Ian Morris (musician)
Ian Gordon Morris (22 January 1957 – 7 October 2010)[1] was a musician, record producer, recording engineer and songwriter from New Zealand. He and his brother Richard Morris (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.[2] Ian was a founding member of iconic New Zealand band Th' Dudes, who formed at Sacred Heart College in Auckland in 1975. He also had chart hits as a solo artist under the name Tex Pistol, 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, When the Cat's Away, Greg Johnson, Dave Dobbyn, and Southside of Bombay to name a few. Morris also wrote numerous jingles, arrangements, and orchestrations. He 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.[3] Reports of his death in Napier were made by New Zealand media on 8 October but Police declined to comment on cause of death, noting only that there were no suspicious circumstances. An inquest by the Hawkes Bay coroner found Morris's death to be deliberate and self-inflicted.
Awards
- APRA Top 100 - #27, for "Be Mine Tonight" with Th' Dudes (1978)
- APRA Top 100 - #50, for "Bliss" with Th' Dudes (1979)
- RIANZ (Recording Industry Association of New Zealand) Engineer of the Year 1979
- RIANZ Producer of the Year 1982 (for DD Smash "Cool Bananas")
- RIANZ Most Promising Male Vocalist 1987 (for "The Ballad of Buckskin Bob" as Tex Pistol)
- RIANZ Producer of the Year 1988 (for Tex Pistol "Game of Love")
- RIANZ Producer of the Year 1991 (for Rikki Morris "Heartbroke")
Discography
With Th' Dudes:
- Right First Time (1979) Album released on Key Records.
- "Be Mine Tonight" / "That Look In Your Eyes" (1979) Single released on Key Records.
- "Walking In Light" (1979) Single released on Key Records.
- "Right First Time" (1979) Single released on Key Records.
- Where Are The Boys (1980) Album released on Key Records.
- "Bliss" (1980) Single released on Key Records.
- "Bad Boy Billy" (1980) Single released on Key Records.
- So You Wanna Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star (1982) Key Records 6-track mini album featuring 5 singles plus "Hope", an un-released out-take from 1980.
- So You Wanna Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star / Last Chance To Dance (1991) Tracks 5 and 12 are "special mixes" by Ian Morris. The CD is a combination of the mini-albums released separately by Th' Dudes and label mates Hello Sailor in 1982.[4]
- Where Are The Girls: Th' Definitive Collection (2001) Best of package released on FMR. Features songs from the first two albums plus early demo versions of "Walking In Light" and "Be Mine Tonight", which was then known as "Quite Frankly".
- Parks, Pubs, Theatres, Clubs, Church Halls, Gardens, Lounges and Band Rotundas (2006) 6-track CD available for sale only at shows on the 2006 Reunion Tour. Due to a dispute with Stebbing Recording Studios at the time the master tapes of the band's material were unavailable. This CD features alternative and demo versions of Th' Dudes best-known songs culled from the members' own collections. (The dispute has now been resolved.)
- Live: Th' 2006 Reunion Tour (2006)
Solo:
- "Boot Up (x=y)" (1983) (as Jag Moritz) 12-inch single.
- "The Ballad of Buckskin Bob" / "Winter" (1986) (as Tex Pistol) 7-inch single released on Pagan Records.
- "The Game of Love" (1987) (as Tex Pistol) 12-inch and 7-inch single released on Pagan Records. Reached Number 1 on RIANZ Music Charts.
- "Nobody Else" (1987) (as Tex Pistol & Rikki Morris) 7-inch single released on Pagan Records. Reached Number 1 on RIANZ Music Charts. Written and sung by Ian's brother Rikki.
- Nobody Else (1988) (as Tex Pistol) Album released on Pagan Records.
See also
References
External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Morris, Ian |
| Alternative names |
Ian Gordon Morris |
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
22 January 1957 |
| Place of birth |
England (exact area currently unknown) |
| Date of death |
7 October 2010 |
| Place of death |
Napier, New Zealand |