By Mary Whitfill

Staff Writer

Cory Morrow, originally from Houston, returns to the Lone Star State Saturday night for a show at the Granada Theater, before setting out to tour Colorado in January.

Cory Morrow began to show interest in a musical career in high school when he started to play guitar. He then continued to study music at Texas Tech University and moved to Austin, Texas, the live music capital of the world.

Cory Morrow has had two country music singles “Texas On My Mind” and “Beat Of My Heart” since 2001, and one music video, “He Carries Me”, released in 2008. Below is a list of Cory Morrow’s CD releasing:

• 1997 – Texas Time Travelin’ EP
• 1997 – The Cory Morrow Band
• 1998 – The Man That I Have Been
• 2001 – Double Exposure: Live
• 2001 – Songs We Wish We’d Written
• 2002 – Outside the Lines
• 2003 – Full Exposure Live
• 2005 – Nothing Left To Hide
• 2007 – Ten Years
• 2008 – Vagrants & Kings

Performing with Morrow is the band Southern Drive, whose first show was on New Year’s Eve in 2006. The band’s first album, released in 2008, was titled Take a Ride and since its release the band has continued to wow fans at sold out shows across Texas and Louisiana.

I can’t wait for Saturday’s concert – check back late Saturday night for a concert review.

Last nights show was an interesting one, and I have to say that I spent most of the night mad, rather than enjoying the show. As a general rule, Granada doors open at seven, the opening band begins at eight, and the main performance starts at nine. Yes, Cory Morrow, nine. Not 11.

Cory Morrow kept the crowd waiting for about two hours while he did who-knows-what back stage, and by about 10:15, half the people left because they were tired of waiting on him.

But, overall it was a loss for those people because once he set foot on stage, he was rocking the crowd. He opened up with a few of his less popular songs, but then got the crowd involved with “Texas Time Machine,” a proven audience favorite.

My favorite part of Morrow’s performance however, was when he introduced his band members.

While introducing the keyboardist, the artist broke into a spontaneous Journey cover of “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Just a small town girl/living in a lonely world/took the midnight train going anywhere/just a city boy/born and raised in South Detroit/took the midnight train going anywhere), to which the crowd took to fondly, helping him sing the famous song.

The drummer then proceeded to break into an amazing, 30 plus second, drum solo, while the lead guitarist jumped around for about a minute after his introduction.

I was also quite impressed with Southern Drive. While their lyrics could use some work, the chorus of one song consisting of “she’s a cougar” over and over, their sound was good and I was not surprised that their shows usually generated many audience members.

For the most part, I would recommend seeing Morrow next time he comes to town, I would just arrive about an hour late as to not be standing around waiting, bored out of your mind.