Russell Morris: The Real Thing

Russell Morris won't like this review because I am going to describe him using a word he hates: 'icon'. But to me, he is an Aussie music icon because, like most of his compadres from our music industry from the 1960s to present day, he's highly underrated and has had to adapt to survive in an industry that would really rather he had success overseas. Instead he chooses to stay in Australia and reinvent himself to continue to work. This year Russell Morris is celebrating a career spanning five decades in the music business, and I really feel that, if he was born in the US or the UK, his collection of brilliant songs would be the subject of tribute shows and stage musicals by now. But unfortunately it seems we take our Aussie icons for granted. So, QPAC's staging of The Real Thing was very welcome programming indeed.

The evening of celebration began with an hour-long interview by Loretta Ryan from ABC radio, with guest questions from Brian Cadd, Johnny Young and members of the audience. I think some film clips would have helped this part of the show, but fortunately Morris is a natural raconteur and helped move things along with his stories.

The audience seemed well-versed in his past successes, including the incident involving 100 fainting female fans at Brisbane's famous Festival Hall during the heyday of Morris Mania. Let's face it, our pop stars of the 1960s were intrepid explorers heading into unchartered territory. No one expected the pop genre to last very long. Ian 'Molly' Meldrum deserves his due for constantly pushing our artists to try their luck in the bigger markets. And of course, Meldrum and Young played their parts in the Russell Morris story by writing and producing perhaps his most memorable – and longest running – hit song, 'The Real Thing': at 6 minutes and 20 seconds long, it beat Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to the punch by six years (that track is only 5 minutes, 55 seconds)!

As it turns out, after success in the UK in the 1960s, Morris did try his luck in the US, but mis-management and US red tape came into play. He came back to Australia for family reasons, heard a magpie singing and realised how much he missed his country. I think most people can relate to that. What is incredible to hear is that Morris considers himself a lazy songwriter and credits friend and Masters Apprentice lead vocalist Jim Keays for giving him the encouragement needed to continue to write and use his talents. He went through a lean period in the 1980s, joking it was a time of 'big hair', lifting his cowboy hat to reveal his clean-shaven pate, and he survived by gigging with friends like Ronnie Burns, the late Darryl Cotton, and the brilliant Brian Cadd (another of our singer-songwriter super-talents). Inspired by films, words, and paintings, in 2012 a historic archive photo of the Aussie gangster, Shark Jaws, led to an award-winning blues trilogy: Sharkmouth; Van Diemen's Land; and Red Dirt – Red Heart, which he also credits to air play by independent radio. In 2019 he released Black and Blue Heart, and during the lockdowns in 2020/21, he began a collaboration with another old mate, Rick Springfield, resulting in The Morris Springfield Project and a new 14-track album Jack Chrome and the Darkness Waltz. I thought this old rocker said he was lazy?  

By the time Morris and his band hit the Concert Hall stage, the quiet but appreciative audience were definitely in the mood to hear the much-loved songs he had spoken about. Beginning the set with a brand new track from the Jack Chrome album, Morris went on to showcase his variety of styles with his unique Aussie blues pieces, 'Black Dog Blues' and 'Sharkmouth' before moving in to the classic well-crafted pop that is 'Wings of an Eagle', 'Sweet Sweet Love', 'The Girl That I Love', 'Hush', the psychedelic 'Part 3 Into Paper Walls', his cover of Dylan's 'It's all Over Now, Baby Blue', and of course 'The Real Thing'.

Backing Morris was an excellent and accomplished band featuring Peter Robinson, a brilliant guitar player from Queensland, the Texan John Creech on drums, and Travis Clarke, a bass player from Wales. Russell Morris himself performs guitar and has the vocal chops of someone at least half his age. And the fact that he's been gigging consistently over the past few years (when permitted) is evidenced by his astonishing vocal performance from blues and rock to the almost operatic range of 'Sweet Sweet Love'. In the category of Aussie rock legend, Russell Morris certainly is the real thing, and not to be missed.

Check his website for upcoming tour dates: russellmorris.com.au

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Darren Thomas