HISTORY

  An intense, multi-talented instrumentalists, prolific songwriter, and an innovative record producer, Morris has a passion for his music.

 “Music has always been the first love of my life. No matter what. Whenever I tried to do something other than music, something eventually always kicked me back into music again. It’s definitely my calling in life”.

  Morris calls his music a mix bag of early influences. His early influences include: The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Beatles, Johnnie Rivers, Bob Dylan, and British Blues artist John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers. “My early influences are definitely there in my music, I can’t change that.

  Born in Appalachia, West Virginia, Morris was the 12th child of 14 children. “We were the typical dirt poor family from the hills”. After both parents died Morris was adopted and raised by his oldest brother Roy and his wife Sheila, out west in Washington State. “When dad passed away when I was 5 and mom when I was 11”. I could have ended up in an orphanage if it wasn’t for Roy and Sheila. I consider myself very, very lucky.

 ”Roy taught me my first songs on the guitar. Instrumentals like: ‘The Old Spinning Wheel’, ‘Wildwood Flower’ and ‘Guitar Boogie’.” His brother’s teaching paid off and soon made a significance change for the bashful 12 year old. “I was a very, very shy kid and wouldn’t play in front of anyone for years”. “I could barley even talk to people let alone play for them.”

  After graduating from high school, Morris then moved to Seattle, and began playing in various bands and night clubs around the area for the next 5 years. With the help and influence from an old friend, bluesman-John Hodgkin, Morris took up an offer to join Clarence ‘Gatemouth” Brown’s  band on guitar and steel guitar playing one-niters across the country. “I loved playing in Gatemouth’s band, it was probably the greatest musical ‘education’ I’ve ever experienced. He was a great guy to work with, and a true original  master and of the guitar and fiddle”.

  December of 1980, Morris visited family in Virginia and decided to stay on the east coast for a while. After years of house gigs around Chesapeake Bay, he picked up again and moved to Nashville in the 1990’s in pursuit of his songwriting. “I figured if I didn’t do it then, I never would, and would one day look back and regret not going”

  After a few months in Music City, Morris landed a dream job as a recording studio demo session musician. “I learned a lot in the 5 years working in that little studio in Nashville. It was very exciting, I was playing most all the instruments, co-writing and arranging songs as well as co-producing.

  In 2002, Morris returned to the Pacific Northwest, to the tiny rural town where he grew up during his teenage years. “I got tired of chasing after ‘plastic’ rainbows. If I were to ever achieve any kind of success at all, this time it will have to be on my terms. "If I’m going to expect someone to like my music, it has to be up to snuff, and it has to say something close to the heart".

  Innovative technology and the internet have recently opened up a wealth of opportunities for the musician/singer/songwriter in the last few years. Not only can you pitch songs via computer, but you can also set up shop and sell your music on the world-wide web”.

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