"....Some tribute artists might look or even sound like the star but they fail to capture the spirit... C.J. captures that combination of beauty, sweetness 
and wit that Dolly embodies...." - Tam Renfro, Chicago, IL

"C.J. spoke with our youth group about the importance of believing in yourself, kindness and the value of a 'coat of many colors,' which she performed as part of the presentation....the kids were visibly moved....." - Sherril Callan, Cincinnati, OH

"I hired “Dolly” to entertain at my wife’s 50th birthday party and everyone absolutely loved it! CJ was a delight…she was prepared, funny, sounded and looked great. She played the songs we had requested as well as some other Dolly tunes, and was gracious enough to let me borrow the mic to sing an Elvis tune to my wife. In short, CJ and Jack (her husband) were extremely accommodating and they did everything they could to make sure we had a great time (we did!). They also didn’t complain when our event got pushed back at the last minute and they had to wait around for longer than they were supposed to (they just rolled with the punches with a smile). All in all, we could not have been happier." 
  - Bob Jordan, Philadelphia, PA
C.J. Morgan as Dolly ... More of what others say....

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 Husband and Wife Win Unusual Trophies 
in Orlando

  September 3, 2018 - C.J. Morgan, a nationally recognized Dolly Parton tribute artist and her husband Jack Bullard, a photo double and impersonator of film icon Jack Nicholson were presented with the male and female 'Mirror Image' Awards at the 16th Annual Sunburst Convention for Celebrity Impersonators. The convention is open to professional entertainers who perform as well-known celebrities, real or fictional. Athletes, politicians, film stars and musical legends, past and present are represented, from the pirate Jack Sparrow to golf pro Tiger Woods to Lady Gaga.  
  Morgan has been portraying the country superstar since 2011. She sings, plays instruments and often uses a multi-media format for her show. She also does singing telegrams, meet & greets, photo ops and more as Ms. Parton.
  Jack, known in the business as a 'dead-ringer,' is the 'official Jack' for the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO, which inspired Stephen King to write the novel 'The Shining.' 

  The Award is an honor voted on by peers attending the convention and goes to the performers who most resemble the stars they portray.
  Married for 5 years, the couple met at the convention in 2011 but didn't really start getting to know each other until they found themselves in Las Vegas at the same time two years later, visiting mutual friends.

  Morgan and Bullard are also popular on the speaking circuit, offering a motivational presentation about what it's really like to be a celebrity impersonator and offering the sage advice to 'Be Yourself.'
  "Sounds kind of funny, coming from a couple people who make their living being someone else!" quips Bullard. 
  Morgan says they are asked many questions about their unusual career choices. "In this presentation, we answer the questions that we get most often...It's part performance and part keynote address and we have a lot of fun with it..." 

  For more information, call Top Ten Productions at 615-289-4815

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C.J. Morgan Wins Award in Las Vegas

