New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Country music legend and Broadway star Gary Morris is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his fourth No. 1 hit "
Leave Me Lonely" this year. The song was released in October 1986 as the second single from the album Plain Brown Wrapper, and reached No. 1 in 1987. The song remained on the chart for 21 weeks.
"This single and its success are really special to me because the album that it's from was a risky record at the time," said Morris. "When Plain Brown Wrapper was released, using your own band was off limits in Nashville. I wanted to record an acoustic album and use my own band, and I was able to get permission to do so from Warner by agreeing to the duet album with Crystal Gayle, Another World. With the freedom to use my own band, I was lucky enough to work with some highly noted musicians for the single and the album including Edgar Meyer on upright bass, Mark O'Connor on fiddle and mandolin, and Jerry
Douglas on oboe. Despite breaking all the rules in Nashville at the time, the album saw great success and gave me my fourth chart-topping single in 'Leave Me Lonely.' I love everything about the single and the album."
Morris has a total of 5 No. 1 hits and 16 Top-Ten hits on the Country
Music charts. He reached the Billboard Top-40 with his first two singles after signing with Warner Brothers in 1980 and scored a top ten with his third single "Headed For A Heartache." In 1984, he tallied his first number one with "Why Lady Why." The infamous "Wind Beneath My Wings" won Morris Song of the Year from The Country
Music Association (CMA) and The Academy of Country
Music (ACM) in 1984. He was named Billboard's 1982 Male Vocalist of the Year.
Morris continues to tour, dates listed below, and indulge in one of his greatest passions - the outdoors.
Sept. 17 - Lancaster, PA - American
Music Theatre
Oct. 13 - Greenville, TX - Texan Theater
Oct. 28 - Shelby, NC - The Don Gibson Theatre
Nov. 3 - Clinton, IA - Wild Rose Casino-Clinton
Nov. 4- Emmetsburg, IA - Wild Rose Casino-Emmetsburg
Nov. 5 - Jefferson, IA - Wild Rose Casino-Jefferson
For more information on Gary Morris, visit www.garymorris.com.
About Gary Morris:
Gary Morris is a prolific songwriter, and may be best known for his recording of "Wind Beneath My Wings", which went to number one and won song of the year from both the Country
Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country
Music (ACM). The song was later recorded by Bette Midler, who took the song to the top of the Pop charts. Morris has had 5 Number 1s and 16 Top 10 singles on the Country
Music charts. In 1982, Billboard Magazine named the tall vocalist Male Artist of the Year and has had a successful acting career on Broadway and television. Morris starred on Broadway alongside
Linda Ronstadt in "
La Boheme", and played Jean Valjean in "
Les Miserables" on Broadway. On television, Morris had recurring roles in "General Hospital," "The Colbys" and "Designing Women." Morris is a supporter of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, which serves wounded military members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and is very active in its various programs throughout the year.
