Steve Morse

Infobox musical artist
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Instrument = Guitar
Name = Steve Morse
Birth_name = Steven J. Morse

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Img_capt = Steve Morse live with Deep Purple in Canada 2006
Born = birth date and age|1954|7|28
Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Died =
Alias =
Genre = Rock, Instrumental rock, Fusion
Occupation = Musician, Songwriter
Associated_acts = Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Kansas, Living Loud
Label =
Notable_instruments = Music Man Steve Morse Signature model
Years_active = 1970–present
URL = [http://www.stevemorse.com www.stevemorse.com]

Steven J. Morse (born July 28, 1954 in Hamilton, Ohio) is an American guitarist, best known as the founder for the Dixie Dregs, and the guitar player in Deep Purple since 1994.

Morse's career has encompassed rock, country, funk, jazz, classical, and fusion of these musical genres. In addition to a thriving solo career, he enjoyed a brief stint with Kansas in the mid 80s.

Early years

Morse's father was a minister and his mother a classically trained pianist; both were also psychologists. The family moved to Tennessee, then Ypsilanti, Michigan, where Morse spent his childhood. Although familiar with piano and clarinet, Morse ultimately became interested in guitar.

Morse worked briefly with his brother Dave in a band called The Plague until the family moved to Augusta, Georgia. In the late 60s, he played in a band called Three with his older brother. Enrolled in the Academy of Richmond County, he met bassist Andy West and, together, they formed the nucleus of the Dixie Grit, adding keyboardist Johnny Carr, guitarist and vocalist Frank Brittingham with Dave Morse drumming. However, this effort was short lived, since covering Led Zeppelin, Cream and the like limited their ability to get higher-paying jobs at local dance halls.

West and Morse continued to play as a duet billed as the Dixie Dregs until Morse's expulsion from school in the 10th grade (for refusing to cut his hair) enabled his enrollment at the esteemed University of Miami School of Music.

During the 1970s, the University of Miami played host to a number of future influential musicians, including Bruce Hornsby, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and others. Andy West also enrolled at the University of Miami and, with Morse, drummer Bart Yarnall, keyboardist Frank Josephs and violinist Allen Sloan, collaborated in a lab project entitled Rock Ensemble II. Rehearsing and performing Morse's compositions at the University of Miami brought some attention to his credibility as a composer and player. The group compiled a recording used for promotional efforts in 1975. This recording was eventually released as "The Great Spectacular" in 1997.

Dixie Dregs

Upon Morse's graduation from the University of Miami in 1975, he and West officially named the group Dixie Dregs. A fellow University of Miami alumnus, Rod Morgenstein, replaced the injured Bart Yarnall and the band commenced performing on a very regular basis, interspersing their compositions with covers of John McLaughlin and of southern rock gems. Despite their decidedly non-commercial intent, an increasingly heavier performance schedule eventually led to the attention of Capricorn Records recruiters including Allman Brothers Band manager Twiggs Lyndon and, in late 1976, the group was signed by the vaunted southern rock label.

Their first effort for Capricorn, "Free Fall", established Morse as an important newcomer to the fusion genre, and he was recognized for both his compositional skills and his consummate musicianship. Considered a pivotal jazz fusion piece in a genre gone cold, his tunes are bright, complex and fresh. Critically acclaimed, the album showed little commercial promise and, in 1978, "What If" was released. Widely considered The Dixie Dregs' finest work, Morse's playing had matured into something a bit more than what defined fusion at the time. Southern rock, classical, folk and country elements combined to form a cohesive and complex pastiche of passionate and highly listenable music. Though supported by a tour, record sales remained flat, but gained Morse and the band an invitation to perform at Montreux Jazz Festival on July 23, 1978. The recorded performance was released the following year on "Night of the Living Dregs". Capricorn went bankrupt in late 1979, and the Dixie Dregs were stranded without a label.

Arista Records stepped in to sign the band to record three albums in 1979. Production control was handed to Morse, and "Dregs of the Earth" was released in May 1980. All eight tracks were written by Morse, and the album peaked at number 27 on Billboard's Jazz Album Chart.

Arista became increasingly concerned about Dixie Dregs' album sales and pressured the band to change their name to simply "The Dregs" in an attempt to address the band's visibility in the public eye. "Unsung Heroes" brought eight additional Morse compositions forward in early 1981, but the name change did little to address Arista's worries. The Dregs were compelled to add lyrics to their next effort, appropriately titled "Industry Standard", an apparent reference to executive and management oversight of their creative process.

