- Matt Morris (musician)
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Matt Morris Birth name Matthew Burton Morris Born May 9, 1979 Genres alternative, pop, rock Occupations singer-songwriter, musician, recording artist, performer Instruments vocals, guitar, piano, bass Years active 1991–present Labels Tennman Records, Interscope Records Website mattmorris.net Matthew Burton Morris (born May 9, 1979) is an American pop artist and songwriter. He is the son of country music star Gary Morris. He achieved early fame when he appeared on the Disney Channel television series The Mickey Mouse Club in the early 1990s, where he was a cast member from 1991-1995 (Seasons 4-7). Here he met future collaborators Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, along with future celebrities Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Chasen Hampton, Keri Russell, and JC Chasez. Morris first experienced success as a songwriter in the early 2000s. Morris collaborated with Aguilera on her 2002 RCA Records, "Stripped", co-writing 5 songs with Aguilera and producer Scott Storch, including the hit "Can't Hold Us Down";.[1] Another of their collaborations, "Miss Independent", went on to become a number one hit for American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson. Morris continued his success in songwriting by co-writing with Timberlake the song "Another Song (All Over Again)" for Timberlake's second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). The track was produced by Rick Rubin, and the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Most recently, a song of his appeared on Reba McEntire's Reba: Duets album,[2] which McEntire sings with Timberlake.
Morris' January 2010 performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton on the Hope For Haiti Now telethon became the most downloaded song from the international broadcast's digital release and went to #1 on the iTunes music chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] During the same month, Morris released "When Everything Breaks Open" on Timberlake's Tennman Records. The release gained wide distribution through Interscope Records, garnering much praise in the press.[4]
Contents
Early life
Matt Morris was born and raised in Denver, Colorado by his mother and stepfather, and had no intention of being a country singer like his father, Gary Morris, an American country music artist who charted a string of countrypolitan-styled hit songs throughout the 1980s. However, Morris learned much about songwriting from his father, Gary.[5]
Morris biological parents divorced while he was still an infant. Morris was raised in Denver by his mom, Teri Hernandez, and his stepdad, Ken. They lived in the Barnum neighborhood of Denver until Morris was in the fourth grade, when they moved to Bear Valley.[6]
In 1991, when Morris was in 6th Grade, he joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club.[6] His castmates included future collaborator and pop superstars Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. The show ended in 1994, when Morris was 15. Morris returned to his home in Denver, Colorado with the intention of distancing himself from the entertainment industry and reconnect with his friends and family.[7] Morris attended John F. Kennedy High School [8] and starred in a number of high school plays, including South Pacific and The King and I.[9]
UnSpoken
In 2003, Morris released the independent album UnSpoken. To support the album, Morris toured colleges around the U.S. and gave an interactive session and dialogue with audiences called "Reflections on Artistry and the Business of Music: A Dialogue with Matt Morris." The event consisted of a discussion of Morris' experiences in the music industry, as well as his thoughts about file sharing.[10]
Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic Performances EP
Morris performed at the 2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival. While at the festival, Morris and producer, Charlie Sexton, recorded a series of acoustic performances backstage in the Music Allies recording studio. The songs were compiled as the 5 song EP, Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic Performances, and released by Tennman Records September 23, 2008.[11][12]
When Everything Breaks Open
On January 12, 2010, Morris released When Everything Breaks Open on Justin Timberlake’s label, Tennman Records.[13] In support of the album, Morris performed on a number of television shows, including The David Letterman Show, Ellen and Lopez Tonight. When Everything Breaks Open was co-produced by Charlie Sexton and Justin Timberlake.[5] The album was recorded largely at Public Hi-Fi, a recording studio in Austin, Texas founded by Spoon’s Jim Eno.[14]
Chart (2010) Peak
Position[15]Billboard 200 (U.S.) 99 Billboard Top Independent Albums 13 Billboard Top Rock Albums 31 Billboard Top Alternative Albums 25 Hallelujah
On January 22, 2010, Morris performed the Leonard Cohen song, "Hallelujah", with Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton during the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. The recording of the song became the most downloaded track from the album, and it charted in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Live Forever video
The first video from When Everything Breaks Open was for the song, "Live Forever." The video was directed by Matt Stawski, with art by Serge Gay, Jr.. The video takes place in a non-descript suburban neighborhood and is rich with animation.[16]
Shlomo
Morris was offered the lead role alongside India.Arie in a Broadway production produced by Daniel Wise entitled “Shlomo”. The musical is based on the life of Shlomo Carlebach, also known as the Singing Rabbi.[8]
Songwriter credits
2002
- "Can't Hold Us Down",[17][18] "Walk Away",[19] "Infatuation",[20] "Loving Me 4 Me",[21] "Underappreciated"[22] on Christina Aguilera's Stripped
2003
2006
- "(Another Song) All Over Again" on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds
2007
- "The Only Promise That Remains" on Reba McEntire's Reba: Duets[2]
Performing credits
2010
- performed "Hallelujah" live with Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton. "Hallelujah" was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and released on Cohen's seventh studio album, Various Positions (1984).
