Morgan Pieri: On The Long and Winding Road
James Akenson
My good mate Malcolm Patterson Quillen (a.k.a. Pat)….a music guru in his own rite….likes to humorous quote former major league baseball pitcher Joaquin Andujar. In an interview, Andjuar responded to a question with I have two words for that. You never know.
Andjuar may have been off by some 50%, but he was a major league pitcher, not a mathematician. Andjuar does deserve plaudits, though. He nailed it. You never know. You never know when and where a topic for a Country Underground piece will spring to life.
How about this… a Country Underground Australia piece coming out-of-the-blue in an email from Minnesota. I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota long ago when teenagers cruised up and down the main streets on Tyrannosaurus Rex. Well…maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration.
The email is no exaggeration. I received an email from John Pieri the friend-of-a-friend…no I won’t quote Lacy J. Dalton…. and it doesn’t involve who owns you know a studio on 16th Avenue…introducing himself. His daughter Morgan Pieri aspires to be a singer-songwriter now that she has completed her education at the University of Nebraska.
What’s logical? What should Morgan Pieri do to launch her Country Music career. Put some covers on youtube. Write some songs. Arrange for studio and producer time. Come to Nashville and record her songs. President John F. Kennedy said that The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Writing those first songs, getting them recorded, and beginning to know other Nashville singer-songwriters begins the journey to a Country Music career. Morgan Pieri took action and did these things.
Morgan Pieri also needs to do a ritual deeply embedded in Country Music history and culture. She needs to visit Country Music radio stations to help build her fan base, develop DJs interest in playing her music, and hone her interview skills and communicating with media folks. I helped a tad with this. Surprise, surprise, surprise Gomer!
Once again Country Underground Australia finds Philip Gibbons of 94.7 The Country Giant in Cookeville, Tennessee to be important. Maren Morris’ first radio visit was on Philip Gibbons mid-day slot. Sounds like it would be a great move for Morgan Pieri to do the same thing.
I helped Morgan and her father John contact Philip Gibbons and arrange Morgan’s first radio visit. Unlike some DJs who like to inappropriately touch young attractive females Philip Gibbons keeps his hands from wandering during photo-ops.
Was Morgan excited? Seemed that way on FaceBook
EXCITING NEWS!!I will be doing a radio interview at The Country Giant in Cookeville, TN on Thursday at 11am! I will be posting a link tomorrow to stream it that day if you’re not in range of the radio station. Hope y’all will tune in. May even play a song for ya! Also will be recording some original music this week and I’m SO EXCITED for y’all to hear it!! Take care y’all, MP
I arrived at The Country Giant at 10:45am on Thursday 3 December properly masked, camera-in-hand, ready to document Morgan’s first Country Radio visit in the studios of The Country Giant. Take a look at some of the pics and watch some of the video. Does it look like it followed the script in good order…arrive, see the warm electronic greeting on the monitor, greet Philip Gibbons with virtual hand shakes /elbow bumps and warm friendly smiles, exchange some chit-chat, telling her story on air with Philip Gibbons, and performing two of her original songs.
After the visit with Philip Gibbons I spent time interviewing Morgan Pieri. A sofa in the lobby of The Country Giant proved perfect. I’m not into deep psychological testing. Forget the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Forget Sigmund Freud and the deep dark recesses of your mind. I do like to engage once again in Speed Dating…or something like it. Call it Speed Association Minus Psycho Analysis. It can show us something about a Country Music artists interests, background, and thinking. I asked Morgan Pieri to give her immediate reaction to the two choices dealing with some aspect of Country Music. Below are the choices with Morgan Pieri’s choices bold and italicized. Take a look and then I’ll give my amateur diagnosis of Morgan Pieri’s Country Music mindset.
