Russell Morris | Artist
Russell Morris AM is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist born 1948 in Melbourne. Morris had five Australian Top 10 singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s including his memorable 1969 hit "The Real Thing". His career started in 1966, when the 18 year old formed the group Somebody's Image. The band came to the notice of Go-Set staff writer Ian Meldrum and the group had a local hit with Joe South's song "Hush." Meldrum's support promoting the band helped them to secure a recording deal with EMI Records. Morris' debut solo single was a near seven-minute production extravaganza around a song called "The Real Thing", which was a remarkable piece of psychedelic pop production for its time. Released in March 1969, the song was written by Johnny Young, produced by Ian "Molly" Meldrum and engineered by John L Sayers, with backing vocals by members of Melbourne band The Groop which included Brian Cadd. The single reached number 1 in Australia, and number 1 in Chicago, Houston and New York City. Morris soon followed up with more singles including "Rachel", "Mr America", "Wings of an Eagle" and "Sweet Sweet Love". His debut album Bloodstone (1971) was well received and was followed in 1975 by his excellent self-titled second album on Robie Porters's Wizard label. Working with his backing band The Rubes, Morris hit the road spending many years touring Australia and the USA, releasing a total of 11 studio albums in the process. Standout albums include Russell Morris, Sharkmouth and Red Dirt Red Heart, plus the 2002 release The Real Thing is a good compilation of Morris' early work. On 1 July 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association recognised Morris' status when he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. The Real Thing was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2013.
Artist Website: russellmorris.com.au
Featured Albums: Russell Morris
Related Artists: Zoot, The Rubes, Ian Meldrum, Somebody's Image
Video Clips: The Real Thing, Rachel, Sweet Sweet Love
