Biography
George Morgan acquired the moniker The Candy Kid once his opening release "Candy Kisses" occupied the country chart summit for three weeks. A polished country crooner working in the vein of Eddy Arnold, he assumed Arnold’s slot at the Grand Ole Opry in 1948. Born June 28, 1924, in Waverly, Tennessee, Morgan moved with his family to Ohio shortly afterward. He absorbed Opry broadcasts throughout his youth and assembled his first band in the mid-1940s. Local radio appearances yielded scant momentum until the writing of "Candy Kisses" prompted WWVA-Wheeling in West Virginia to engage him for the Wheeling Jamboree. The Grand Ole Opry soon beckoned, and Columbia Records signed Morgan in 1948.
"Candy Kisses" appeared early the next year and reached number one by April. Although it proved his lone chart-topper, six of the following seven singles landed in the Country Top Ten. The B-side "Please Don't Let Me Love You" climbed to the Top Five, while the paired release "Rainbow in My Heart"/"All I Need Is Some More Lovin'" sustained the streak. Three Top Ten singles plus the near miss "All I Need" within one month constituted a striking debut, and Morgan confirmed his staying power by finishing 1949 with three additional Top Five entries: "Room Full of Roses," "Cry-Baby Heart," and "I Love Everything About You."
Diminished chart returns became predictable, yet the three-year lull from late 1949 to 1952 still surprised observers. "Almost" advanced to number two in April 1952, and Morgan’s recurring Grand Ole Opry performances kept his profile intact. He exited the show in 1956 to host a Nashville television program, returning three years later. He marked the 1959 homecoming with "I'm in Love Again," which peaked at number three. Early the following year "You're the Only Good Thing (That's Happened to Me)" reached number four, his final Top 20 placement.
From 1965 through 1975 Morgan remained an Opry regular and issued recordings that consistently grazed the lower country-chart positions. He watched his daughter Lorrie make her Opry debut yet did not live to witness her later successes in the late 1980s, dying of a heart attack in July 1975. The posthumous father-daughter duet "I'm Completely Satisfied with You" entered the charts in 1979.
"Candy Kisses" appeared early the next year and reached number one by April. Although it proved his lone chart-topper, six of the following seven singles landed in the Country Top Ten. The B-side "Please Don't Let Me Love You" climbed to the Top Five, while the paired release "Rainbow in My Heart"/"All I Need Is Some More Lovin'" sustained the streak. Three Top Ten singles plus the near miss "All I Need" within one month constituted a striking debut, and Morgan confirmed his staying power by finishing 1949 with three additional Top Five entries: "Room Full of Roses," "Cry-Baby Heart," and "I Love Everything About You."
Diminished chart returns became predictable, yet the three-year lull from late 1949 to 1952 still surprised observers. "Almost" advanced to number two in April 1952, and Morgan’s recurring Grand Ole Opry performances kept his profile intact. He exited the show in 1956 to host a Nashville television program, returning three years later. He marked the 1959 homecoming with "I'm in Love Again," which peaked at number three. Early the following year "You're the Only Good Thing (That's Happened to Me)" reached number four, his final Top 20 placement.
From 1965 through 1975 Morgan remained an Opry regular and issued recordings that consistently grazed the lower country-chart positions. He watched his daughter Lorrie make her Opry debut yet did not live to witness her later successes in the late 1980s, dying of a heart attack in July 1975. The posthumous father-daughter duet "I'm Completely Satisfied with You" entered the charts in 1979.
Albums
