Local audiences will have the chance to see one of Australia’s most enduring singer/songwriters when Russell Morris comes to the Palais Geelong on Saturday, April 15.
Morris is no stranger to the area, having grown up in Melbourne and visiting regularly as a young man.
“I spent too much of my youth down in Geelong, you could say,” Morris said.
“Every weekend I would hitchhike down, go through Geelong, then down to Torquay, then hitchhike back out.
“We ended up mainly being at Point Roadknight, surfing. That was my youth. It’s a fabulous spot, I love it.”
Morris will perform a solo show at the Palais, showcasing music from all eras of his work.
Morris’ debut solo single The Real Thing, written by Johnny Young and produced by Ian “Molly” Meldrum, was an Australian number one hit in 1969.
The tune was an oddity, running for nearly seven minutes in an era when going beyond the standard duration of three minutes usually ruled a song out of contention for airplay as a single.
Despite that, The Real Thing became a national number one and is generally considered to be one of the finest Australian pop-rock recordings of its time.
Since then, Morris has made major contributions to the Australian music songbook, first during the 70s-2000s leading various rock and pop bands, then in the blues and roots scene with three albums between 2012-2018.
Then in 2021 came the Morris Springfield project with Rick Springfield, best known for the pop-rock hit Jessie’s Girl, which delivered an album themed around Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival.
“I’m not one of those people that can sit down every day and eat chops, potatoes and peas; I get bored, so I have to try something new,” he said.
“And the music table, like the food table, is full with so many different, exciting things that I tend to explore them all.
“What’s happened is, when I change styles people get really angry. So I figure, I just want to please myself because I have to, artistically, feel comfortable with what I’m doing and what I’m exploring.”
