Ian Gordon Morris (22 January 1957 – 7 October 2010) was a musician, record producer,
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
and songwriter from
New Zealand.
Musical career
Ian Morris and his brother Richard (who would also go on to become a successful singer, songwriter and sound engineer in New Zealand under the name ''Rikki Morris'') were born in England but emigrated with their family to New Zealand in 1966. They attended
Sacred Heart College, Auckland
, motto_translation = Take Courage And Act Manfully
, type = State-integrated Day & boarding Secondary school
, religion = Roman Catholic Marist
, gender = Boys-only
, patr ...
.
Ian was a founding member of iconic New Zealand band
Th' Dudes, formed at Sacred Heart in 1975. He had chart hits as a solo artist under the name ''Tex Pistol'' (a name he took on because "Ian Morris
idn'tsound poppy enough"), and in collaboration with his brother Rikki as ''Tex Pistol and Rikki Morris''. As recording engineer and record producer, his production credits include a number of successful Kiwi artists:
Hello Sailor,
DD Smash,
The Screaming Meemees,
The Warratahs
The Warratahs are a band from Wellington, New Zealand.
Band members Early line-ups
* Barry Saunders (vocals/guitar)
* Wayne Mason (keyboards/vocals)
* Nik Brown (fiddle)
* John Donahue (bass)
* Marty Jorgensen (drums)
* Clinton Brown ( ...
,
When the Cat's Away,
Greg Johnson Gregory or Greg Johnson may refer to:
Entertainment
* Greg Johnson (comedian), American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host
* Gregory B. Johnson (born 1951), pianist and member of the band Cameo
* Greg Johnson (game designer) (born 196 ...
,
Dave Dobbyn, and
Southside of Bombay
Southside of Bombay are a Māori band from New Zealand. They are best known for their single 'What's the Time, Mr Wolf?' which was originally released in 1992. The song was re-released following its appearance in the 1994 film and on the soundt ...
to name a few. Morris also wrote numerous
jingles, arrangements, and
orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orc ...
s.
Personal life
Morris was married to singer Kim Willoughby of New Zealand's most successful all-female group ''
When the Cat's Away'', with whom he had two daughters, Julia and Maude, and a stepson, James. He was separated from his wife at the time of his death.
Death
Morris had been suffering from depression and committed suicide at Te Pania Hotel in
Napier Napier may refer to:
People
* Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name
* Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders
Given name
* Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist
* Napier Waller (1893–19 ...
on 7 October 2010.
Police noted that there were no suspicious circumstances to his death.
Morris was posthumously inducted into the
New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
Discography
As solo artist
Albums
Singles
As producer
Awards
RIANZ
APRA
In 2001, members of APRA were invited to vote on their
favourite New Zealand songs of all time. Of the final 100, 2 Morris-related songs appeared on the list.
*
#27, for "Be Mine Tonight" with Th' Dudes (1978)
*
#50, for "Bliss" with Th' Dudes (1979)
See also
*
Waikino music festival
*
New Zealand music festivals
Music festivals have a long and chequered history in New Zealand. The first large outdoor rock music festivals were Redwood 70 in 1970 and the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival in 1973. The largest was the 1979 Nambassa festival, one of several Na ...
*
Sweetwaters Music Festival Sweetwaters Music Festival was a series of events held between 1980 and 1999, at venues such as a farm in Ngāruawāhia, then further north on a farm near Pukekawa, and finally at South Auckland, New Zealand.
Events
*1980 - Ngāruawāhia
*1981 ...
References
External links
Ian Morris' igMusic websiteTh' Dudes official website* 2001 Radio New Zealand interview
part one an
part twoIan Morris sound recording archiveat the
Alexander Turnbull Library
The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Ian
2010 suicides
APRA Award winners
New Zealand male songwriters
New Zealand record producers
New Zealand audio engineers
1957 births
English emigrants to New Zealand
2010 deaths