Music
Chuck Morgue has been an enthusiastic musician since recieving his first guitar (a Hohner acoustic for $80) at the age of 14. He has maintained an active interest in a variety of musical genres over the years, writing an performing solo and in several short-lived bands.
SONGS OF AN ALL AMERICAN HEATHEN (2004)
Chuck recorded a solo record in 2004 titled "Songs Of An All American Heathen" which was released briefly but was discontinued over disagreements with the small indedependent record label. The record, co-produced by Robert Johnson (not THAT Robert Johnson, obviously) was comprised of original acoustic songs, written in a dark folk and country/western style, recorded on an analog 4-track recorder. One song from this record ("In The Dead Of Night") was featured in Chuck's 2010 novel The Hurricane Party. Recently, Chuck reacquired the publishing rights to this low-fi acoustic record, and plans to rerelease it eventually, with some alterations to the mix.
In 2010, Chuck recorded a "sequel" titled "American Heathen 2: Songs From The Long And Hollow Road" but was never released. The songs featured the same songwriting style, but was produced with digital recording equipment. It was co-produced with Robert Johnson whom also played bass on the recordings. These recordings may also eventually be released after the necessary production tweaks.
GOOD ORDINARY SONGS (2011)
In February 2011, Chuck spent several days in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and the surrounding area long-regarded at the birthplace of The Blues (and subsequently, Rock and Roll). He visited historical locations associated with the Mississippi Blues Delta, including the gravesite of blues legend Robert Johnson. Along with his wife, Fallon, and his long-time musical partner/producer Robert Johnson (no relation), Chuck recorded an EP of acoustic songs on a single-track analog recorder. A mix of originals, reworkings of traditional songs, and a cover of Johnson's "Me And The Devil Blues" (recorded at Johnson's gravestone), the finished album was titled Good Ordinary Songs (the friends stayed in the "Good Ordinary" apartment above Morgan Freeman's blues nightclub Ground Zero) and was released as a free download just a few weeks later in cooperation with Exterminate The Brutes Records.
SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT (2011)
In September 2011, Chuck released this free digital download featuring two Nirvana covers: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Something In The Way" as a tribute to the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's groundbreaking Nevermind album. The late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain has been a major musical inspiration to Chuck since his early teen years, with Nirvana being one of the first bands to really get his attention, and the legacy of the band is still an obsession of his to this day.
THE JOYFUL MISERY PROJECT (2012 and beyond)
The Joyful Misery is Chuck Morgue's current musical project. The debut record will feature a variety of musicians, collaborating on a collection of original songs both old and newly written by Chuck specifically for this project. The songs will be a mixture of dark folk and country, as is Chuck's preference, but will also feature garage rock and punk-inspired songs. Essentially the plan is to pay tribute to Johnny Cash, Tom Petty and Iggy Pop all in the same breath. The album is expected to be released in the later-half of 2012, once again through Exterminate The Brutes Records.
YOUTUBE COVER SONGS
Chuck Morgue has also spent the last year releasing video recordings of his acoustic cover songs. With songs from such varied artists as Hank Williams, Michael Jackson, Dio and others, these videos showcase Chuck's great love of music from many different genres.