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The Aviator: The Life and Music of Steve Morse
Steve Morse, guitar virtuoso (and pilot), may have broken out of relative obscurity courtesy of the classic British band Deep Purple, but he never went, so to speak, native. A full-blooded American, he was pancakes and maple syrup, not black pudding and fried egg.
Morse first came to the attention of the music world through his band Dixie Dregs. He possibly entered the consciousness of those based in the UK courtesy of the BBC’s Radio 1 Friday Rock Show that kicked off every week with his Dixie Dregs composition ‘Take It Off The Top’.
The mid-eighties saw Morse driving along arena band Kansas — darlings of US FM radio. By the mid-nineties he was ensconced in Deep Purple, helping re-build their career. His contributions to eight Deep Purple studio albums were immense. After nearly three decades, Morse’s time with the band came to a sad end has he took the difficult decision to care for his ailing wife.
In a career spanning half a century, Steve Morse’s music has touched on European classical traditions, as well as blues, jazz, country and rock ‘n’ roll… genres that are unashamedly American. Consistently voted number one by guitar magazines, Morse is both a musician’s musician as well as a fan’s favourite.
The conductor Paul Mann, who worked extensively with Deep Purple, said of Morse, ‘He was born with that instrument in his hands. I know a lot of classical musicians who envy that kind of relationship with an instrument.’
American virtuoso… and aviator. This is the story of the life and music of Steve Morse.
Morse first came to the attention of the music world through his band Dixie Dregs. He possibly entered the consciousness of those based in the UK courtesy of the BBC’s Radio 1 Friday Rock Show that kicked off every week with his Dixie Dregs composition ‘Take It Off The Top’.
The mid-eighties saw Morse driving along arena band Kansas — darlings of US FM radio. By the mid-nineties he was ensconced in Deep Purple, helping re-build their career. His contributions to eight Deep Purple studio albums were immense. After nearly three decades, Morse’s time with the band came to a sad end has he took the difficult decision to care for his ailing wife.
In a career spanning half a century, Steve Morse’s music has touched on European classical traditions, as well as blues, jazz, country and rock ‘n’ roll… genres that are unashamedly American. Consistently voted number one by guitar magazines, Morse is both a musician’s musician as well as a fan’s favourite.
The conductor Paul Mann, who worked extensively with Deep Purple, said of Morse, ‘He was born with that instrument in his hands. I know a lot of classical musicians who envy that kind of relationship with an instrument.’
American virtuoso… and aviator. This is the story of the life and music of Steve Morse.
- GenresBiography
194 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2025
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July 12, 2025
Full disclosure: I am an intense fan of Steve Morse.
He's not only an inspiration to me as a guitar player... not only as a musician... but as an intellectual and as a human being.
I had the amazing fortune to be at University of Miami in the same years he was there.
I was walking across "The Patio" at the student union and there was this band playing with a blond guitar layer who had this utterly weird, seemingly garage-built guitar with a Telecaster body, 4 pickups, routed out switching, etc. And the music just utterly grabbed me.
I was a fan of progressive rock via Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes. But while this was highly "progressive" in some ways it was profoundly different. It drew from so many genres and IMHO created a few new ones.
Though I knew I'd suffer a huge penalty for missing the midterm, I felt COMPELLED to stay and listen. I mean, at the very least I wanted to get the NAME of the band. (They weren't signed at that point.) I have never regretted missing the midterm because the inspiration that Steve Morse has provided me through my life is much more valuable than that midterm grade.
I won't claim that he was a friend, but I had many precious memories of conversations with him. They were really "lessons "and so many of these lessons were things that applied not to just guitar... not to just music... but TRULY to almost any pursuit one can follow in life: career, sports, relationships.
Now if you want to get an idea of what some of those conversations were, I'd recommend buying Morse's book called "Open Ears" which is basically a compilation of Guitar Magazine columns he wrote. They aren't the usual column like "Creative applications of the Phrygian mode". They are almost all oriented towards "how to be a better musician".
I can't help but relate one of the most significant example conversations I had with Steve:
1) I was in the practice hall talking to him and another music student came up and complained about having to play a wedding that weekend and having to do the "$#@king Chicken Dance". Steve was very nice and sympathetic but once the guy left he told me "That guy has the wrong attitude. You can take ANY playing experience and turn it into a learning/growth opportunity".
He picked up his guitar and noted that "The Chicken Dance" is typically played on accordion. Then he noted stylistic elements of accordions: no sustain pedal so players slide around the keyboard to connect the notes... using bellowing to get dynamics... etc.
