Michael McMorrow
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| Michael McMorrow | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1963 |
| Origin | Bremerton,Washington, USA |
| Genre(s) | American Traditional|Jamband|Adult Contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Recording Artist, Record Producer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano,Hammond Organ,Guitar |
| Years active | 1982-present |
| Label(s) | Shadowhawk Records |
| Associated acts | Stolen Ogre, Alligator Wine |
| Website | www.MichaelMcMorrow.com |
Michael Sean McMorrow (born July 2, 1963 in Bremerton, Washington USA) is an American musician, composer, and producer, and founding member of jam band Stolen Ogre.
In addition to writing songs for the group, McMorrow plays keyboards and acoustic guitar.
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[edit] History
McMorrow's first training in music came from his Texas-born mother, and from his Irish-born grandfather Frank McMorrow, a fiddler. At 11 years old, Michael was writing, arranging and performing his own compositions on the family piano, and at 12 he won California’s statewide Young Composers Competition.[citation needed]
Wanting to write and play original music, he found like-minded players and enthusiastic audiences in the college town of Ellensburg, Washington, where his band The Yarddogs thrived for close to seven years. The Yarddogs performed with groups such as Delbert McClinton, Jefferson Airplane, Paul Rodgers and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. One reviewer called the Yarddog sound “a shotgun wedding of electric country blues and Pacific Northwest Rural Rock and Roll.”[citation needed] Michael first met Stolen Ogre guitarist David Simpson during this time when David joined the Yarddogs in their final years.
Michael has also made regular appearances in Yes drummer Alan White's All-star Band.
[edit] Stolen Ogre
Michael was a part of the Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere (H.O.R.D.E.) Festival tour, where his musical encounters with Brendan Hill (of Blues Traveler) brought the two to form a band.
Stolen Ogre went on to be a National 2005 Relix Magazine Jamoff Winner with the McMorrow-composed "Icing", and highlighted as "Top Bands to Watch" in Relix's December/January 2006 issue.
[edit] Producing and benefit work
McMorrow worked closely with nationally syndicated host Bob Rivers in the launch of Twisted Radio from KISW Radio in Seattle.
He later produced an internationally documented concert for the International and American Red Cross during the Gulf War. The show marked the debut of The Lovemongers, (an acoustic side project of Heart), and included Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell. He has since gone on to produce and be involved in many Northwest benefit events.
McMorrow has volunteered with prisoners at the Monroe Reformatory, and is an active supporter of public school music programs. He is an executive board member of Music Aid Northwest.
