When a song is released, getting spins on country radio is what it takes to launch a song up the charts. Labels have teams of people who will make calls and visits to radio stations and executives pitching their artist’s latest single. But, for Craig Morgan the best promoter of all is his good friend Blake Shelton.
Shelton has two current songs on the charts – “Hell Right” with Trace Adkins and “Dive Bar” with Garth Brooks, but in a recent Twitter post he asked country radio to play Morgan’s new single, “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost.”
The Oklahoma country star shared a link to the song on his Twitter page and very boldly declared, “I would gladly give up my spot on country radio to get this song on. Wow @cmorganmusic, you blow me away brother. There’s nothing easy or fun about writing a song like this but sometimes it’s just something you gotta do.”
Craig penned the song following the death of his son, Jerry, in a boating accident three years ago. The ballad describes what it is like for a family to carry on after losing a member. Response from fans, including Shelton, has been overwhelming.
Multiple fans of both Shelton and Morgan left messages of support, along with comments and prayers on the singer’s post. One follower called it “the best song written in decades,” while many others were reduced to tears.
Shelton then went on to post again on Twitter asking his 20.6 million Twitter followers to help the song reach No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart. And it worked. From Sept. 9 – the date of Shelton’s first tweet referencing the tune – to Sept. 12, the song moved from No. 75 on the iTunes Country Songs chart to No. 1. The tune also reached No. 1 on the all-genre iTunes Top Songs chart.
Blake mentioned Craig’s song in more than 20 tweets. He also got some of his famous friends involved via Twitter, including Ellen DeGeneres, Carson Daly, Meghan Trainor and more.
As Tracy Lawrence sang, you “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” when you need them the most. Shelton is not only a good friend, but one great promoter! It may have been a little while since Morgan has had a hit, but “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost” is hopefully his return to the charts in a big way.
Craig Morgan will be performing at the Ashland County Fair (2042 Claremont Ave, Ashland, Ohio 44805) on Tuesday, September 17 at 7:00pm. Tickets are $20-$25 and are available through the Ashland County Fair website.
