Whitey Morgan and the 78's

Whitey Morgan and the 78's are an American country band based in Flint, Michigan. In 2010, they signed a recording contract with Chicago-based Bloodshot Records.

Whitey Morgan and the 78's
Whitey Morgan in Woodstock, New York
Whitey Morgan in Woodstock, New York
Background information
OriginFlint, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Years active2005–present
Labelsindependent
MembersEric Allen (aka Whitey Morgan)
Johnny Up
Joey Spina
Alex Lyon
Danny Raincheck
Eric Savage
Jack Quiggins
Evan Mercer
Past membersBenny James Vermeylen
Jeremy Biltz
Tamineh Gueramy
Jeremy Mackinder
Mike Popovich
Dan Coburn
Brett Martin
Chris Hornus
Charlie Klein
Brett Robinson
Tony Martinez
Websitewhiteymorgan.com

Formation and early history

Started in 2005, under the name Whitey Morgan and the Waycross Georgia Farmboys, the original members included Whitey Morgan (a.k.a. Eric Allen) on vocals and guitar; Jeremy Mackinder on bass; and Dylan Dunbar and Jack Schneider on guitar and drums respectively.[2] After establishing themselves in the Midwest Honky Tonk scene, the band recorded a self-produced EP which includes early versions of "Goodbye Dixie," "Prove It All To You," and "If It Ain't Broke." The band soon signed a deal with Detroit's own Small Stone Recordings and went back into the studio to record a cover version of Van Halen's "Runnin' with the Devil" for the label's compilation album, Sucking the 70's.

Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels

In 2007, the band changed its line-up to Whitey Morgan on Vocals and Guitar, Benny James Vermeylen on Guitar and vocals – formerly of 3 Speed and South Normal,[3] Jeremy "Leroy" Biltz on Guitar, Jeremy Mackinder on bass, and Mike Popovich – formerly of The Holy Cows,[4] 3 Speed,[3] and The OffRamps,[5] on drums and officially becomes Whitey Morgan and the 78's. In 2008 the band released its debut album Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels on Small Stone Recordings.

Whitey Morgan and the 78's

In 2009, the band saw the addition of Tamineh Gueramy on fiddle. The band then headed to Woodstock, New York in the fall of 2009 to begin recording the follow-up to Honky Tonks... at the Levon Helm Studios. With almost 200 shows a year and the new album nearing completion the band drew the attention of Chicago's Bloodshot Records and signed a new record contract. The self-titled album was released on October 12, 2010. Ahead of the record's release, both Benny James and Mike Popovich left the band, replaced by Travis Harrett on the drums and Brett Robinson joined on pedal steel guitar. In April 2012, Jeremy Mackinder was replaced by Joey Spina on guitar. The album Grandpa's Guitar was released in December 2014. It features three cover tunes: Bruce Springsteen's "Highway Patrolman," "Today I Started Loving You Again" by Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens, and "Dead Flowers" by The Rolling Stones.

Current line-up

As of August 2018, the line-up features Whitey Morgan on guitar/vocals, Johnny Up on pedal steel guitar, Joey Spina on guitar, Alex Lyon on Bass, Tony Martinez on acoustic guitar and Eric Savage on drums.

National recognition

After touring with fellow Detroit area band The Deadstring Brothers and Wayne "the Train" Hancock, both Bloodshot Records recording artists, Whitey Morgan and the 78's were signed to Bloodshot in 2010. On October 16, 2010, the band performed on NPR's Mountain Stage. They played a four-song, fifteen-minute set.[6] The episode also featured Scott Miller, Gene Watson and The Steel Drivers.[7]

Discography
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
US Country
[8]		 US Heat
[9]		 US Indie
[10]
Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels
  • Release date: September 23, 2008
  • Label: Small Stone Records
 — — —
Whitey Morgan and the 78's 64 48 —
Sonic Ranch
  • Release date: May 19, 2015
  • Label: Whitey Morgan Music
 30 10 29
Hard Times and White Lines
  • Release date: October 26, 2018[12]
  • Label: Whitey Morgan Music
 19 2 5
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos
Year Video
2015 "Waitin' 'Round To Die"

Awards
  • 2009: 3 Detroit Music Awards: Best Country Vocal Performance, Best Country Songwriter, Best Country Album (following the release of their first studio album)[14]
  • 2010: Best Country Recording (following the release of Whitey Morgan and the 78's)
  • 2014: Winner of The Ameripolitan Music Awards Outlaw Country Band of the Year

References
  1. McElhiney, Brian (December 6, 2018). "Whitey Morgan brings outlaw country to Bend". Bend Bulletin. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  2. Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Bradley Torreano. "3 Speed – 3 Speed | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  4. Jason Anderson. "The Holy Cows | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  5. "The OffRamps – Home". Jeremyportermusic.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  6. "Whitey Morgan And The 78's On Mountain Stage". Npr.org. July 29, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  7. NPR's Mountain Stage, Mountainstage.org; accessed July 1, 2015.
  8. "Top Country Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018.
  9. "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018.
  10. "Independent Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018.
  11. Bjorke, Matt (July 13, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report for July 13, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
  12. Leight, Elias (October 26, 2018). "Review: Whitey Morgan and the 78s' 'Hard Times and White Lines'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  13. Bjorke, Matt (December 4, 2018). "The Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: December 4, 2018". Roughstock. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  14. Whitey Morgan and the 78's win 3 Detroit Music Awards, Detroitmusicawards.com; accessed July 1, 2015.
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