This is a very good interview with Steve Morse; the interviewer knows his stuff and covers a lot of ground, and Steve is thorough and thoughtful with his responses. The interviewer does not ask him about Twiggs, but they do discuss some things I'd never heard from Morse about Purple and other parts of his career:
https://www.innerviews.org/inner/steve-morse
Awesome read. Great interview. Thanks for posting it. I don't think I would have found it otherwise.
Looking forward to checking this out later. Thanks for the heads up!
WHOOSH!!!
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Thanks for the post! I was fortunate to catch a couple of those 'Dregs reunion shows - including the one with the Jimmy Herring sit-in. Steve Morse is simply one of the greatest players in our galaxy!
It must have been really remarkable to see Jimmy Herring with Morse. Jimmy Herring started out as a MAJOR disciple of Morse's playing. I think it can still be heard at times.
The Dixie Dregs were a Capricorn band. They don't get as much attention in this forum as they might.
Yes, I believe the Dregs caught the ear of Twiggs and he got them signed to Capricorn. Didn't Twiggs' brother road manage the band?
Jimmy used to follow the Dregs around on tour like many of us did with the ABB. At least up through the late 90s, I think Jimmy's playing was most influenced by Steve Morse in terms of how Jimmy played. (I'd say Scott Henderson was maybe a distant second.) I don't think Jimmy has ever tried to hide that fact as he has always talked up Steve Morse as his primary influence (even if he notes other early influences such as Dickey, Jimi and others as an impressionable youth).
One of my favorite Aquarium Rescue Unit shows ever was the brief 1990 tour they did with Steve Morse solo. ARU played a full set. Then Steve came out and played a full set by himself (no band), I guess this was in support of Steve's first (and only?) solo album High Tension Wires (one of my faves). Steve did some of his classical stuff on a Chet Atkins gut-string electric, and then he played regular electric to pre-recorded tracks and loops. I remember he did a lot off High Tension Wires, as well as some Dregs tunes and a couple off SMB's "The Introduction" album. Then ARU came back out and played a second full set, joined by Steve Morse for much of the second set. It was great!
There were basically two SMBs. The one before High Tension Wires and the one after. I personally enjoyed the first version as it had more players and fuller sonically than the trio version that came in the 1990s and later. Opinions differ, of course, and that is fine. The Introduction is a great album.
Yeah, Zambi, I did not mean to imply that Jimmy Herring hides his admiration for Morse. Far from it. (Jimmy joins Derek, Morse, and Warren in terms of being a very gracious person and excellent interviewee)
I more meant that some folks here who love Jimmy's work but don't know Morse's stuff would really enjoy it. I've had local friends who are Herring fans who only know Steve Morse as a Deep Purple guy and do not realize how deep Steve's well is.
Yes, I really enjoy that first Steve Morse Band line-up, but as a Dregs fan, of course I would love the presence of Rod Morgenstein and T Lavitz. T Lavitz and Morse play beautifully off each other. (I grabbed the first Widespread Panic album when it came out because I head T Lavitz was on it and because it was on Capricorn)
I had vaguely known of Morse in the early 80s as a columnist in one of the guitar mags. It just happened that I went to see Rush at the New Haven Coliseum in December of 1985, and the Steve Morse Band was the opening act. Excellent double bill. I've been a fan ever since.
That was excellent - many thanks. I had no idea Steve was involved with Rik
Emmett.
