Rockette Morton (born Mark Boston; July 14, 1949 in

Salem, Illinois Salem is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,485 at the 2010 census. Geography Salem is located at (38.6282, -88.9482). According to the 2010 census, Salem has a total area of , of w ...

) is an American musician, best known as a bassist and guitarist for

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

and

the Magic Band The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. The rotating lineup featured dozens of performers, many of whom became known by nicknames given to them by Beefhe ...

in the 1960s and 1970s.

Career

In 1963, after moving to Lancaster,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Boston joined up with future

Magic Band The 6-meter band is the lowest portion of the very high frequency (VHF) radio spectrum internationally allocated to amateur radio use. The term refers to the average signal wavelength of 6 meters. Although located in the lower portion of t ...

member

Bill Harkleroad Bill Harkleroad (born January 8, 1949), known professionally as Zoot Horn Rollo, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. In 2003, he was ranked No. 62 in a ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

(aka

Zoot Horn Rollo Bill Harkleroad (born January 8, 1949), known professionally as Zoot Horn Rollo, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. In 2003, he was ranked No. 62 in a ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

) in a band named B.C. & the Cavemen. He was given the nickname "Rockette Morton" by Captain Beefheart after becoming a member of the Magic Band. Morton played on five of Beefheart's albums: ''

Trout Mask Replica ''Trout Mask Replica'' is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and arran ...

'' (produced by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

in 1969), '' Lick My Decals Off Baby'' (1970), ''

The Spotlight Kid ''The Spotlight Kid'' is the sixth studio album by Captain Beefheart. Released in 1972, it is the only album credited solely to Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) rather than Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, although every member is feature ...

'' (1972), ''

Clear Spot ''Clear Spot'' is the seventh studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. It was originally released on LP in 1972 in a clear plastic sleeve. Production Beefheart's third album ''Trout Mask Replica'' established him as a critically ac ...

'' (1972) and ''

Unconditionally Guaranteed ''Unconditionally Guaranteed'' is the eighth LP by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, originally released in 1974. It was recorded at Hollywood Sound, Los Angeles. Upon release it was criticised for being too commercial; even so, it failed to ...

'' (1974). He originally played bass, but switched to rhythm guitar after former

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. George disbanded the group because of creative differences shortly before his death in 1979. Surviving ...

bassist

Roy Estrada Roy Estrada (also known as "Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada" and "Orejón"; born April 17, 1943) is an American former musician and convicted sex offender. He is best known for his bass guitar work with Frank Zappa and the M ...

joined the band. Rockette Morton and Feelers Rebus

In the book ''Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience'', guitarist

details some of the tensions that arose between Beefheart and members of the band. These tensions led to a split in 1974, when Rockette Morton left to form

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

with bandmates John French,

, and

Art Tripp Arthur Dyer Tripp III (born September 10, 1944) is an American retired musician who is best known for his work as a percussionist with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band during the 1960s and 1970s. ...

. Mallard released two albums, ''

'' (1975) and ''In A Different Climate'' (1976). Following the band's demise, Morton continued performing in various groups as

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

. Morton released a solo album, ''Love Space'', in 2003, about which he wrote: "If you enjoy listening to this music even half as much as I enjoyed recording it, I did my job." It was recorded at his music studio in Aiken, South Carolina. Prior to the album's release he was featured in an article in the music magazine ''Stomp & Stammer'' (October 2002), titled "The Ring of Rockette Morton", in which he self-identified as "a space nut" and being "pro-space". He was 52 years old at the time and was living in a mobile home, decorated with alien and rocket ship models. In 2003 Morton and other former members of

regrouped and embarked on a world tour, performing Captain Beefheart's music. They have continued to tour regularly as the Magic Band since then.

Discography

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

*''

'' (1969) *''

Lick My Decals Off, Baby ''Lick My Decals Off, Baby'' is the fourth studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in December 1970 by Straight Records, Straight and Reprise Records. The follow-up to ''Trout Mask Replica'' (1969), it is regar ...

'' (1970) *''

'' (1972) *''

'' (1974)

Mallard

*''

'' *'' In a Different Climate''

Solo

*''

Love Space Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...

(2003)''

Guest appearances

Ant-Bee Ant-Bee (stage-name for Billy James) is an American experimental musician and writer. In his musical work, he is a psychedelic era revivalist, working with members of The Mothers of Invention; the original members of the Alice Cooper (band), Alic ...

: ''

Electronic Church Muzik ''Electronic Church Muzik'' is the fourth Album#Studio album, studio album by Ant-Bee, released on February 28, 2011 by Barking Moondog Records. Recorded over the course of several years, it features musical contributions from members of Alice Coo ...

'' (Barking Moondog, 2011)

References

External links

Extensive Biographical InformationRockette Morton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Rockette 1949 births Living people People from Salem, Illinois American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists The Magic Band members American rock guitarists Rhythm guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Nicknames Nicknames in music