Craig Morgan celebrated his 15th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry earlier this week. Morgan took the hallowed stage alongside some of his industry friends on October 25 to mark the occasion. He and the crowd also got a special surprise from Jelly Roll.
Videos by American Songwriter
During the night, Morgan celebrated the milestone by performing several songs from his recent EP. “Redneck Yacht Club,” “That’s What I Love About Sundays,” and more were on his setlist. Additionally, Trace Adkins joined him to sing “That Ain’t Gonna Be Me,” one of two new cuts from Enlisted.
Later, Morgan took the stage to sing “Almost Home” to the delight of the audience. Then, as he went into the first chorus, the crowd erupted into a loud cheer as Jelly Roll walked onto the stage holding his microphone in the air. Watch the two artists share the song and an emotional moment in the video below.
“Almost Home” is an important song for Morgan. It was the second single from his 2003 album, I Love It. More than that, it was his first top-10 hit. Additionally, the song is part of what made Jelly Roll want to transition to country music from hip-hop.
In 2022, Morgan and Jelly Roll shared the Grand Ole Opry stage to perform the song. Before getting into it, the rapper-turned-country-singer told the crowd why “Almost Home” is so special to him. “Shortly after I got out of jail, I sat right there in row 7 and I cried like a baby and watched [Morgan] sing. I remember thinking ‘I want to make people feel the way he makes me feel right now.’”
Morgan also tapped Jelly Roll to join him for a new rendition of the song on his recently released Enlisted EP. “It was a full circle event,” Morgan told American Songwriter. “After he stood on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, telling that story and us doing that song together. Everybody talks about how important that song was to him. What they don’t understand or don’t know … his story was just as impacting on me as the song was to him.”
