Russell Morris

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This article is about the singer-songwriter. For the Australian footballer, see Russell Morris (footballer)

Russell Morris
Russell Morris on tour in September 2007
Background information
Birth name	Russell Norman Morris
Born	July 31, 1948 (1948-07-31) (age 59) Australia
Genre(s)	rock
Occupation(s)	musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist
Years active	1966–present
Label(s)	EMI Wizard Festival Records Mushroom Records
Associated acts	Somebody's Image Russell Morris Band Russell Morris & the Rubes
Website	http://www.russellmorris.com.au

Russell Morris (born Russell Norman Morris^[1] 31 July 1948) is an Australian singer-songwriter, who had five Australian top ten singles throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. In May 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced that Russell Morris' iconic status would be recognised on 1 July 2008 when he is to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.^[2][3]

Contents 1 Success 2 The Real Thing 3 Career 3.1 New York 3.2 Solo 4 Discography 4.1 Somebody's Image 4.2 Solo 4.3 Russell Morris Band 4.4 Russell Morris & the Rubes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Success

His most successful song was "The Real Thing", written by Johnny Young, produced by Ian Meldrum and engineered by John L. Sayers.^[4] The backing track was performed by members of Melbourne soul band The Groop, (which included Brian Cadd), plus Zoot guitarist Roger Hicks, and backing vocalists Ronnie Charles (The Groop), The Chiffons (including Maureen Elkner) and Marcie and The Cookies. The song was followed by "Part Three into Paper Walls", co-written by Young and Morris. Later hits such as "Live with Friends" and "Wings of an Eagle" were Morris compositions.

[edit] The Real Thing

"The Real Thing" is now considered one of the very best psychedelic rock singles produced in the 1960s. At nearly seven minutes, it was also the longest pop single recorded in Australia at that time. Released in Australia on EMI's Columbia label, it was the biggest selling Australian single of 1969, and was released when Morris was twenty. The song was released in two halves on the small Diamond Records label in the United States of America and due to record company difficulties with distribution received limited international success as a result, although it did reach #1 in large cities such as Chicago. The song was issued in the UK on Decca Records as EMI turned it down.^[5] More recently, "The Real Thing" has been used by the Seven Network in conjunction with coverage of the AFL, and featured in a tourist campaign promoting Western Australia. Morris's music has also appeared on the soundtrack to The Dish, and has appeared on the ABC show Long Way to the Top. He currently tours Australia with fellow 1960s rockers Darryl Cotton and Jim Keays in the trio "Cotton, Keays and Morris".

Russell Morris is one of Australia's most enduring singers. A major pop star in the late '60s, he went on to become one of the country's first singer/songwriters. Both ends of his career feature predominantly in the soundtrack to the movie, The Dish.^[6]

"The Real Thing" has been compiled on many great compilations of psychedelic rock, most notably Rubble 18, We Can Fly # 4, and The Best Of The Rubble Collection # 5, where it is paired with Part 3 / Into Paper Walls.

[edit] Career

Morris' career started at the age eighteen, in September 1966 with the formation of the Melbourne group Somebody's Image, together with Kevin Thomas (rhythm guitar), Phillip Raphael (lead guitar), Eric Cairns (drums) and Les Allan (bass guitar).^[5] Somebody's Image rose to prominence with a local hit version of the Joe South song "Hush"^[7] (the song reaching #2 on the local Melbourne charts)^[8] In the process the band came to the notice of The Groop, and in turn The Groop’s friend, local music identity Ian Meldrum. Meldrum convinced Morris to leave Somebody's Image for a solo career. Ian Meldrum, as Morriss' manager/producer, spent unprecedented hours and money to create a seven-minute production extravaganza around a song called "The Real Thing." Once the result was released to shocked radio programmers who had never been asked to play such a long Australian single before, it was up to Morris' personality, singing, and performing talents to make the record work. It reached Australia's number one spot in June 1969. Without any promotional support from Morris, "The Real Thing" reached number one in Chicago, Houston, and New York.

The follow-up comprised two more Johnny Young songs; "Part Three Into Paper Walls" and "The Girl That I Love" (a pop ballad more indicative of what was to come) which became a double-sided number one hit, the first time an Australian artist had scored consecutive number ones with their first two singles. Just prior to its release Ian Meldrum relinquished Russell’s management. Morris, in the meantime, traveled to the UK to help promote the release of "The Real Thing". While in England he recorded English songwriter Raymond Foggart’s "Rachel", but re-recorded it on arriving back in Australia. "Rachel" became a big hit for Russell in New Zealand.

Morris had now decided to concentrate on his own songwriting and with the cream of Australian musicians, spent almost a year painstakingly recording and re-recording what became the Bloodstone album. It was one of the first Australian albums of its kind, the first from an Australian singer/songwriter, and a whole world away from the extravagant "The Real Thing". The hit single from Bloodstone was the resonant, romantic "Sweet Sweet Love". The following year, in 1972, Morris delivered the equally beautiful "Wings of an Eagle".