   Feb. 23, 2017 - C.J. Morgan was recently presented a REEL Award for her portrayal of country music icon Dolly Parton. The prestigious award is voted on by peers and given in conjunction with the Celebrity Impersonator Convention (CIC) held each year in Las Vegas. 
   In our celebrity-obsessed culture, professional impersonators, tribute artists and lookalikes - often acting as decoys for the real thing – have become a highly specialized subset of show business. Although photo and body doubles have long been a staple in films, today’s tribute artists and bands have a unique niche in the industry as the top tier of bona-fide stars become more elusive, exclusive and expensive. Impersonators are available for shows, meet & greets, emcee duties, commercials, print work and more. It is the often the impersonator or tribute artist who works hardest to share and keep the music and memories alive, sometimes long after the original is gone or retired.
   C.J., a BMI-affiliated songwriter, started her musical career playing keyboards in a band with her brother. Her father is originally from East Tennessee and she says she drew inspiration from his background and family which was similar to Ms. Parton’s. In fact, she grew up with much of the same old country gospel that the Parton family sang in churches.
   As an actress, Ms. Morgan impersonates more characters but finds that Dolly is the easiest for her. Others, such as Barbara Eden and Joan Rivers are not as much in demand. “Dolly is an international superstar, well-known and loved throughout the world for her music, movies and humanitarian efforts," says Morgan. Indeed, when recent wildfires devastated parts of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and surrounding areas, Ms. Parton stepped up to the plate, directing part of her non-profit Dollywood Foundation toward helping those who had lost their homes.
   C.J. enjoys doing charity functions, children's events and hospital visits, sharing Dolly Parton's cheery optimism with those who most need it. "I'm proud to portray someone like Dolly," C.J. adds. "I think we have the same sense of humor and at least some of the same values." Her husband, Jack Bullard, who works internationally as a photo double for film star Jack Nicholson (See www.jacknicholsonimpersonator.com) says "they both share a spontaneous, bubbly, down-to-earth personality as well as physical features." He adds that she has "turned a lot of people on to Dolly's music, including me!"
  C.J. and Jack have put together a motivational speaking presentation that they now offer throughout the country about what it's like to be a celebrity impersonator.  

For more information call 615-289-4815.

https://thereelawards.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/98330222154/ 

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C.J. Morgan honored by Industry  


BOOK RELEASE; DAILY DOUBLES 2 – CELEBRITY IMPERSONATORS

  May 20, 2023 – C.J. Morgan and Jack Bullard are award-winning  celebrity impersonators. They are now award-winning authors and motivational speakers. 
    DAILY DOUBLES 2– Celebrity Impersonators, a full-color, hard-bound, coffee-table type book, includes more than 50 of their friends in the business, from ‘Cher’ to ‘Johnny Cash,’ as well as short stories and interviews with each performer. It answers many of the curious questions people have about this unusual niche of show business.
  “We wanted to show the human side of this fascinating business,” says Morgan  who, even out of make-up, resembles country music icon Dolly Parton. “Each performer has a different story, from how they got into the business in the first place to some of their most rewarding and memorable moments.”  
   Bullard, a dead-ringer for film icon Jack Nicholson says “We often get questions about what it’s like to do this for a living –sometimes very personal questions – and we answer those in our speaking presentation. We thought it would be fun to hear how other performers would answer them.”
   Recently honored at the Newberry Library in Chicago, the book was awarded first place in the categories ‘Performing Arts’ and ‘Arts & Entertainment’ and was a finalist for ‘Coffee Table Book’ from the National Indie Excellence Awards and won 'Best Cover Design' and was a finalist for ‘Best Gift Book’ from the  Next Generation Book Awards.
  The book is available on Amazon or through Top Ten Productions at 615-289-4815. 

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C.J. featured in Air BnB Magazine, Fall, 2019
WKU Journalism, Spotlight, July 2021

A NIGHT OF A THOUSAND DOLLYS
Jul 20, 2021 | Spotlight









This fall, Dolly Parton celebrated her 50th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The impersonator Carla Jean Morgan is keeping Dolly’s image — and legacy in country music — alive on the party-town streets of Nashville.
Story by Sara Krog
Photos by Sofie Skødt Mortensen

Carla Jean Morgan comes driving down Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville in her red truck. The street is busy and full of lights, bars and dolled up bachelorettes getting their drink on. This is NashVegas, ground zero for country music and its fans, a place where T-shirts, cowboy boots and an atmosphere of picking — and lots of grinning — plays on, 24-7.
Even though she’s partially hidden inside the car, Carla Jean’s blonde wig makes people on the street take a head-turning gaze. That’s a feat if you consider the buzz and the cast of characters parading this flashy venue on a Music City Saturday night.
Could it be? Fans look at Carla Jean and then look at each other with eyebrows raised.
“Was that Dolly Parton?” they whisper before taking another look.
Carla Jean’s truck takes a turn left into a parking lot. She opens the door and jumps to the ground before she puts on her black heels, a necessity for her outfit. In Dolly’s world, there are no flat shoes. And nearly everything has some sparkle.
Soon the crowd realizes – this is not the real Dolly, but it’s a pretty good 'Almost Dolly,' as Carla Jean calls herself.
________________________________________

