Dixie Dregs, "Bring 'Em Back Alive"
And if that wasn't enough, Steve has a great collection of post-Dregs work. Highlights include High Tension Wires, The Introduction, and numerous albums with his current trio, the Steve Morse Band. Steve is always on the road in some manner, either with the Dregs or his own trio, doing clinics or touring the world as guitarist with the re-united Deep Purple (yes, Deep Purple!). Make the effort to see him and witness a guy who is still at the top of his game after more than 25 years in the business, still having fun and showing no signs of slowing down.
Without doubt, Steve has been a huge influence on my own work. I hope you'll get as much inspiration from him as I have.
Steve Morse on the web:
Also, be sure to visit the Steve Morse Tribute site at:
Also getting a lot of spins on my CD player:
Duke Ellington, "The Best of the Duke Ellington Centennial Edition"- 68 minutes of pure jazz delight, spanning the length of the great man's forty-plus year career. Sophisticated, swinging, bluesy, sultry- This is timeless, truly American music.
Jimi Hendrix, "Jimi Hendrix Experience" (box set)- I don't know if a collection that includes some rough demos and raw live performances will win any new fans, but my respect for Hendrix, the working musician and songwriter, has deepened thanks to this and other projects released by the official Hendrix family organization. And the absolutely smoking live version of "Johnny B. Goode" should remove all doubt from any of today's generation who question Hendrix's status as a legend.
Also don't miss another great Hendrix set, "Blues"- an astounding reminder of how deep Jimi's roots went into the blues.
The Dixie Dregs, formed in the late 70's, was the creation of Steve Morse, a guitarist of uncompromising technical excellence, astounding virtuosity in every style, endless creative output and unfailing energy and enthusiasm. His music with the Dregs, and on his own and with his current Steve Morse band, is a raucous fusion of rock and roll with jazz, country, classical, and funk. Inspired by the early Mahavishnu Orchestra, the Dregs line-up features guitar, violin, keyboards, bass and drums. The results are some of the most powerful and exhilarating music in the realm of what is called fusion. Their 1992 release Bring 'Em Back Alive finally documented the ferocious power and excitement of their live performance, which none of their studio albums has ever quite captured.
Having said that, I highly recommend listening to the whole Dixie Dregs catalog, starting with What If, which in my opinion is their absolute pinnacle. Also check out Night Of The Living Dregs, Unsung Heroes, and Dregs Of The Earth for some more fine examples of their work. Every album contains some gems of astounding musicianship and composition.
Visit the offical Steve Morse Page at www.stevemorse.com for a full bio, touring info, and merchandise. Steve also uploads a "Notes from the road" essay every couple of weeks. His commentary and insight about music, business and life in general are well worth reading!
http://members.tripod.com/~godsize1/frames.htm - a complete and well done site featuring interviews, tabs, pictures and tons of other info about Steve and his career. Thanks to creator Heath Barratt for the link to me!