And then... he played the most AMAZING version of "The Chicken Dance" you will ever hear: sliding around the fretboard to simulate the technique and wrapping his pinky around the volume know and unrolling it to simulate bellowing!
I have since learned how generally applicable to life that is. I'm an advanced pickleball instructor and many advanced players hate playing with beginners. But when I play with beginners, channeling Morse, I "turn it into a learning/growth" opportunity by working on specific elements of my game, taking ADVANTAGE of the easier balls less-experienced players tend to feed me and rather than smashing the ball hard working on stuff like placement, and eliminating ALL errors.
The summary is that Morse is not just a muscal talent. He is a thinking man's musician and applies that to "how to get better".
But he's also... literally... among the very very nicest people I have ever met and I met him 50 years ago!
So... naturally I was going to buy this book. I'm glad I did.
It is NOT my impression that the author got an interview with Steve to make this book. I think it's just assembled from research and (as a consumer of "all things Morse") much of what was written in the book "rung a bell" of familiarity as I read it. That is, I recalled reading the same thing somewhere over the years.
But... there's lots in the book I hadn't known and to me it was fun and joyful to just sit down and read everything as one book. So full on recommendation for Morse fans. And... a full on recommendation for non-Morse fan musicians to learn about this guy and his music.
He's not only an inspiration to me as a guitar player... not only as a musician... but as an intellectual and as a human being.
I had the amazing fortune to be at University of Miami in the same years he was there.
I was walking across "The Patio" at the student union and there was this band playing with a blond guitar layer who had this utterly weird, seemingly garage-built guitar with a Telecaster body, 4 pickups, routed out switching, etc. And the music just utterly grabbed me.
I was a fan of progressive rock via Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes. But while this was highly "progressive" in some ways it was profoundly different. It drew from so many genres and IMHO created a few new ones.
Though I knew I'd suffer a huge penalty for missing the midterm, I felt COMPELLED to stay and listen. I mean, at the very least I wanted to get the NAME of the band. (They weren't signed at that point.) I have never regretted missing the midterm because the inspiration that Steve Morse has provided me through my life is much more valuable than that midterm grade.
I won't claim that he was a friend, but I had many precious memories of conversations with him. They were really "lessons "and so many of these lessons were things that applied not to just guitar... not to just music... but TRULY to almost any pursuit one can follow in life: career, sports, relationships.
Now if you want to get an idea of what some of those conversations were, I'd recommend buying Morse's book called "Open Ears" which is basically a compilation of Guitar Magazine columns he wrote. They aren't the usual column like "Creative applications of the Phrygian mode". They are almost all oriented towards "how to be a better musician".
I can't help but relate one of the most significant example conversations I had with Steve:
1) I was in the practice hall talking to him and another music student came up and complained about having to play a wedding that weekend and having to do the "$#@king Chicken Dance". Steve was very nice and sympathetic but once the guy left he told me "That guy has the wrong attitude. You can take ANY playing experience and turn it into a learning/growth opportunity".
He picked up his guitar and noted that "The Chicken Dance" is typically played on accordion. Then he noted stylistic elements of accordions: no sustain pedal so players slide around the keyboard to connect the notes... using bellowing to get dynamics... etc.
And then... he played the most AMAZING version of "The Chicken Dance" you will ever hear: sliding around the fretboard to simulate the technique and wrapping his pinky around the volume know and unrolling it to simulate bellowing!
I have since learned how generally applicable to life that is. I'm an advanced pickleball instructor and many advanced players hate playing with beginners. But when I play with beginners, channeling Morse, I "turn it into a learning/growth" opportunity by working on specific elements of my game, taking ADVANTAGE of the easier balls less-experienced players tend to feed me and rather than smashing the ball hard working on stuff like placement, and eliminating ALL errors.
The summary is that Morse is not just a muscal talent. He is a thinking man's musician and applies that to "how to get better".
But he's also... literally... among the very very nicest people I have ever met and I met him 50 years ago!
So... naturally I was going to buy this book. I'm glad I did.
It is NOT my impression that the author got an interview with Steve to make this book. I think it's just assembled from research and (as a consumer of "all things Morse") much of what was written in the book "rung a bell" of familiarity as I read it. That is, I recalled reading the same thing somewhere over the years.
But... there's lots in the book I hadn't known and to me it was fun and joyful to just sit down and read everything as one book. So full on recommendation for Morse fans. And... a full on recommendation for non-Morse fan musicians to learn about this guy and his music.
Displaying 1 of 1 review