By Shawn Perry
Of the many musicians I have had the pleasure to interview, Steve Morse is probably one of the most fascinating. To watch him handle the guitar is almost a religious experience — from chicken-picking whimsy to sweeping arpeggios to erupting volume swells to…well, you get the general idea. He is simply an amazing guitar player. What really sets Morse apart from so many of his peers is his attitude — unpretentious, inconspicuous and downright amicable.
Every year I attend the annual National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), there’s Steve Morse signing autographs at the Music Man booth. Typically, I walk by and give him a shout out. And typically, he smiles, says hello and shakes my hand. Certainly, he comes across thousands of people every year in his travels — I doubt he actually knows who or what I am. But that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Steve Morse is a rock star, but he doesn’t act like a rock star. In some odd, unexplainable way, he’s just a regular guy. A regular guy who can play guitar better than most rock stars.
Many longtime Deep Purple discount Morse’ contributions to the band, and that’s a damn shame. He replaced guitar icon Ritchie Blackmore almost 20 years ago, but his career reaches much further back than that. In 1974, he formed the Dixie Dregs, who went on to record several quirky albums and became one of the most revered, eclectic jazz-rock fusion groups of all time. In 1984, he released his first record under the Steve Morse Band moniker. Although commitments in the 80s to Kansas and then to Deep Purple kept him working at a rapid pace, the Steve Morse Band remains an ongoing concern.
In the following interview, we talk about Out Standing In Their Field, the tenth studio effort from the Steve Morse Band. We also touch on soundtrack work, classical guitar, a recent one-off show with Kansas and, of course, Deep Purple. Over the course of our transatlantic call — me in California, Morse in Italy — the guitarist was upbeat and courteous as he considered each question I tossed his way. Again, in some odd, unexplainable way, he was that regular guy — but with an unbridled passion and a set of hands you have to see in action to believe.
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