Craig Morgan has never been one to shy away from his beliefs; whether in his music, his military service or his everyday interactions with fans, the country music star has been vocal about his faith and patriotism for decades.
In 2025, following the release of his latest EP, American Soundtrack,the “What I Love about Sundays” artist said he’s seen a shift happening in the country, one that excites and reassures him.
“There’s a resurgence in pride in our country that we’ve not seen in — I don’t know — I’d say about four years or so,” the 60-year-old artist told The Christian Post.
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“There’s a huge upswing and uptick. I see it. I don’t care what people say. I don’t care what the mainstream media says. When I go out there and I talk to Americans, especially young Americans, high school, college-age kids, I see it. These people are proud to be from America.”
American Soundtrack is a testament to that pride, the artist told CP. The six-track collection, released February 28 via BBR Music Group, encapsulates the values Morgan has always held close: God, family and country.
“It’s my platform, it’s my life. It’s who I am, it’s what I do, it’s what I believe in, it’s what I celebrate,” he said. “And that’s what this music really hits. I didn’t even realize we didn’t have this title, American Soundtrack, until we started listening to all the songs. And we realized that this music is very much an American soundtrack. It alludes to all of the things that I believe the majority of people in this nation celebrate.”
The “International Harvester” singer has long been a vocal advocate for military service, having spent 17 years in the Army and Army Reserve before re-enlisting in 2023, live on the Grand Ole Opry stage. He’s traveled on 16 overseas tours to entertain U.S. troops, completed 12 USO tours, and has made it his mission to support veterans through organizations like Operation Finally Home, which provides mortgage-free homes to injured veterans and first responders.
While patriotism has always been at the core of his music, the artist acknowledged society hasn’t always reflected those views.
“For a while, there was an anti-American sentiment,” he says. “But in the last couple of months, you can feel it shifting. I think that sense of pride was always there, but it had been somewhat subdued because of all the things going on in our country … it’s cool again, and that’s awesome.”
Morgan has always been bold in his faith and makes no apologies for it. He’s openly shared how his faith sustained him following the tragic death of his 19-year-old son, Jerry. In July 2016, he and his wife, Karen, lost their son — the second youngest of their four children — who drowned while tubing on Kentucky Lake with friends.
“I don’t necessarily believe that my son’s death was to make me a better person or a better Christian. I just don’t believe that. And I don’t believe that God did that. I believe the devil did that,” Morgan previously told CP.
“I’ve learned that our hardships and our heartaches and our pain — it’s not always to benefit us. Sometimes we suffer for others.”
In an industry where artists sometimes shy away from openly discussing religion, Morgan said he’s not worried about receiving backlash for his beliefs.
“My faith is not about my relationship with someone else, and I will not subdue my faith in order for someone else to be comfortable,” he said. “Christ made it very clear: this is not going to be easy. So I’m prepared for that.”
“I’m sure I’ve received backlash, he added, “I just don’t pay much attention to it. It doesn’t hurt my feelings that people don’t agree with me. It doesn’t offend me. And if I do get offended, that’s okay too. That’s part of life.”
One of the most personal songs on American Soundtrack is “God’s Problems,” a song Morgan didn’t write, but one he said deeply resonates with him.
“I really had a difficult time singing it in the studio,” he shared. “It’s just a very personal song, because I am that guy. I do not want to be one of God’s problems. I try real hard to do the right things. It doesn’t mean that I don’t make a lot of mistakes… but my objective is to always try to do the right thing.”
Morgan recently wrapped up a global tour, including two dates in South Africa and six stops on his Redneck Yacht Club Tour. Now, he’s gearing up to hit the road with Blake Shelton on the Friends & Heroes Tour.
“Blake is not my hero,” he quipped. “Far from it. But I do love Blake. He’s probably one of my best friends in the music world, no question about that. And what excites me most about this tour is that we get to be out and do this together. When we do a tour together, we get to actually spend time together. And that’s a very special thing.”
Having played everything from honky-tonks to massive stadiums, Morgan says his favorite type of venue isn’t the biggest; it’s the most personal.
“My favorite is a theater, sitting in a chair or on a stool with a few musicians, telling stories and singing songs,” he says. “I got into the business to be a songwriter, and I love that interaction. It’s an extremely personal relationship when you sit out there and answer questions from the fans and sing songs to them.”
Beyond the stage, Morgan balances his commitment to the Army Reserve, where he was recently promoted to Warrant Officer 1.
“It’s easy,” he says of managing both careers. “I’m in the reserves, and unless we have World War III, my commitment is one weekend a month, two weeks a year. My service might take place at a football game doing the national anthem or at Talladega, performing for a change-of-command ceremony. It varies.”
And while he’s done just about everything — music, TV, military service — he has no grand “dream project” on the horizon. Instead, he just wants to keep going and continue to honor God with his platform.
“My dream is just to keep doing what we’re doing,” he says. “As long as we are relevant and we’re having a positive impact, I’ll keep doing it.”
As American Soundtrack makes its way into the hands of fans, Morgan said he hopes it “impacts people’s lives and makes them think about how fortunate we are in this nation.”
“I’d sure love to see us get back to a place where we can communicate without all the anger and hatred. I feel like it can sometimes be a little one-sided. I just think it’s important that we have the ability to listen to others and not hate them just because we disagree with them,” he said.
“We are a great nation,” he added. “In fact, in my opinion, we are the greatest. I’ve been in over 90 different countries, not one of them celebrates the freedoms that we do in this nation. And the rest of the world is truly dependent on our stability.”
American Soundtrack is now available.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