Target Center…………………………………………Bridgestone Arena
HIghwomen…………………………………………………Maddie and Tae
Ingrid Andress……………………………………………..Carley Pierce
Tootsies Orchid Lounge………………………………….Bluebird Café
CMHOFM……………………………………………………BCMM
Dolly Parton………………………………………………..Connie Smith
Rissi Palmer………………………………………………..Mickey Guyton
Darius Rucker……………………………………………..O.B. McClinton
Orville Peck…………………………………………………Ty Herndon
Will The Circle………………………………………………Amazing Grace
F.G.L…………………………………………………………Luke Bryan
Country Radio………………………………………………Spotify
Rolling Stone Country…………………………………….The Boot
Jimmie Alllen………………………………………………..Kane Brown
Gillian Welch………………………………………………..Iris Dement
Brandi Carlisle…………………………………………….Chely Wright
CMA Awards………………………………………………Grammy Awards
City Winery………………………………………………..Station Inn
Bill Monroe………………………………………………..Flatt and Scruggs
Nissan Stadium…………………………………………..AT&T Stadium
Jimmie Rodgers………………………………………….Carter Family
Grand Ole Opry……………………………………………Louisiana Hayride
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Brenda Lee…………………………………………………Wanda Jackson
SXSW………………………………………………………..CMA Fan Fest
Ryman Auditorium…………………………………………Opry House
WSM…………………………………………………………WCCO
Alabama……………………………………………………Lynyrd Skynyrd
Thirty Tigers………………………………………………Big Machine
Sam Hunt…………………………………………………..LoCash
Loretta Lynn……………………………………………….Tammy Wynette
Mama Tried………………………………………………..Fighting Side of Me
Maren Morris…………………………………………….Kelsea Ballerini
Carrie Underwood……………………………………..Miranda Lambert
Morgan Pieri doesn’t seem to need any major therapy or medications according to my diagnosis of her responses. The only surprises were her choice of the Opry House over the sacred space of the Ryman Auditorium and a slight surprise of Jimmie Rodgers over the Carter Family. Her choice of the Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) over the Bridgestone Arena In Nashville can be forgiven since Morgan is from the Minneapolis area. In short, Morgan Pieri knows a good bit about Country Music and didn’t seem indecisive about her choices. She chose quickly.
We also discussed some significant questions dealing Morgan Pieri’s perception of success. She thinks that success would mean that as a songwriter seeing her songs recorded by other artists. She also wants to sing her own songs as she develops as an artist. She wants to find my sound and be true to myself.
She also wants to follow the Nashville model of collaborating with other songwriters. Being authentic came across throughout our discussion. Time? Morgan Pieri thinks that in five years she should know if the singer songwriter journey has legs and can lead to the music business career she desires. If not, she does have a B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska that would be a major plus for an alternative career.
So…Morgan Pieri’s visit to Philip Gibbons and the Country Giant went well. She was poised and articulate. Just like the Ginzu Knife commercials we might say But wait. There’s more! Morgan also recorded in Nashville, visited the Opry House, and other sacred spaces.
Did she enjoy the Opry House visit. Did it make an impact?
“Oh the circle won’t be broken…” Yesterday we took a tour of the Grand Ole Opry. It was incredibly inspiring and motivating to me. Seeing the dressing rooms, backstage, and stage where so many GREATS have stood was such an incredible experience. When I stood on the stage I felt a rush of emotions and had this thought in my mind, like “this is where I want to end up”. For a long time music was a hobby but in the past few months I’ve began working towards making a career in music. I’m so thankful for my family and friends who have been so encouraging and supportive. I’ve come a long way in just the past few months from where I was and cannot wait to see what The Lord has in store for me! He gave me this gift and I want to share it with the world. Here’s to the hundreds of songs I will write, to the countless gigs I will play, and to all the happy and sad tears I may cry along the way
I would say yes! And… she referenced Will The Circle Be Unbroken. That shows reverence and understanding of Country Music history. And…note that with her reference to The Lord Morgan shows she is in sync with the conservative Evangelical Christian roots that characterizes much of Country Music History and even today’s Country Music audience. Morgan also visited Studio B and got to play the piano Elvis played. Of course, she visited the Ryman auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. We might say…using a baptism metaphor…that Morgan was totally immersed in Country Music.
What about being in the recording studio. Morgan’s father John reported.
The recording session went very well! The sound and beats of the songs are coming along. The producer told Morgan that she had a Sheryl Crow vibe to her sound and look. And that she has an old soul country sound to her songs. Anyway, she hopes to have songs completed by Christmas. It’s coming together! Exactly what music should do.
Finally, I should mention that even before Morgan Pieri made it to Tennessee she was important. I used a family photo her father sent in my Country Music graduate class. The purpose? Challenge the class to determine just how AUTHENTIC Morgan Pieri is as a Country Music artists.
Discussion determined that Morgan indeed seemed authentic. She obviously thinks family is important as she is flanked by her mum and dad. Just like Patsy Montana, Kitty Wells, and many current Country Music women Morgan plays guitar as she sings. She looks contemporary in her jeans and shawl sweater like a singer-songwriter. Her hair is a traditional feminine length. She has the smile. She’s fair-dinkum. She’s not pretentious….getting above her raising….. as Bill Monroe would say.
Well now…can we summarize, draw some conclusions. No doubt! There are no guarantees in the highly competitive Country Music business. It’s tough to make it. It’s a long hard ride. We can say, though, that Morgan Pieri has the mindset, the emotional make up, the reverence for the music, and the work ethic needed to succeed. Let’s hope Morgan Pieri’s hard work makes her star align with the greats of Hillbilly Heaven as she rides Life’s Railway to Heaven. Morgan Pieri will make certain that the Country Music circle remains unbroken.
