Morgan Reid Cryar (February 24, 1958 in Lake Charles, Louisiana) is an American Christian singer, songwriter, producer and mentor. He is especially noted for his creative lyric-writing. He studied for the ministry at Louisiana College in Piketon, graduating with a major in biblical studies. The plan to be a pastor, however, got sidetracked as his CCM career took off.
Cryar's debut, Keep No Secrets, was released in 1984, and its singles "Holy Fire" and "I Get Carried Away" received moderate airplay on Christian radio; but it was his 1986 album, Fuel on the Fire, featuring the chart-topping contemporary Christian single "Pray in the U.S.A." that began his road to success. The music video for "Pray in the U.S.A." was nominated for a Dove Award for Short Form Music Video. In the 1980s, Cryar toured with big names in the CCM industry, such as Petra, Randy Stonehill and DeGarmo & Key promoting Fuel On The Fire and his 1989 follow up Like A River to receptive high school and college-age audiences.
Cryar's level of recognition early on in his career paved the way for his fourth album, Kingdom Upside Down (1990), to reach No. 27 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums despite its criticism as a "pleasantly forgettable album," and for its single, "Father," to hit number one on the Christian AC radio charts. Years after its first release, his song "See You On the Other Side" (also from Kingdom Upside Down) gained a special meaning when it was included in a multi-media presentation following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and subsequently played on mainstream radio stations across the nation. "See You On the Other Side" wasn't the only song to have a second life. In 1998, the hit, "Pray in the U.S.A." was also resurrected from Cryar's back-catalog with a new recording and video shot in honor of the National Day of Prayer. The reprise features an all-star chorus, including some well-known CCM artists.
In the 2000s, Cryar used his experience on stage to energize a career behind the scenes as a record producer, mostly for independent artists, using his own label, Premier Records. He also was part of Christian Music Workshops, teaching songwriting, music business, and stage presence. As of 2007, Cryar was CEO of Singing Success, Inc. and resided in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife and their seven children. Two of his children, daughters Callie and Phoebe, are also musicians. They play instruments and sing in the band The Vespers. Cryar has written Christian radio hits for David Meece ("The Unknown Soldier") and Bruce Carroll ("Breaking the Law of Love").
More information on Morgan Cryar at Wikipedia:
Discography
More Than Meets the Eye (1981) (independent debut album)