Country music star Craig Morgan has traveled a hard road on his way to the top.
In his new memoir "God, Country, Family," the 58-year-old recording artist and Army veteran shared intimate details of his life's journey, including his childhood years in Tennessee, his time in the military, his rise to fame in the world of country music and the tragic loss of his son Jerry in 2016.
The memoir also includes Morgan's personal anecdotes and stories as he reflects on his friendships with Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton and other country stars.
Ahead of the book's release on Sept. 27, Morgan opened up in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Morgan recalled growing up in a family of musicians and performing with his father and uncles at a young age. However, he explained that he viewed music as a hobby for his family, not a career.
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"It never seemed like it was something that was a career for them, even though it kind of was, at times, and especially for me, even throughout my military career," he told Fox News Digital.
"It wasn't until later in my military career that I thought that I could possibly pursue it as a profession."
Morgan served almost 10 years of active duty in the United States Army with the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. During his time in the service, he won awards for songs that he wrote and performed for his fellow soldiers.
The "Almost Home" singer rose steadily through the ranks and was told by one of his senior officers that he was on the fast track to becoming a major.
"But he also told me, he said, ‘I think that you have a talent and at minimum you ought to pursue it,’" Morgan recalled.
He was advised to stay in the active reserves while he pursued a career in music so that he could return to the military without losing time in service or rank if he decided he wasn't on the right path.
Morgan launched his music career in 2000 and found success with the release of his second studio album, "I Love It," in 2002. That same year, he joined his first USO tour in Iraq.
"At one point in my career, I was in the music business, had a record deal, had singles on the radio, and I went and did a USO show, and I was still in the active reserves," he recounted.
"And the sergeant major that was there said, ‘Have you done your two-week drill?' And I said, ’No.' He said, ‘Do you want to stay here and do it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’"
Morgan served six and half years in the reserves and teamed up with the nonprofit organization Exodus Road for an undercover mission to fight sex traffickers in Thailand.
Of his work with Exodus Road, Morgan said, "I happened to have a particular skill set that worked out well with what they were attempting to achieve at that time. And I still very much believe in what that organization brings. I'm very passionate about that. I think it's one of the most under-discussed problems in this world."
While building his music career, Morgan befriended and sought advice from other country stars, including Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton.
He revealed that Brooks gave him a valuable piece of advice the beginning of his career. Brooks had cautioned him against using his full name ‘Craig Greer’ as his stage name.
"He's the one that said, 'Don't use your real last name, because you can remember back when I started, we didn't have the technologies that we have, so people couldn't just go on and Google you and look you up and find out everything about you,'" Morgan explained.
"He said, 'You know, you'll want to do that in order to retain some sense of privacy.' And so that's the reason my name is Craig Morgan, because I use my middle name. And then he said, ‘Be prepared for success. In your preparation, you need to understand that even some of the people that are the closest to you may change in expectation of your change.’"
"He said, 'Nobody knows if you're going to change or not, but there are people who love you who will change, thinking that you're going to.' And I experienced it firsthand, exactly what he said."
Morgan told Fox News Digital that Blake Shelton had given him "something beyond advice." He recalled that the "God's Country" singer had spearheaded a viral social media campaign to send Morgan's 2019 "The Father, My Son and Holy Ghost" to the top of the charts.
Morgan had written the heartbreaking single in honor of his late son Jerry. Shelton had just released a new single of his own but had been touched by his friend's song.
"That's how much that song and our friendship and our relationship meant, which meant to me that forever I would be that guy's phone call," he said.
Morgan also opened up about losing his son, who died in a water accident at the age of 19. He and his wife Karen had adopted Jerry through the foster program when his son was two and a half years old.
"When we first got Jerry, I thought, 'Man, I just don't know if I can love a child that we bring into the home as much as I could as I love my own,'" Morgan said. "And what I found out was, he was my own, and I picked him. God delivered him to us and gave us that opportunity."
Morgan explained that it was his family's strong faith that helped endure the terrible loss of Jerry.
"My wife and I are very fortunate that we have so much faith that we do believe that God did not do this. We do understand and appreciate and respect that God didn't stop it, but he didn't do it. And there's a reason for that."
He added, "It doesn't change the heartache. My pain is real. Every day when I wake up, I still think about it, and I will forever have that scar on my life. And it will hurt until the day I get to see him again."
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Morgan continued, "It's just it is what it is, and we can't change it. My youngest son said it best. We live with the suck, but we also, and my wife understands, and I do believe my children do too, that we have faith that God is truly in charge, even in the bad situations."
Morgan also weighed in on what message he wants readers to take away from his memoir.
"I hope that when people read this book, I hope that they're in some way inspired to live and to love and to forgive and know that no matter what happens in our lives, we can still be a positive influence, we can still attain goodness. And I think the harder we work at trying to just be kind and to just love, the easier life is, believe it or not."
He added, "I'm hoping that through the stories in my book, in the life that I've led, people can see that and that they will somehow aspire to be just be nicer and to know that, again, hardships don't necessarily mean bad things."
