Country artist Craig Morgan discusses his partnership with Truck Center Companies and how life on the road inspired his latest album, “American Soundtrack.”
How did your collaboration with Truck Center Companies come about, and what does this partnership mean to you?
I met Trey Mytty, the owner of Truck Center Companies, when I was hired to do a private annual charity event for him. We immediately hit it off and became friends. I loved what he was doing, not only with his charitable efforts but also with his business and his desire to hire veterans. The relationship with Truck Center Companies is personal now, as Trey is a friend and his employees and customers are the backbone of America.
As an artist who’s been on the road extensively, how do you use trucks in your business and touring operations, and how does that help you connect with your fans and the trucking community?
Not only do the trucks help us haul the equipment, merchandise, and really, everything necessary for us to do our job on the road, but it is also a moving 24-hour-a-day billboard we use to advertise what we do.
How has your experience with truckers influenced your music and songwriting over the years?
Those that I’ve met through Truck Center Companies are our people. Hearing their stories and learning that we all share a common interest in God, family, and country, is what I write about and sing about.
You have a new album, “American Soundtrack,” coming out in February. Can you share a bit about how the themes of this album might connect with the hardworking folks in the trucking industry and those who live life on the road?
I think if anyone can relate to this project the most, it will be those people who live on the road and those who spend their time in a vehicle, listening to the radio. It is through that radio, and the songs that they’ve heard, that they recall various times in their lives. That’s what this “American Soundtrack” project is about.
You’re gearing up to join Blake Shelton on his Friends & Heroes tour later this winter. How does your connection to the road and truckers influence your performance on stage, and how do you think the trucking community will relate to the music you’re sharing on tour?
I think the biggest thing is the connection. We live very similar lifestyles, traveling from town to town, spending our nights in a small sleeping space, getting up and experiencing life through a windshield; but what I do on stage is sing and attempt to entertain folks in a way that they can relate to. Music has the ability to take you to places you’ve been, but it can also take you to places you seek to go and allow you to dream and reflect. Our lives are an American soundtrack.