[edit] New York

In 1973, Morris moved to London to record an album only to discover there was no record contract waiting for him. He relocated to New York and set to work on an album there, including new versions of both "Sweet Sweet Love" and "Wings of an Eagle" and the single "Let's Do It". A second American album appeared in 1976. It was two more years before Morris was granted his green card, enabling him to tour America. But by then, any chance of an American career had bolted. Instead, Morris returned to a very different Australia than the one he had left behind five years earlier.

[edit] Solo

During his solo career, Morris had done limited live performances without a band of his own. He then formed the Russell Morris Band and threw himself into a busy round of live performances, writing songs designed to be played live rather than chasing radio airplay, but scoring a couple of minor hits on the way. Eventually, the band played and recorded as Russell Morris & the Rubes.

In 1991, Morris released another solo album, A Thousand Suns, and he spent the subsequent years as part of a highly successful performing trio with fellow '60s heroes Ronnie Burns and Darryl Cotton of the Zoot, with a repertoire made up of their individual hits from yesterday, as well as new songs. In 2001, Jim Keays of the Masters Apprentices replaced Burns. Also in 2001, Morris' "The Real Thing" and "Wings of an Eagle" featured prominently in the Australian-made movie The Dish (centered around man's landing on the moon)^[6] and Midnight Oil released their version of "The Real Thing" as a one-off single, the first time this highly regarded band had chosen to record a cover.

A technically adept vocalist, and intuitive guitarist (also proficient on Bass), Morris is truly at his best in the ubiquitous Australian pub-music scene.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Somebody's Image

• Singles
  • "Heat Wave" / "When I Come Home" (In S-8088)(September 1967)
  • "Hush" / "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" (In S-8116) (November 1967)
  • "Hide & Seek" / "Livin' In Style" (EMI Columbia DO-8315; reissued as EMI 7MA 4463) (April 1968)

[edit] Solo

• Albums
  • Bloodstone (EMI Columbia OCSD7679) (August 1971) AUS #12
  • Wings of an Eagle (EMI OCSD7702) (1973)
  • Russell Morris (Wizard ZL208; RCA 1073) (1975)
  • Turn It On (Wizard ZL217) (1976)
  • Retrospective (EMI EMC2672 LP; CDMID 166245 CD) (1978)
  • A Thousand Suns (Festival D-30533)(September, 1991) AUS #71
  • The Real Thing (Rouseabout/Undercover RRR34) 2CD (September 2002)
  • Off The Shelf (2002)
  • Fundamentalist (Liberation 1452) (May 2007)
  • Jump Start Diary (2007)
• Singles
  • "The Real Thing" / "It's Only A Matter Of Time" (EMI Columbia DO-8710) (March 1969) AUS #1
  • "Part Three Into Paper Walls" / "The Girl That I Love" (EMI Columbia DO-8828) (July 1969) AUS #1
  • "Rachel" / "Little Lady" (EMI Columbia DO 9020) (December 1969)
  • "Rachel" / "Slow Joey" (EMI Columbia DO 9102) (April 1970) AUS #25
  • "Mr America" / "Stand Together" (EMI Columbia DO 9314) (December 1970) AUS #8
  • "Sweet, Sweet Love" / "Jail Jonah's Daughter" (EMI HMV EA 9539) (June 1971) AUS #7
  • "Live With Friends" / "Alcohol Farm" (EMI HMV EA 9824) (March 1972) AUS #13
  • "Wings Of An Eagle" / "Satisfy You" (EMI HMV EA 10030) (November 1972) AUS #9
  • "Let's Do It" / "Don't Rock the Boat" (Wizard ZS 127) (October 1975) AUS #30
  • "Sail With Me" / "Hard Road" (Wizard ZS 140) (May 1976)
  • "Running Jumping Standing Still" / "Cloudy Day" (Wizard ZS 141) (August 1976)
  • "Wolves In White" / "Two Wheeled Flyer" (Wizard ZS 160) (1976)
  • "The Real Thing" (remix) / "Rachel" (Festival RPS 47) (1990)
  • "Tartan Lines" (Festival K-10327) (1991) AUS #61
  • "A Thousand Suns" (Festival) (1991) AUS #84
• EPs
  • Hush (W&G E 2766) (1967)
  • Mr America (EMI Columbia SEGO 70199) (1970)
  • The Real Thing (EMI RP 217) (1990)

[edit] Russell Morris Band

• Albums
  • Foot in the Door (Mushroom L-37074) (1979) AUS #38
• Singles
  • "Thunder Road" / "Two Minute Warning" (Mushroom K-7399) (April 1979) AUS #49

[edit] Russell Morris & the Rubes

• Albums
  • Amost Frantic (Mushroom L-37488) (1980) AUS #28
• Singles
  • "Hush" / "In the Heat of the Night" (Mushroom K-8090) (1980) AUS #35
  • "The Roar of the Wild Torpedoes" / "Just Another Night" (Mushroom K-8229) (February 1981)
  • "So Tough" / "Walk Don't Run" (Mushroom K-8283) (April 1981)
  • "Get It Right" / "You Wanted Fame" (Mushroom K-8804) (July 1982)

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[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Russell Morris Official Web Site
• Milesago entry on Russell Morris
• Cotton, Keays & Morris Web page