Album Review – Whitey Morgan and the 78’s – “Live from Bandit Town USA”
Outlaw Country (#580) on the Country DDS.
Whitey Fukkin’ Morgan. Sorry for cussing mom, but there’s something about hearing this dude’s music that makes you feel 100 feet tall and bulletproof. It’s everything that makes up Outlaw country concentrated into its most pure form. Whitey’s the torchbearer for all things Waylon and Paycheck in the modern era. Getting to see him live on a stage with his backing band The 78’s is an even more inebriating experience. This is music that makes you want to hammer nails with your fist and chug motor oil.
There are definitely more prolific performers in country music when it comes to studio output. Hell, Whitey hasn’t released a new one in seven years. He’s no restless songwriter either, usually relying just as much on covers as originals. But when it comes to burning down honky tonks across the United States and beyond, accept no substitutes. It was Whitey Morgan who helped introduce Cody Jinks to the West Coast, not the other way around.
This is officially Whitey Morgan’s second live album, following 2014’s Born, Raised & Live from Flint. That’s Flint, Michigan for the geographically challenged, where Morgan was born and bred. But the second half of his career has been based out of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, about halfway between Fresno and Yosemite. One of his favorite haunts when he’s home is a place called Bandit Town.
Built in the 1970s as an old Western movie set, Bandit Town has been transformed into a part-time event space, with a music venue in the town’s old saloon. The 13-acre property was purchased by Whitey’s significant other some years back, who also happens to be purveyor of the Bandit Brand clothing/merch company. Whitey’s been throwing mini festivals and birthday bashes out there ever since.
Enough with all the background info though. What can you expect from this record? Exactly what you hear when you go out to see Whitey Morgan and the 78’s live, which is a full-tilt, hard-driving, two-tone Outlaw country experience, with a strong emphasis on drinking songs. Whitey Morgan fans will be familiar with all of these songs, and of course, nothing replaces being right there in the room. But if your a Whitey Morgan fan, any new recordings that pop up when you ask Siri to play some Whitey are welcome.
Live From Bandit Town USA is actually a good retrospective for the 2nd half of Whitey Morgan’s career. It includes arguably the two best songs from his last album, “Around Here,” and “What Am I Supposed To Do,” along with his popular cover of Scott H. Biram’s “Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue.” Really for a live album like this, the biggest question is if the recordings are quality, and if it properly reflects the energy in the room. Both if these things come out in the affirmative.
What Whitley Morgan fans really want is a new studio album. All indications are that one is on the way with Shooter Jennings producing. We’ve already heard a few of the new singles, though perhaps there’s currently some delay. Whitey had actually been selling this live album on vinyl at shows for a while. And if nothing else, it’s a great appetizer for the new studio album that Whitey hopefully has in the offing.
Whitey Morgan is one of the real ones still out there doing it the right way, and for all the right reasons. Live From Bandit Town USA reflects that.
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Stream Live From Bandit Town USA
July 28, 2025 @ 8:20 am
Any info on what happened to the band? Only 1/4th of the 78s is still with him. Alex on bass. I’ll have to hear this once my copy arrives, but I cant imagine anyone replacing Brett on pedal steel.
July 28, 2025 @ 9:00 am
After spending some 300 days a year touring early on in his career, Whitey’s been touring more sporadically lately. And with him also being based in rural California, I just think it’s tough for him to keep a band together full-time. I think he really appreciates being home with his kid these days, and doing stuff in his local community. That’s my read on it at least, not drama in the band or anything.
Similarly, Brett Robinson has been hanging around home more. He’s been recording and producing albums under the Alabama Sound Company label. There’s some good stuff there worth checking out.
July 28, 2025 @ 9:58 am
I couldn’t recite the name of the guys in the band (although Whitey shouted them out a bunch of times) but I saw them this weekend and they were super tight. Good crowd, good show. He complained about feedback from the mic a few times…mix could have been better, but they sounded awesome.
July 28, 2025 @ 8:40 am
Great article for some extra Whitey Morgan exposure.
Just a quick note: What Am I Supposed To Do is a cover as well, originally by Don “Doop” Duprie. Another great overlooked artist.
Also: all hail Jeremy Pinnell – who also has a new one coming produced by Shooter.
July 28, 2025 @ 9:48 am
That is my favorite Whitey Morgan song and never knew it was a cover song! I will check out Don Duprie.
I don’t know. I saw Whitney Morgan in concert at the MainStage in Morgantown 2017 or 2018. So many covers. That night he covered 2 Bruce Springsteen and 2 CCR songs. The bar was in separate room but you could still hear the music. Everyone, including us, just gravitated to the bar side of the venue by nights end and had a separate party with the music being background noise. You want to act like a cover band, people will treat it like a cover band show.