- featured on "Infatuation" by Flobots. "Infatuation" is co-written by Morris and included on Flobots second studio album, Survival Story (2010).
Personal life
Morris is openly gay and married his husband Sean Michael Morris when same-sex couples were allowed to do so in California.[23] His husband was his inspiration for the song "Love" found on his debut album.[23] He has three mixed breed dogs named Max, Rupert, and Elliott. He has various tattoos and his favorite one is a sacred heart on his chest, drawn by the late artist Lee Ball. Morris lives in Denver.
Discography
- 2003: UnSpoken
- 2008: Backstage at Bonnaroo and other Acoustic Performances EP
- 2010: When Everything Breaks Open
References
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/artist/christina-aguilera/chart-history/325726#/song/christina-aguilera-featuring-lil-kim/can-t-hold-us-down/4271732
- ^ a b http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003646687#/song/reba-mcentire/the-only-promise-that-remains/10594038
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah_(Leonard_Cohen_song)#Chart_positions
- ^ http://coloradomusicbuzz.blogspot.com/2010/01/matt-morris-video-links-to-david.html
- ^ a b Fusilli, Jim (April 14, 2010). "From Mouseketeer To Balladeer". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303828304575180200699947066.html.
- ^ a b http://www.westword.com/2010-02-25/music/matt-morris-is-more-than-justin-timberlake-s-protege/
- ^ http://www.westword.com/2010-02-25/music/matt-morris-is-more-than-justin-timberlake-s-protege/2/
- ^ a b "Broadway's "Shlomo" would have Denver ties". Denver Post. May 23, 2010. http://www.denverpost.com/entertainmentlastold/ci_15129087.
- ^ Denver Post. http://blogs.denverpost.com/reverb/2010/01/11/interview-matt-morris/.
- ^ http://www.muw.edu/publicaffairs/2004_prnews/040224_mattmorris.html
- ^ http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_12950394?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com
- ^ http://www.tennmanrecords.com/news/mattmorris.aspx
- ^ The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/12/arts/AP-US-Music-Matt-Morris.html.[dead link]
- ^ http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2010/03/16/sxsw_preview_matt_morris.html
- ^ Billboard Charts
- ^ http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2010/07/a_first_look_at_the_new_matt_m.php
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/song/robin-thicke/sex-therapy/16009835#/song/christina-aguilera/can-t-hold-us-down/4271732
- ^ http://www.christinamultimedia.com/statistics/lyrics_display.php?songID=stripped_02&songTitle=Can%B4t%20Hold%20Us%20Down
- ^ http://www.christinamultimedia.com/statistics/lyrics_display.php?songID=stripped_03&songTitle=Walk%20Away
- ^ http://www.christinamultimedia.com/statistics/lyrics_display.php?songID=stripped_06&songTitle=Infatuation
- ^ http://www.christinamultimedia.com/statistics/lyrics_display.php?songID=stripped_08&songTitle=Loving%20Me%204%20Me
- ^ http://www.christinamultimedia.com/statistics/lyrics_display.php?songID=stripped_10&songTitle=Underappreciated
- ^ a b Tsai, Catherine (January 12, 2010). "Matt Morris - Colorado's Justin Timberlake?". Associated Press. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/matt-morriscolorados-just_n_420584.html. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Woodsongs Archive Page - Matt Morris was one of 2 guests on program 564 of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour . You can listen to the broadcast or watch it as it was webcast live while being recorded before a live audience on 2-8-2010.
- Matt Morris on Myspace
- Matt Morris at Allmusic
- Biography for Matt Morris at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- 1979 births
- American male singer-songwriters
- American pop singers
- English-language singers
- LGBT musicians from the United States
- Living people
- Mouseketeers
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