Headlines | LoudMouth | Shows & Events | Hall of Fame | Interviews | Reviews | Multimedia | Klassifieds | Back Issues | Links | Myspace
|
STEVE MORSE
Steve Morse was born on 28th June 1954 in Hamilton OH. He studied at Richmond Academy Military School in Augusta GA, while playing guitar on the side. He and his brother Dave became local celebrities during the sixties. Later, they met Andy West and formed Dixie Grit. Morse and West eventually left for Miami to study classical/jazz guitar. There they formed Dixie Dregs. The readers of Guitar Player has voted Morse "Best Overall Guitar Player" five years in a row (1982-1986) and thus qualifying him for the Guitar Player Hall of Fame. He has also written a column called "Open Ears" in the same magazine for a number of years.
While Steve studied at Richmond Academy Military School, the Morse brothers' formed one of their first bands -- a power trio a la Cream called THREE. Steve and Dave later teamed up with Andy West and Frank Britt to form Dixie Grit, the early seeds of what later became Dixie Dregs. The band was a local celebrity around Augusta, and they even made a recording that seems to have been lost.
The dregs of Dixie Grit, or Steve Morse and Andy West, went to Miami to study at the University. There Morse studied for Juan Mercadal and Stan Simone, jammed with Pat Metheny, and formed Dixie Dregs with West. During the spring of 1975, they recorded a radio promo called The Great Spectacular which has only recently been released 'for real'. All tracks on that have later been re-recorded by Dixie Dregs themselves and even Kansas. After graduation, Dixie Dregs relocated in Augusta GA with a new keyboard player.
After relocating in Augusta GA, the Dixie Dregs signed with Capricorn and released their first album Free Fall during the spring of 1977. Then came a new line-up, and two more albums see the light of day. What If and the album Night Of The Living Dregs, which includes parts of a live show recorded at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in July 1978.
In 1979 the band sign to Arista, to whom they will release three albums before Steve moves on to form first The Steve Morse Band and then Steve Morse and the Morse Code. This would continue to be his primary function, filtering it with other projects such as three albums with Kansas, as well as guest albums spots with artist such as Triumph, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington Band, Jeff Watson and eventually Deep Purple.
In 1988 The Dixie Dregs reformed for a tour and promo recordings and in 1992 they decided to play together again, this time releasing an album for Capricorn entitles Bring 'Em Back Alive and yet another in 1994 called Full Circle and then got together for some shows in 1999.
Since 1994, Steve has been consistently the guitarist for Deep Purple. In addition to playing with Deep Purple, Morse, together with Jimmy Barnes, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake and Don Airey, formed Living Loud in 2003.
STEVE MORSE ARTICLES AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
STEVE MORSE AUGUSTA DATES ARCHIVE
Dixie Dregs
Steve Morse |
Contact Us | Advertise | About Us | Sponsors