Morgan Evans ProfileMorgan Evans has been performing his song, Long Live The Newcastle Knights, since at least 2014. But now, with his beloved Knights playing in this weekend’s NRL Grand Final, he’s officially released it.
In 2014, the Australian-born, Nashville-based country star explained that he wanted to create an anthem for his club that would inspire the players, fans and members across a stadium whenever the Knights would celebrate a win.
“The idea of singing this song, with the crowd, in a full Hunter Stadium, after cheering the boys on to a big win gives me goosebumps,” he said.
As his team makes its first Grand Final appearance in 25 years on Sunday (4 October), it’s the perfect time for Evans to release his song dedicated to the Knights. The singer’s tribute to his beloved Newcastle Knights, previously available only on CD, is now on streaming services.
Discussing the song’s long journey in a new interview with Triple M Newcastle, Evans explained that he found the original CD, held it up for the hosts to see, and had to buy a CD drive to upload it to his computer.
“We’ve just managed to put it up on Spotify, so you can go and stream this song now ahead of the game,” he said.
Check out the song below.
Earlier this year, he released the song Steel Town (Knights Version).
“It’s a big day for Newy, playing for a spot in the Grand Final,” Evans wrote on Instagram, along with a series of photos celebrating his Knights fandom.
He added, “Been working on this version for months… The original lyric in the chorus was ‘Newcastle Knights crowd.’ That’s back, and so is the crowd. Huge thanks to the NRL for letting us use some of the commentary from the 1997 Grand Final.”
His album, Steel Town, has earned Evans another ARIA Award nomination this year. Along with the Knights tribute, the deluxe edition also features a song for Evans’ mum and a cover of a Garth Brooks track he remembered singing with his family.
Steel Town marked Evans’ first album in seven years, following on from 2018’s Things That We Drink To, which won the ARIA Award for Best Country Album in 2019. His latest LP reached #17 on the ARIA Albums Chart and #3 on the Australian Country Albums Chart.
Earlier this year, Evans told Countrytown that crafting his new music was tied to a newfound connection with his earliest days in music.
“That all starts with me going back to my hometown and reconnecting with my roots – where I came from and who I used to be… and who I still want to be,” Evans explained. “It felt like the sky was falling down and the walls were caving in, but when I got back home, it was such a good, grounding thing.
“I’m sure it is for everyone when they go back to their hometown.”
Evans will soon return home to join Australian Idol as a judge alongside singers Marcia Hines and Amy Shark.