July 28, 2025 @ 10:07 am
Duprie was working under his group name Doop And The Inside Outlaws when he released the song. Hope that helps.
July 28, 2025 @ 10:56 am
Thanks for bringing up Don Dupre and giving him credit for the song.
I consider cover songs, and songs written by others to be two different things. When Whitey covered Scott Biram’s “Still Drunk,” the song was already widely associated with Biram. With “What Am I Supposed To Do,” it’s a song that Whitey Morgan popularized, so to speak. So I would consider that different from a cover song. But obviously Don Dupre and Doop & The Inside Outlaws deserve credit for cutting the song first.
July 28, 2025 @ 1:08 pm
I think songwriters ultimatelt deserve the credit.
This same discussion could be about Hallelujah (Cohen vs. Buckley), When You Say Nothing At All (Whitley vs. Keating) or Nothing Compares 2U (Prince vs. O’Connor).
In all cases the 2nd person would be the one to popularize it. But I doubt anyone would forgo mentioning the original writers.
Don Dupree did not only cut if first, he wrote it.
July 28, 2025 @ 9:44 pm
Quite common with Bob Dylan songs. All Along the Watchtower, Mighty Quinn, Mr. Tambourine Man, North Country Fare, My Back Pages, and many others.
July 28, 2025 @ 8:51 am
Whitey’s the real deal. He was headlining a small festival last year. He showed up a couple hours late riding shotgun in a wrecker towing his van. He was working under the van, himself, in a truck stop parking lot.
Couldn’t even be mad he showed up late. He still played about 1/2 his set until the organizers made him shut it down.
He coulda just said screw it and bailed completely.
Definitely ready to give this album a spin
July 28, 2025 @ 9:36 am
He’s the AC/DC of this genre. Never reinventing the wheel but executing what he is perfectly.
July 28, 2025 @ 12:30 pm
I’m seeing him and his band perform in Flint on Friday. 🤠 Hometown advantage!
July 28, 2025 @ 12:38 pm
Love Whitey’s sound, definitely makes me want to chug motor oil!
July 28, 2025 @ 3:20 pm
Unquestionably the man is the best at that style of music today. No one is more hard core authentic sounding than Whitey. He’s the real deal. Live albums are fine I guess, but we all would rather hear his new material.
Triggers been on a spree reviewing so many of these new releases lately. Yet there’s one glaring omission that conspicuously hasn’t been reviewed. And I think I know why. Hint: he’s the son of a legend and after making many albums with Promise of The Real, he’s finally done a solo album. I’m guessing it wasnt one you have a lot of things to say about. Its not album of the year material, but it’s got some decent songs. A couple misfires on it, but there’s still some good material.
July 28, 2025 @ 4:18 pm
I haven’t ruled out reviewing the new Lukas Nelson. It came out on a very busy week.
July 28, 2025 @ 4:46 pm
I know I am in the minority, but I am not the biggest fan of live albums. When I buy an album I want to hear the artist, not the fans singing parts of the song or them hooting and hollering through out the song.
If you like live albums, more power to you, but I just don’t care for them. It’s why I don’t go see live performances. , sorry, just guess I am weird.
July 28, 2025 @ 7:18 pm
Live albums are definitely on the second tier of releases for myself as well, and I would say that’s how most listeners regard them. It really asks a lot of a live album to be exceptional. That’s why there was no grade for this. It’s a good live album, but not fair to grade beside original studio recordings.
July 28, 2025 @ 8:50 pm
I understand what you’re saying and I’m not sure about the Country genre, but I come from the 70’s, where live albums became a magical part of the Rock landscape. Some of them were so good they broke bands that went on to be huge. Frampton Comes Alive, KISS Alive, Rush – All The World’s a Stage, and too many others to name were all just incredible multi-platinum records.
I’m very nitpicky though, and I’m not going to pick on Whitey, but I like a live record that has a little banter/crowd in between the tunes and flows seamlessly along with the occasionally introducing the song. Of course the mix matters as well. You can control the “sing along” level as well as everything else much easier these days. You’re both right though, the “live album,” especially when it’s not accompanied by video, is not what it used to be. I’ve seen Whitey many times and he’s always great, but no Honky Tonk Hell last time…..Can’t wait for a new record!!!
July 28, 2025 @ 8:04 pm
Reading this review just solidifies I need to find a way to catch him in concert. He doesn’t come to KS very often. Especially outside the Kansas City area.