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 ...

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

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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)

References

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