Carla Jean Morgan, 65, has stepped into her character and intends to stay there for the rest of the night. Her career is to impersonate the blonde megastar who is as close to Nashville royalty as they come. It’s almost like every other acting job, Carla Jean says.
Be true to your character.
Her part must be taken seriously, and Carla Jean’s 'Dolly' is authentic. She wears specially tailored replicas of Dolly Parton’s original costumes brought in from England, and she owns 54 wigs that she keeps back home in Sevier County, Tennessee. She’s got Dolly’s bubbly laugh, her over-the-top makeup and larger-than-life lashes down pat. Dolly has always been in on her own joke.
And so is Carla Jean.

When impersonating Dolly, it’s all about the glittery details.
Tonight, Carla Jean wears a white leather dress with silver sparkles and gloves. They glitter in the glare of lights atop multitiered bars. Music blares. Everywhere. But it’s a fitting vibe.
To be Dolly Parton, nothing is subtle, Carla Jean says. Dolly is 73, but she is vivacious, true to her roots and timeless.
Carla Jean, as an impersonator, strives for the same.
She walks arm in arm with her husband, Jack Bullard. The two of them met in 2011 at a convention for impersonators. He’s a big man in a yellow jacket and Wayfarer sunglasses. He impersonates Jack Nicholson, and to be honest, he’s making that work.
When the couple met, it wasn’t love at first sight. Jack didn’t care for Dolly Parton - or county music in general (and she was not a Jack Nicholson fan), but that’s a necessity if you want to love Carla Jean Morgan. You have to love Dolly Parton, too.
But “today I know more about Dolly than any other men in this world,” he says lovingly.
It’s perhaps an assignation that Parton’s real-life, out-of-the-spotlight husband Carl Thomas Dean might say about his very own Jolene.
And so they stroll, parting the crowds.

A weird celebrity vibe surrounds them, Dolly and Jack. People know that they’re not the real deal. But they still garner plenty of attention.
An older couple asks for a group picture. A woman looks at Jack and yells into his face: “Oh my god, are you Jack Nicholson?”
They walk across the streets, through the door of her favorite restaurant and sit down in a booth. She orders a cup of milk and a catfish sandwich — no bread just fries.
Southern. Like Dolly might.
Neither drinks a lot of alcohol. In showbiz, you can do that as a rock star with an established image, but not if you’re an impersonator. It takes hard work to embody an icon with a buxom but wholesome image, Carla Jean says.
________________________________________