Despite this, Morse's compositions on "Industry Standard" are often considered more akin to his evolving solo work than Dregs' collaborations, and the album stands out to critical and public praise. "Industry Standard" was voted "Best Guitar LP" by readers of "Guitar Player" magazine in their annual reader's poll that year. Additionally, Morse was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" in the same poll, an honor that he would enjoy for five consecutive years (which ended his eligibility by retiring him into their "Gallery of Greats", a distinction shared only by Steve Howe of Yes.) Having fulfilled their commitment to Arista, the band succumbed to the pressures of constant gigging, and disbanded in early 1983.

In the late 1980s, the group reunited for a tour featuring former members Morse, Morgenstein, Lavitz and Sloan. Their return was complemented by a "Best Of" release entitled "Divided We Stand". Bassist Dave LaRue completed the line-up for a seven date tour culminating in the 1992 live album Bring 'em Back Alive. Violinist Jerry Goodman, of The Mahavishnu Orchestra fame, filled in for Sloan, who was frequently absent as a result of his busy medical career. They signed a deal with former label Capricorn Records for their first studio album in years entitled Full Circle in 1994.

teve Morse Band and Kansas

Morse began putting together the Steve Morse Band, a trio with Jerry Peek (bass) and Doug Morgan (drums). Rod Morgenstein soon replaced Morgan, and they began recording "The Introduction" in September. The group toured Germany in early 1984 with Morse conducting clinics, and the group was signed by Elektra Records, who released "The Introduction" mid-year. A second German tour began in December 1984 and "Stand Up" was released in 1985. This effort included guest vocalists and guitarists (Eric Johnson, Alex Ligertwood, Peter Frampton, Albert Lee, Van Temple), and violinist Mark O'Connor. He toured with Rush as a main opener on their Power Windows tour becoming lifelong friends with Alex Lifeson, a fellow guitarist and pilot. The two men would fly to a few performances together in Lifeson's private plane.Fact|date=December 2007

In 1986, Morse joined the rock group Kansas. While with the band, they released two albums, "Power" and "In the Spirit of Things". While he was with the band, Kansas had its last big hit, "All I Wanted," which reached the Billboard Top 20 and on which Morse received co-writing credit. Morse left the band after touring behind the latter album. He again played with the band for part of their 1991 tour.

From late 1987 to early 1988, Steve worked as a commercial airline co-pilot. [ [http://www.innerviews.org/inner/morse.html Steve Morse: Unsung hero ] ] [ [http://www.stevemorse.com/interviews/198803guitarplayer.html stevemorse.com: Guitar Player, March, 1988 ] ]

Deep Purple

During the 1993 Deep Purple tour supporting their The Battle Rages On album, Ritchie Blackmore quit the band in the middle of a tour. Before they settled on Morse as a permanent replacement, Joe Satriani served as a short-term replacement to finish the tour. Since then, Morse has played four Deep Purple studio albums, as well as seven of their live albums.

In addition to playing with Deep Purple, Morse, together with Jimmy Barnes, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake and Don Airey, formed Living Loud in 2003.

Influence and Technique

Morse is considered one of the most accomplished guitarists [ [http://www.vintagerock.com/smorse_interview.aspx Steve Morse: The Hardest Working Guitarist In Show Business ] ] , playing in a wide variety of genres in only thirty years. He is known for his stylistically diverse compositional skills and virtuosic abilities [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=25222 Steve Morse: Life With and Without The Dregs ] ] , and was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" by Guitar Player magazine for five years in a row [ [http://www.thehighwaystar.com/rosas/jouni/sm.html The Steve Morse Discobiography ] ] , qualifying him for their "Guitar Player Hall of Fame", the only other member being Steve Howe of Yes. He is regularly cited by John Petrucci as a major influence [ [http://www.thefunkygibbons.net/John%20Petrucci.html TheFunkyGibbons.net ] ] , and has proven himself throughout his career as capable of playing highly complex chord structures in classical sequences, as well as being able to play fast, shredded arpeggios. Another interesting point about Steve Morse's playing style is that he uses the rounded side of the plectrum to pick his guitar strings. He is also well known for using harmonics and improvising them in songs during live performances, such as in Deep Purple's "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming".

