2021 convention emcee Craig Morgan to co-headline American Legion World Series Festival

Country artists Craig Morgan and Cooper Alan will headline the evening at The American Legion World Series Festival in Shelby, N.C., on Aug. 10. The festival, held the weekend before the ALWS to thank the community for its support, is free.

It’s a return to Shelby for Morgan, who performed for a limited audience event at the 2022 ALWS. He also sang the national anthem and served as master of ceremonies at The American Legion National Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2021.

“When Craig performed here for us in 2022, our audience responded wholeheartedly to the music and the man,” said Eddie Holbrook, chairman of the local ALWS committee. “We are excited for his performance on a larger stage with a much larger audience.”

The Vinyl Junkies Band from Greenville, S.C., will open for co-headliners Morgan and Alan.

A native and current resident of Tennessee, singer-songwriter Morgan served 17 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve; in August 2023 on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, he surprised the sold-out audience by reenlisting in the Reserve.  

Respected for both his distinctive voice and his range of talent, Morgan is known for his “God, Family, Country” priorities and began his “God, Family, Country Tour 2023” last fall. The tour is in partnership with Operation Finally Home, which provides or improves homes for veterans, first responders, and their families.  

In 2022 co-headliner Cooper Alan sold over 40,000 tickets during his Cooped Up Tour and had 38 sold-out shows. His 2023 spring tour consisted of 21 dates across the United States and Canada.

Morgan’s songs have charted 17 times on the Billboard country charts. “That’s What I Love About Sunday” spent four weeks at the top of the country charts in 2004-2005. His other Top 10 singles are “Almost Home,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “Little Bit of Life,” “International Harvester,” “Love Remembers,” and “Bonfire.” 

Morgan has made more than 16 overseas trips to perform for America’s troops; in December 2022 he performed three concerts for troops and their families stationed at USAG Bavaria in Germany. He received the USO Merit Award in 2006. 

For more information, visit alwsfestival.us.

The 97th American Legion World Series will take place Aug. 15-20 at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, the permanent home of the ALWS.