Show business was Carla Jean’s first goal.
She earned a master’s degree in education psychology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, but a brain injury back in 1993 changed her life and career path drastically. One night in a restaurant, a TV became untethered and fell on her head. There was no blood to see, and the X-ray showed no bruises.
But the injury was life-changing.
Carla Jean ended up homeless and nearly suicidal, she says today. She lived in her car and scraped out an existence as she battled back to become the best version of her new self.
There were lingering impacts.
Years later, Carla Jean endured memory loss and completely lost her ability to play the piano, something she’d been doing since she could reach her grandmother’s piano in the living room.
Like the real Dolly, music was the connector with her roots.
A huge part of Carla Jean’s own identity fell apart in the years after she was hurt.
Music had, as for many others in Nashville, been a big part of her personality. She played concerts downtown and wrote songs, hoping to make a breakthrough in the country industry.
But she never did, and after the accident, she settled with the thought that it might never happen.
“It took a long time and a lot of anger to rehabilitate,” she said. “I don’t think I’m the piano player I used to be, but I can play again. My memory is still not that good, but I have managed to live with it.”
After the injury, Carla Jean somehow — in time — found herself again by looking and acting like her lifelong idol, Dolly Parton, whose own story comes framed with a similar resilience. The real Dolly grew up in a single-room cabin with 11 siblings. But she rose from the hard-scrabble of her youth to make millions of dollars and become a legend.
Carla Jean rose, too, acknowledging their similarities. She always has played Dolly’s songs. Their faces bear a strong resemblance. Carla Jean made a good Dolly, she thought deep down, but at first, she said it felt wrong to pretend to be someone else.
Someone so beloved.
“When you have an idol that means that much to you, as she means to me, it felt almost like blasphemy — like pretending to be God,” she said. “I know it sounds stupid.”
Her fascination started in her teenage bedroom back in Wisconsin many years earlier, but she never imagined she could make a living out of impersonating someone else, let alone a musical icon.
At a look-a-like contest in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2012 she put her Dolly on for the first time, as she calls it. It was a bold move, and it wasn’t her intention that night. She just wanted to listen in, but more and more people came to her and asked if she was going to be in the contest.
“I had been in show business before, so I went home to pick up a wig and some showy clothes that I had already,” she said. “I did my best to look as Dolly-like as I could, and when I went back to the bar and onto the stage, I sang. It was the kind of contest where the applause of the audience decides the winner. When it came to me, they just kept cheering and cheering.”
At midnight, in a kind of reverse Cinderella-like fashion, she won the contest, called “A night of a thousand Dollys,” and a transformation occurred.
Afterward, she kept saying to herself that people must have been too drunk to vote for another. But her heart offered the inkling that she could pull off playing Dolly.
​__________________________________________________________________________

It wasn’t until a former colleague, Sheila Kelly, who at the time was with Diamond Tours, took Carla Jean to a concert in Dollywood in the Great Smoky Mountains, that she finally found the courage to embody this character fully.
And this was the first time Carla Jean met Dolly in person.
The two colleagues ended up winning a lunch and a meet and greet with Dolly. The meeting made Carla Jean a little nervous. She remembers being totally unprepared, dressed as she was, ready to ride a roller coaster and spill ketchup all over herself. No makeup, no wig.
Then, it finally became Carla Jean Morgan’s chance to shake Dolly’s hand.
“Dolly just looked at her and said, ‘Well, we could be sisters,’” Carla Jean’s friend Sheila said. “I think it’s her light skin that makes her look so much like Dolly.”
Kelly told her that if the real Dolly thinks they look like each other, it must be true. And since that day, Carla Jeans’s version of Dolly starting getting booked for more and more shows.

Today she makes a decent living out of it, acknowledging “you have to be a little crazy to do this.”
In the restroom in the back of the restaurant, she pulls out her toiletry bag and gently puffs her hair with a comb. Big hair is Dolly’s signature look, and it requires some maintenance.
She puts more lipstick on. Big makeup is also a Dolly trademark. Usually, it only takes her 30 minutes to go from Carla Jean to Dolly. The breasts — perhaps Dolly’s signature accoutrement — are there already, she says and points at her upper body.
Dolly, she acknowledges, provided her comfort about her looks when she was coming into her own as an adolescent. The shyness that came with the development of her body made her look to Dolly and find acceptance — that is was OK to somehow look a little different. Dolly made her boobs her signature. Carla Jean would make peace with her own bounty, too.
And maybe that is part of Dolly’s charm.

The country star exudes an overwhelming confidence and that’s how she became so embraced by so many different groups. This includes many in the LGBTQ-community, whose own search for acceptance amid differences parallel Dolly’s journey from holler-dweller to hillbilly fame.
For Carla Jean, her drag friends helped her perfect her Dolly-look. Dolly has said that if she was born a male, she would be a drag queen.
She loves glitter that much.
“Dolly never makes any excuses for who she is,” said Carla Jean.
And neither does Carla Jean Morgan as herself.
She leaves the restaurant, and walks back into Broadway’s almost electric neon vibe. Immediately, two girls in cowboy boots come up to her. Carla Jean, in character, wears the attention like a real celebrity.
Like an 'Almost Dolly.'

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