The Oregonian recently interviewed Flint’s Whitey Morgan as he and his band prepared for a concert on the west coast. 

The headline? “Morgan’s tough — Flint tough.”

The story opened with the anecdote of an emcee introducing Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, mentioning Morgan’s hometown of Flint. 

“Now, don’t let that scare you,” was her followup, according to the story. 

Reporter Ryan White then led into this:

“That’s exactly the kind of thing that should scare someone. Flint’s tough. And Morgan — tattooed and imposing, his hair and his beard racing to his Telecaster — looks as if he could be the town’s bouncer.”

In the interview, Morgan talks about his grandfather, his own Michigan upbringing and how he doesn’t like being bogged down with titles like “country” singer. 

Read the rest of the article here.

WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78’S

Hometown: Flint, MI

“My job is to show you how much fun drinking is” — Whitey Morgan

“In a world of soft rock-driven country music, there’s little place of the kind of outlaw country pioneered by Willie Nelson (pre-iconic status), Waylon Jennings and Johnny Paycheck. Bullshit, says Whitey Morgan…the band’s barroom country sound – instrumentally full, but naked-sounding compared to the crap on country radio – isn’t retro. It’s classic.” -the Big Takeover

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s are a Honky Tonk band from Flint, Michigan. They haven’t re-invented the wheel. They just picked it up and started it rolling all over again.

In Flint, most of the factories are closed, jobs are scarce and the people are bitter. Whitey sings songs these people can relate to. In much the same way his grandfather and mentor did over 3 decades ago, to a whole generation of southern transplants who came up US-23 to Flint looking for the good life.  Whitey sings it straight, with a “gawd, I wanna keep this guy on my side in a bar fight” urgency that’ll help people forget their problems for a few hours and serve as the guideline for drinking the sorrows away. The 78’s halftimegroove brings out everyone’s dancing shoes and while Whitey and the 78’s play, the world is a better place.Since the release of their first album Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels, Whitey and the band have revived a forgotten genre with a fierce dedication and determination. They’ve toured the country spreading their sound and real deal vibe everywhere they go. They play honky-tonk tunes in any club in any town without apology and with a purpose. Look out, this bad news sounds real good.Around 200 shows a year you can count on Whitey Morgan and the 78’s to deliver.  Whitey’s whiskey tinged vocals, the 78’s foot stomping beats, all relentlessly stirring up dance floors everywhere they go.  The bottle turns up, spirits elevate and in this world, there isn’t a person who couldn’t use Whitey Morgan and the 78’s.

So it’s not punk rock, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good!  Whitey Morgan and the 78’s prove that Flint bands come in all shapes and sizes, even what is traditionally found in America’s heart-land.  Just goes to show you, you don’t have to be from the south to be a real honky tonk band.  You can check out the rest of their material at the link above.  

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s will be playing the SXSW music festival and conference in Austin, TX this year, alongside hundreds of bands from around the world.