all the girls loved him, and all the dudes wanted to be him. And I\u2019m not just saying that because he was my kid. It\u2019s really true. In fact, when Jerry was with me out on the road, people would literally ask him for his autograph. He was a beautiful kid, and he loved people. He had infatuation with the underdog, so he was the kind of guy who was always there for the smaller, lower, lesser person. He always stood up for them no matter what.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And what was your family like when Jerry was around?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We were complete. And now that he\u2019s not physically here, we feel incomplete. But I didn\u2019t lose him. He\u2019s not gone. He\u2019s in heaven. But I can\u2019t call him or text him, and that\u2019s frustrating. When we were all together, he was extremely humorous, always joking and so high energy. Jerry absolutely changed the vibe of the family. And he loved, loved, loved his family.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did his future look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He was starting at Marshall University (in Huntington, West Virginia), and was going to be playing football. But he also had a desire for business. So his future was very bright. I\u2019m confident he would\u2019ve been playing in NFL. He was the superstar, and everything he did he did with energy and attitude.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In 2017, you converted to Catholicism through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. Do you remember what it was that led you there emotionally?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>People assume that it was the loss of Jerry that led me there, but it really wasn\u2019t that. But having lost Jerry, it definitely made the learning process easier. My wife and our two youngest boys had been going, and Jerry was in the process of going, too. He was actually going to be confirmed that next Easter. And because of what my wife shared with me, I started doing my own research, and one thing led to another and I started RCIA myself. I started to realize that we\u2019re <em>all<\/em> Catholic, some people just don\u2019t know it. You start to learn about the history of Christ and where He came from and how that affects our faith. Studying all of that is time consuming, and then you go through three of the sacraments \u2014 Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist \u2014 but the truth is, without it you don\u2019t really have the true understanding I have now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What was it about being a Baptist that was no longer a fit for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was only after the fact that I realized that. It wasn\u2019t until I started studying that I realized some things. Like in the Baptist church, they refer to what I now call the Eucharist as just a representation of the body of Christ. And I\u2019d always felt like there was something more reverent about what was happening. I felt that yearning. Baptists just pass it around, but I felt that it should be something more. Baptists do not believe that it is the <em>true<\/em> body and blood of Christ or that an actual transformation has taken place. So in a way, Catholicism just enhanced my faith and my comprehension of the bible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I feel like your new song must\u2019ve come from you truly understanding the Holy Trinity. Is that how it happened? And when did the inspiration for the song strike?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The trinity was always part of my faith, but being a Catholic now, I felt like then it used to lack reverence. And then one night, I was dreaming about it, the song\u2019s chorus actually, and woke up at 3:30 in morning with it in my head. I almost went right back to bed. But then I just knew I needed to get up, go downstairs, get my guitar, and write. Four hours later, I was done. I went upstairs and told my wife, \u201cI wrote this song. But don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll ever be able to sing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Were there other songs you\u2019d started writing about Jerry, but just couldn\u2019t finish?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No. This was the first time I tried to write about Jerry. Christianity has always worked its way into my music \u2014 like in \u201cThat\u2019s What I Love About Sunday\u201d \u2014 but it was never the meat of the song. This song is 100 percent about my faith and confidence in Christ. A dark as it may be, where there\u2019s darkness there is light. This is the first time I\u2019ve done anything that is this Christian based. It\u2019s not for that genre though, it\u2019s just a real-life story about loss and faith. And people everywhere who have loved and lost someone are dealing with their own pain and hurt. It happens. It sucks, but it happens. It\u2019s just the reality for a lot of people, and they lyrics are spot on with how we all are feeling and healing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The song captures the heartbreak in those everyday moments you continue to face \u2014 avoiding friends, healing a little more each day, and the revelation that you\u2019ll be with Jerry again. As the song\u2019s sole songwriter, how were you able to paint such a tragically poignant picture?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s beyond me and my hands. I don\u2019t have a lot to do with it. I\u2019m just grateful God has blessed me with the words, and I\u2019m grateful that I got what I got with my son. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing him again.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5uyWOrcuJuY?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5uyWOrcuJuY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"photo\" id=\"82c8fb75\">\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"><noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;img&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.85&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=480\" srcset=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=481 481w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=660 660w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=768 768w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=980 980w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1200 1200w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1500 1500w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/IMG_1954-1567611110.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1800 1800w\" title=\"IMG_1954\" class=\"js-srcset-img shortcode-image\" alt><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<div class=\"description\">Alison makes her living loving country music. She&#8217;s based in Chicago, but she&#8217;s always leaving her heart in Nashville.<\/div>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/alisonbonaguro\" target=\"_BLANK\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@alisonbonaguro<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1811373\/the-craig-morgan-qa-weve-been-praying-for\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Alison Bonaguro 13m ago Everyone in country music has been praying that the day would come when Craig Morgan was ready to talk about his son Jerry\u2019s death. He has done so with his new song \u201cThe Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost,\u201d and today, Morgan was ready to talk with us about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-13 08:54:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18187\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}