Discography

With Dixie Dregs

*1975 "The Great Spectacular" (Formally released in 1997)
*1977 "Free Fall"
*1978 "What If
*1979 "Night Of The Living Dregs"
*1980 "Dregs Of The Earth"
*1981 "Unsung Heroes"
*1982 "Industry Standard"
*1989 "Divided We Stand"
*1992 "Bring 'Em Back Alive"
*1994 "Full Circle"
*1997 "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents" - "The Dregs 1979"
*2000 "California Screamin"
*2002 "20th Century Masters: The Best Of The Dixie Dregs"
*2002 "Sects, Dregs & Rock 'n' Roll"

With the Steve Morse Band and solo

*1984 "The Introduction"
*1985 "Stand Up"
*1989 "High Tension Wires"
*1991 "Southern Steel"
*1992 "Coast To Coast"
*1995 "Structural Damage"
*1996 "StressFest"
*2000 "Major Impacts"
*2002 "Split Decision"
*2004 "Major Impacts 2"
*2005 "Prime Cuts - From Steve Morse's Magna Carta sessions"

With Deep Purple

*1996 "Purpendicular"
*1997 "Live at the Olympia '96"
*1998 "Abandon"
*1999 "Live at the Royal Albert Hall"
*1999 ""
*2001 "Live at the Rotterdam Ahoy"
*2001 "The Soundboard Series"
*2003 "Bananas"
*2005 "Rapture of the Deep"
*2006 "Live at Montreux 1996"
*2007 "They All Came Down to Montreux"

=With Kansas=

*1986 "Power"
*1988 "In the Spirit of Things"
*1998 "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas"
*2004 ""

Guest appearances with other artists

*1977 "Tropical Nights" - Liza Minnelli
*1980 "Schemer-Dreamer" - Steve Walsh
*1986 "Storytime" - T Lavitz
*1987 "Stone From Which The Arch Was Made" - Mark O'Connor
*1987 "Surveillance" - Triumph
*1988 "Southern By The Grace Of God: Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour-1987" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
*1988 "Love Your Man" - "The Rossington Collins Band"
*1990 "Nashville Rendez-Vous" - Marcel Dadi
*1991 "Fingers Crossing" - "Marcel Dadi"
*1992 "Country Guitar Flavors" - "Marcel Dadi"
*1992 "Lone Ranger" - "Jeff Watson"
*1993 "Coven, Pitrelli, O'Reilly" - "CPR"
*1994 "Thonk" - Michael Manring
*1995 "Carmine Appice's Guitar Zeus"
*2001 "Seventh Key" - "Seventh Key"
*2001 "Nylon & Steel" - "Manuel Barrueco"
*2001 "Feeding the Wheel" - Jordan Rudess
*2002 "Camino Latino/Latin Journey" - 'Liona Boyd
*2004 "Rhythm Of Time" - "Jordan Rudess"
*2003 "Living Loud" - "Living Loud"
*2006 "Living Loud-Live" - "Living Loud"
*2006 "Gillan's Inn" - Ian Gillan
*2007 "School of the Arts" - School of the Arts (featuring T Lavitz) (Morse contributes acoustic guitar work on 2 tracks, "On Fire" and "Portrait")

Various artist compilations and tributes

*1978 "Hotels, Motels And Road Shows" (Various artists compilation)
*1989 "Guitar's Practicing Musicians" (Various artists compilation)
*1991 "Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol. 2" (Various artists compilation)
*1991 "Guitar Speak III" (Various artist compilation)
*1992 "Rock Guitar Greats" (Various artists compilation)
*1992 "Guitar On The Edge Vol. 2" (Various artist compilation)
*1995 "Tales From Yesterday" (Various artists tribute to Yes)
*1996 "Crossfire - A Tribute To Stevie Ray" (Various artists tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan)
*1996 "Working Man" (Various artists tribute to Rush, Morse plays solos on "La Villa Strangiato" and "Red Barchetta".)
*1996 "The Carols Of Christmas" (Various artist compilation)
*1997 "The Carols Of Christmas II" (Various artist compilation)
*1997 "Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas" (Various artist compilation)
*1997 "Jazz Fusion Vol. 2" (Various artist compilation)
*1998 "Guitar Battle" (Various artist compilation)
*1999 "Tribute to the Titans" (Various artist compilation)
*1999 "Rock Guitarists Forever Best" (Various artist compilation)
*2001 "Warmth In The Wilderness - A Tribute To Jason Becker" (Various artists tribute to Jason Becker)
*2002 "A Southern Rock Christmas" (Various artist compilation)
*2004 "Classical Heartbreakers" (Various artist compilation)
*2005 "Future of the Blues Vol. 2" (Various artist compilation)
*2006 "Back Against The Wall" (Various artist tribute to Pink Floyd's "The Wall")
*2006 "Visions of an Inner Mounting Apocalypse" (Various artist tribute to Mahavishnu Orchestra)
*2006 "The Royal Dan: A Tribute" (instrumental guitar tribute to jazz rock band Steely Dan, featuring a different lead guitarist on 10 different songs, Morse plays Bodhisattva)

References

External links

* [http://www.stevemorse.com Steve Morse's official webpage] .