Hugh Morrison


		Hugh Morrison



	Born in 1973 in the town of Wick, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland, Morrison moved to Tain, Ross-shire, when he was two years old.
	While in Tain, he learned to play the single row melodeon at the age of ten with help from Cam MacKay, a family friend and himself a fine melodeon player.
	A year or so later he moved onto the 3-row button accordion under the guidance of Willie Graham, another local box player from the Ross-shire area.
	The biggest influence on his playing was Ali MacGregor of the Tain Scottish Dance Band, who introduced him to the finer and more technical aspects of box playing.
	At fourteen he joined Ali's band, where he started playing regularly at ceilidhs, concerts and country dance rallies all over the north of Scotland.
	One of the highlights of his learning years was visits to Auchtermuchty in Fife to see Sir Jimmy Shand. Morrison says "his friendly approach & sound advice on 3-row playing was of great benefit to me & I'll never forget the experience of playing along with the master".
	He also played in a few Highland Music and Dance youth groups which allowed him the opportunity to tour Europe - to countries such as Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Italy & Russia.
	Morrison made his first recording at the age of sixteen, a full length album called 'Button Box', a solo effort with backing from Ali MacGregor. This album was given significant exposure on many local radio stations as well as on BBC Radio Scotland. He's done numerous broadcasts on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Take the Floor' program with the Tain Scottish Dance Band & appeared on Gaelic TV shows on Grampian TV. Other enjoyable gigs include guest artist appearances at Accordion & Fiddle Clubs in Scotland, both with the Tain Band and solo.
	These days he plays at many Scottish/Irish Celtic Festivals all over North America. He is in demand for Ceilidh Dances, Scottish Country Dances and Weddings. He also accompanies many fine Celtic & Folk singers at gigs across the States - Jed Marum, Ed Miller & Joann Gilmartin, to name a few. He has released 3 albums since arriving in Houston. "Feet to the Floor"(2003), "Far from Home"(2005) and "Under a Texas Skye"(2007) Each CD is varied with numerous top class musicians guesting, but all are dominated by Morrison's own soaring squeezebox talents driving each musical journey along. "Under a Texas Skye" has been nominated for album of the year 2007 on the Scottish radio show "No Celtic Boundaries". His main project is the high energy progressive Celtic Band - Murder the Stout Formed at the end of 2004, Murder the Stout has made quite a stir in Celtic music circles. Their debut CD "Imported" has reached audiences all over the globe and has received much critical acclaim. Band members include Irishman Gerard Bride (vocals/whistle) and Texans, Neil DuFour, (guitar) Jay Brooks (bass) & Jon Chamrad (drums), as well as Morrison himself on squeezebox & vocals.



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