Steve Morse

Although Steve Morse enjoyed a healthy following among guitar players, his name was never a household commodity, and he remained a cult figure who earned his greatest success in the readers' polls held annually by musicans' magazines. Although initially inspired by the Beatles, as a teen Morse began to expand his listening to include the Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Although he played a little piano and some clarinet, he became fascinated with guitar after seeing a concert by classical guitarist Juan Mercadal, who later gave a teenage Morse some lessons. Deeply influenced by a campus performance by John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Quartet while attending the University of Miami, Morse decided to focus on instrumental rock music; in 1974 that he put together his first band, the Dixie Dregs (later simply the Dregs), which would go on to become one of the defining groups in the fusion rock genre. After some 14 albums fronting the Dregs, the Steve Morse Band began their recording career in 1984 with an album called Two Faces. Soon after, Elektra Records snatched Morse up and he cut two albums for the company, The Introduction in 1984 and Stand Up in 1985, before switching to MCA. Morse releases for the label included High Tension Wires (1989) Southern Steel (1991), and Coast to Coast (1992). After leaving MCA in 1992, Morse recorded two excellent albums for Windham Hill/BMG Records, Structural Damage (1995) and StressFest (1996), and also joined Deep Purple for a U.S. and European tour in 1996.

The Steve Morse Band

After the breakup of 'The Dregs' Steve formed the inventively named 'Steve Morse Band' in 1983 with 2 relative unknowns - Doug Morgan on drums and a young hotshot bass player by the name of Jerry Peek.

Morgan and Peek both came from a band called 3PM. Several gigs were played with Morgan on Drums (a few bootlegs of this lineup exist) but Morgan was soon replaced by Dregs mainstay Rod Morgenstein.

After a period of touring and rehearsals the new group recorded their first album 'The Introduction' in 1984. Featuring a more guitar heavy approach than The Dregs( a fact necessitated by being a three piece) 'The Introduction' was a masterwork of heavy rock guitar with elements of country, jazz, blues and classical thrown in for good measure. The following year, the group recorded 'Stand Up', a commercial sounding record with a variety of guests and even some vocal oriented tunes. After touring behind this album the first version of 'The Steve Morse Band' broke up, with Morgenstein going on to join glammy pop-metal poodlehairs 'Winger' and Steve going on to join Kansas. (After which he temporarily quit the music business)

In 1989 Steve returned to the music industry full time, recording his first solo album 'High Tension Wires'. This album featured solo Morse with occasional help from his old SMB and Dregs chums. He enlisted jaw dropping bass player DaveLaRue and the amazing drummer Van Romaine to tour with, and these two subsequently became full time members for the new incarnation of the 'Steve Morse Band'.

This, the latest version of the 'Steve Morse Band' is still active today and to date has produced five very fine albums. The sound is much more polished and even more guitar based than the first 'SMB' lineup, with layered guitars left, right and centre as well as a' heavier' sound. Steve still leads the band off on tangents occasionally with country and classical pieces, but overall they are less stylistically diverse than The Dregs. This doesn't make them any less exciting however. With enough intricate playing to satisfy the most ardent technique freak and a 'rhythm' section as dynamic as this one, Steve has never sounded so good. Rumour has it the Steve Morse Band will be recording a new album some time in 2001. (Only 5 years since the last one!!)

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