In the summer of 2016, country music singer Craig Morgan found himself in the middle of what seems to be every parent’s worst nightmare. His son, Jerry, died in a tragic tubing accident on Kentucky Lake in Tennessee. Jerry was only 19 then.
One particular evening, Morgan found himself feeling the deep heartbreak from losing his son. He told People that he woke up in the middle of the night and began singing an entire chorus of a new song with Jerry in his head. He finished the chorus before he can even fully wake up to put the words down the paper. When he finally got out of bed, he completed the rest of the song in four hours.
That song became what known now as “The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost.” July last year, Morgan stepped onto the stage at the Grand Ole Opry to debut the song publicly. After his performance, he walked off the stage, thinking it would be the only time he’d ever sing it.
Craig Morgan’s son, Jerry
We’re happy to know that he got encouragement from a country legend to keep on sharing the song to the world. “But standing there was Ricky Skaggs, and he told me that I simply had to perform it again. I had to get through this and find a way to share this song with as many people as I could,” Morgan said.
And that’s what Morgan did! He went into the studio and recorded “The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost.” He shot a music video for the song at Morgan Farms in Dickson, Tennessee. He also made the song available for purchase on iTunes, yet he’s not entirely sure where it will go from there. “I don’t know if radio will play it,” he says. “All I do know is that I want to do everything in my power to get this song in front of as many people as I can.”
Blake Shelton Championing Craig Morgan’s Cause
But one of Morgan’s fellow country singer and close friends took it upon himself to get Morgan’s song to the No. 1 spot on iTunes, even if this means pushing his own song off of the chart. And that’s no other than Blake Shelton. Shelton embarked on an exhaustive Twitter campaign for several days just to introduce Morgan’s song to more people.
“I would gladly give up my spot on country radio to get this song on. Wow, @cmorganmusic, you blow me away, brother,” Shelton wrote on his Twitter. “There’s nothing easy or fun about writing a song like this, but sometimes it’s just something you gotta do.”
And his efforts were totally worth it. Some radio stations are starting to add “The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost” to their rotations after seeing Shelton tweets about it. And just what Shelton hoped for, the song soared to the iTunes country chart’s top spot. It topped the overall iTunes chart, too, and it was the No. 1 most-downloaded song for some time.
There Were No Dry Eyes When He Appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show
So imagine how emotionally moved Morgan was when Shelton himself paid a surprise visit during his appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. And we can say with all certainty that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Morgan delivered yet another emotional live performance of “The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost.” The touching performance brought the titular host and Shelton to tears, as well as guest Eva Mendes.
It was obvious how difficult it is for Morgan to sing the song, and he grew even more emotional as it drew to a close. His eyes were closed for most of the performance. Eva Mendes and Kelly Clarkson rushed to the stage to give Morgan a hug.
Before Morgan sang, though, he spent a little time chatting with Kelly. “I lost my son in a drowning accident three years ago,” he said. “I tell some of my friends, for them it happened three years ago, but for me it was yesterday. And every day is yesterday,” Morgan added, “Just like the song, he’s not physically here, but he’s still very present in our lives.”
As Craig Morgan continues to heal, he says he’s sure Jerry is still by his side.
“His number was 13. We bought a beach house, and the speed limit on the street there is 13 mph. I have looked down on the ground and seen a dime and three pennies,” the country star said. “I’ve heard about these little angel moments my whole life. It’s letting me know he’s okay. I truly believe that.”
