Events/News
"Codger"
OLYMPIA, WA - Lost Cause Records is proud to announce the release of singer/songwriter/pianist CLINT MORGAN's CODGER on September 30, 2024. The 13-song offering of Morgan’s quirky tales of life’s stories was co-produced by Grammy-award winning producer Tom Hambridge, and features collaborations with multiple Blues Music Award winner Diunna Greenleaf, member of the Grand Ole Opry and country legend, T. Graham Brown, and Americana gospel greats The McCrary Sisters.
Additional musicians featured on Codger include keyboardist Mike Rojas; guitarists Dan Dugmore, Rob McNelley and Bob Britt; bassists Stephen Mackey, Glenn Worf, and Tom MacDonald; drummer Tom Hambridge; harmonica virtuoso Mickey Raphael; and multi-instrumentalist Jake Clayton.
Morgan’s rootsy album mixes original songs with new interpretations of country, rock n’ roll, and gospel gems. Songs include the bluesy Morgan compositions “Even Tempered Woman” (“I’ve got an even tempered woman/she’s angry all the time”), “I Blame You,” and “Money Mule” featuring blues woman Diunna Greenleaf, which tells us about life on the road as a traveling musician. “Old Man” is a hilarious yet poignant look at growing old featuring harmonica legend Mickey Raphael, and “Payoff Man” tells the tale of a man looking for his payoff for a life well lived. In Rodney Crowell’s “I Walk The Line Revisited,” Morgan sings both the Crowell and Johnny Cash parts with equal gusto, and T. Graham Brown joins him in Texas singer/songwriter Walt Wilkins’ “Just Like Hank.” The powerhouse vocals of The McCrary Sisters help drive the story in the classic traditional gospel tune “Down By The Riverside,” as well as the Morgan-penned wry send up of things to think about, “Jesus Don’t Like It.” Diunna Greenleaf rejoins Morgan in a barn-burning version of the classic “Down The Road A Piece.” The songs range from raucous to heart-rending, all backed by a stellar musicians.
"What I like to do is tell stories – some tongue in cheek, some serious – about things that we all go through. Troubles in relationships, problems with growing old, spiritual questions, and uncertainty about this crazy world and all its changes. Even in these polarized times, we all have the same problems - and probably always will. I try to talk about this stuff in a way that’s a little different; I just hope that these little tunes are taken in the spirit in which they are offered. I would rather poke a little fun than harangue to make a point. I also hit social topics here and there that I hope will resonate, all of this is done from the perspective of a guy who has been around awhile – a Codger. I had a lot of fun making this record, and I hope that people will have fun listening to it.”
Clint Morgan, an accomplished blues and boogie-woogie piano player, was raised on a farm in rural Washington State. His family, originally from southern Appalachia, moved west 'back in the day' when land was cheap and the farming and logging was good. His great-great aunt was Eliza Morgan Bays, AP Carter's great grandma, and his paternal grandmother was related to the Carter Family by marriage. Codger is Morgan’s fourth album of original material, following his 2008 release You’re Really Bugging Me Now, and 2016’s critically-acclaimed Scofflaw. Scofflaw was followed in 2021 by the equally acclaimed Troublemaker. Additionally, Morgan is a volunteer instructor/performer at the Pinetop Perkins Foundation Workshops in Clarksdale, MS. He produced fellow pianist Clay Swafford’s Blues Music Award-nominated album Rooster. The biography on Morgan’s web page is short on story and long on a list of influences that includes dozens of artists that have colored his music, from blues and gospel, to old-school country and Americana, to rock and roll pioneers.
