Josh Morningstar

How many different lives can a man live before his number is up? If the man you're talking about issongwriter Josh Morningstar, the answer would have to be several. Father, son, troubadour, addict,writer, inmate, fighter, recovered-all words to describe an artist who has stared down the devil and livedto tell the tale.A recovering heroin addict with over a decade clean under his belt, Morningstar is the embodiment ofthe songs he sings-honest and real, his songs haunt you long after the record stops spinning. Afteraddiction sent his life spiraling out of control (he's done no less than six stints in different county jails),Morningstar has spent the time since cleaning up his act traveling the country, playing over 300 shows ayear, while touring with/opening for such acts as Todd Snider (an artist Morningstar is often compared todue to his witty songwriting and stoner vibe), Shooter Jennings, Travis Meadows, Jamey Johnson,Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare, Jason Isbell, Colter Wall, Cody Jinks, Travis Tritt, HayesCarll and many others. Sharing his story and his songs (his live shows are part music, part stand upcomedy and part storytelling), and spreading his message that continues to inspire and motivateaudiences from coast to coast and beyond, Morningstar is most at home onstage, pouring out his heartfor, as he puts it, “anyone that’ll listen…and quite a few who did not.” His 2017 album "Whole LottaCrazy" received rave reviews, and the first single "Melody" received extensive airplay on SiriusXM's“Outlaw Country”channel. His 2018 record “The Plea,” released on Young Mary’s Records, includedwhat’s become a bit of signature song for Morningstar: “Jerry Lee.” The song (about rock n roll pioneerJerry Lee Lewis) was written with Jaida Dreyer and calls into question “The Killer’s” sordid past of drugs,guns, and-allegedly-spousal homicide, in a way that’s both humorous (or at least as humorous as allegedspousal homicide can be), thought provoking, and downright charming.Morningstar was named Gary Hayes' Country's 2015 Artist of the Year, as well as one of "10 Artists toKeep Your Eye On" by wehatepopcountry.com, and that’s without mentioning his songwritingaccolades-the 2018 Texas Radio Songwriter of the Year, as well as the recipient of the Brandon JenkinsMemorial Songwriter Award, Morningstar’s songs have garnered over 300 million combined streamsacross streaming platforms, and his song “Must Be The Whiskey” recorded by Cody Jinks earnedplatinum status in 2023. He’s written songs for and with some of the best of country and folkmusic-modern day outlaw Cody Jinks has recorded 15 of Morningstar’s songs, four of which went to #1on the Texas Radio charts, while artists like Hayes Carll, Sunny Sweeney, Vince Gill, Brent Cobb, KendellMarvel, Jaida Dreyer and others have all included Morningstar-penned songs on recent albums. His grassroots, word-of-mouth fanbase (who have dubbed themselves "The Crazies;” think of a folk musicversion of the "Deadheads" that followed The Grateful Dead) continues to grow with each live show, andhave helped Morningstar garner recognition from critics and audiences alike-said Brian Burke (organizerof the Boondocks Music Festival)-"Josh's fans turned out in droves for our festival, and were absolutelyrabid waiting for him to hit the stage; they chanted "Morningstar" over the sets of the artists before him,so loud that we had to move his set time up just so we could regain some sort of semblance of order."One listen and it's easy to understand why they are so crazy (pardon the pun) about him-he speaks tothe every man: the single mother struggling to make ends meet; the hardened criminal tryingdesperately to change his ways; the millenials trying to find their path in the world. Morningstar is ableto speak to them because he IS them. He's been there and he’s lived to tell about it. And when he tells,we'd all be better for listening. -Greg Johnson, Associated Press