John Morgan is an acoustic guitarist living in Central Ohio, pursuing the musical dream: performing, teaching, writing and recording. He has released twelve CDs, His music can be found on Pandora, Spotify and YouTube.
From 2001 to 2022, John was an Artist-in-Residence for Ohio Health, where he performs regularly for oncology patients. He has released Notes in the Key of C – Tuning Out Cancer, Tuning in Hope about his experiences interacting with cancer patients and their families.
Discography:
12 String Adventures (2022) My buddy Jim Doyle brough is beautiful 12 string to the house one day. It had just been set-up, cleaned-up and was wearing shiny new strings. He said, “Keep this for a few days and check it out.” Fresh musical ideas were popping of the strings, ahh the lovely 12 string shimmer. Fortunately, I though it might be a good idea to turn on the recorder. All the songs were recorded in two afternoons, one take, no edits. Are there some “bumps and burps”? You can be the judge. I loved the jangly sound and the energy.
Perspective (2021) A friend asked me to write a few solo guitar pieces that might work as a backing tracks for movie trailers. He had a connection. Failing to realize that movie trailers are almost aways hyper dramatic synthesizers, I recorded a handful of pieces. The movie connection fell through and the tunes stayed on my recorder. When I gave them a listen a few years later I thought, “Not too shabby.” It’s just a matter of perspective.
Dance With the Moon (2020) When I looked like the pandemic might last a few weeks and gigs were beginning to disappear, it seemed like a good time to bring a little calm into the world by recording traditional lullabies. The pandemic stretched on, so yes, we could all use a little calm.
The Other Side of Silence (2018) This is the music of “Quiet World” performed on solo acoustic guitar.
In This Moment – (2015) In the midst of recording Quiet World ( it took a over a year to pull all the pieces together) I sat down one afternoon thinking “I should be able to get a project down in less time than a year!” After two afternoons I had recorded a dozen or spontaneous tunes which were release the following year as “In This Moment”.
Quiet World (2014) is a collection of 16 acoustic guitar based, mostly wordless songs. Many of these songs grew out of John’s role as an Artist-in-Residence. This project offers a musical perspective of the experiences and emotions observed in people battling serious illness. The music - acoustic guitar keyboard, voice, flute, button box and percussion - conveys a strong sense of hope, optimism and joy, even in the midst of difficult circumstance.
Happy Children, Happy Day (2011) A greatest hits of traditional music for children. “I Love the Flowers,” Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and all the other childhood memories. Angelic vocals by the Noelle Shearer and a lively dialog between the musicians which children enjoy almost as much as the songs. Over 50 million plays on Pandora. “Wheels on the Bus” was featured in an episode of “The Good Wife”. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” was looped on the play list at the Cottage/Museum of the sisters who wrote the delightful tunes. Was it because Noelle sang all the verses?
Music for December (2008) An official studio recording of “Capture the Night” with expanded arrangements and additional songs.
Motionography (2006), is about movement: flight, swimming, dancing - places: the moon, oceans, stars; communication: the non-verbal, solo guitar type. The sound of one guitar playing, fingers dancing, sounds splashing, sonic canvas, air art, here–gone, wooden heart made flesh, steel strings spring to life. The sound of one guitar laughing, of joy bouncing, strengthening, calling, inviting to the dance. The sound of one guitar moving, across the star field accompanied by dancers, singers, swimmers, writing rhythm, resonating life.
Capture the Night (2004) is a collection of Christmas classics arranged for solo acoustic guitar. "Tinsel" John's original composition was selected for Christmas week two years in a row on NPRs, on-line program All Songs Considered. This music was re-recorded and re-released as Music for December in 2008.
Stories (1999). John's acoustic guitar is joined by bass, percussion, voice and flute. Cuts from this disc have received radio play on hundreds of stations across the U.S. “John's delicate fingerstyle guitar melodies are quite captivating, taking the listener into a world that is teeming with optimism, joy and friendly Stories. Highly recommended to all lovers of acoustic guitar music." - Musical Soundscapes
The Journey - Places Real and Imagined (1996). “Echoes,” a nationally syndicated radio program hosted by John Diliberto, played tracks from the Journey during 1996 and 1997. The title cut from “The Journey" was included on Volume 3 of a sampler disc released by Acoustic Music Resource. “House by the River,” also from “The Journey,” was included on a sampler disc compiled and internationally distributed by Poetman USA. Four songs from this CD were in continuous rotation on the "Atmospheres" Digital Cable Network for several years.