Early life

Loretta Lynn Morgan was born in Nashville, Tennessee to George Morgan and his wife, Anastasia “Anna” Paridon Trainor. Made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at age 13, performing Fred Spielman’s “Paper Roses” with her father. She was raised in Nashville and attended various schools before eventually graduating from high school.

Morgan’s father died in 1975 when she was 16 years old. She took a job as a receptionist, songwriter, and demo singer for Acuff-Rose Music in the late 1970s.

Personal life

Morgan married Ron Gaddis in 1979, with whom she had one daughter, Morgan Anastasia Gaddis before the couple divorced in 1981. She later married Keith Whitley, in 1980; they also divorced. Morgan has been married to Keith Stegall since 1986. The couple had one son together, Jesse Keith Whitley. In 1991, she married bus driver Brad Thompson. Divorcing in 1993. In 1996, she married country music artist Jon Randall. The couple divorced in 1999. On September 29, 2001, she tied the knot with her fifth spouse, Sammy Kershaw. On October 23, 2007, Morgan filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. On September 15, 2010, she married Tennessee entrepreneur Randy White in her sixth wedding.

Career

After a brief stint with MCA Records, Morgan signed with RCA Records in 1989. She released her first album on the label that year titled Leave the Light On. In January 1990, Morgan scored her second Number One hit in “Five Minutes”. Later that year, she released her second album, Something in Red. It would become her most successful album, reaching number 8 on the Country charts and selling over a million copies, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.4

In 1992, Morgan left RCA Records and signed with BNA Records. On October 6, 1992, Morgan released her third album, Watch Me. The album’s lead single, “Watch Me”, was number two on the Hot Country Songs. The album itself peaked at number 15.

She released her album of Christmas music, Merry Christmas from London, on October 19, 1993. The album peaked at number 26 on the Top Country Albums chart. In 1994, Morgan released her fourth studio album, War Paint. The album’s lead single, “War Paint”, was number one on the Hot Country Songs and the album peaked at number 7.

On June 4, 1996, Morgan released her fifth studio album, Greater Need. The album featured a more traditional country sound than had been present on her previous albums and received critical acclaim from both fans and critics. The lead single, “By My Side”, was a huge hit, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard Country charts.

In 1997, Morgan released her sixth studio album, Shakin’ Things Up. The album was another critical and commercial success, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Country charts and has been certified gold by the RIAA.

On September 29, 1998, Morgan released her seventh studio album, Secret Love. The album peaked at number 36 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. On April 13, 1999, Morgan released her eighth studio album, My Heart. The album featured the singles “The Things We Do” and “Where Does That Leave Me?”.

On November 7, 2000, Morgan released her ninth studio album, Show Me How. The album featured the single “Do You Still Want to Buy Me That Drink (Frank)”, which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. In 2008, Morgan released her tenth studio album, I Walk Alone.

On October 27, 2009, via Stroudavarious, Morgan released her eleventh studio album, A Moment in Time. The album included popular hits like “Cry” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”. A Moment in Time debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. In November 2010, Morgan was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

Morgan’s first album in three years, Dos Divas, was released on July 23, 2013, on Red River Entertainment. The album’s lead-off single “I Know What You Did Last Night” peaked at number 42 on the Country Airplay chart in early 2013.

Morgan’s fourteenth studio album, Letting Go…Slow, was released on February 5, 2016. The album’s lead single “To Get to You” peaked at number 49 on the Country Airplay chart in early 2016. On 2017, Come See Me and Come Lonely, a duets album with Pam Tillis was released. The album charted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, making it their first album to do so in over twenty years.