Matt Morris Bio
“He’s kind of like Ray LaMontagne meets Elton John meets Stevie Wonder meets Rufus Wainwright. It’s time for the birth of the hybrid artist."
Justin Timberlake
"It will exceed all expectations."
Charlie Sexton
This is the word on the street about Matt Morris' debut album, The Un-American LP" (available in late 2008), from Justin Timberlake's new label, Tennman Records. With songs that bring to mind Freddie Mercury, Bill Withers, and Jeff Buckley, yet feature the talents of Austin legend, Patty Griffin and famed artist, Edie Brickell, not to mention the production stylings of Charlie Sexton and Timberlake, the album is as divergent as it is contagious. And Matt himself is as unexpected as he is real.
It is Matt’s voice and inescapable lyrics that make his music intoxicating. Matt performs music you want to sing with. His songs are seductive, addicting, playful, soulful, and ultimately unforgettable. His voice draws you in, smooth and powerful, and rough when it needs to be. And all of his songs cause you to move with the groove, swing your hips, slow dance, or pump your fist.
Matt’s musical career started earlier than most. At five years old, Matt made his first studio recording, a song co-written with his mom. Both his parents – Teri Hernandez and Gary Morris of the 1970’s band Breakaway – made plenty of room for Matt’s talent as he grew. In 1986, at seven years old, Matt performed with his dad, opening on a nationwide tour with Kenny Rogers. He sang “Blue Suede Shoes” for audiences of 10,000, and received standing ovations.
Matt’s interest in singing and performing grew, and his voice and showmanship eventually landed him on the 1990’s television sensation, the new Mickey Mouse Club. Joining the cast at 11 years old, Matt sang and performed alongside the young Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and more.
As the television show wound up its final season, Matt faced a choice: continue rolling with the hit-making machine that went on to promote N’Sync, Aguilera and Spears, or go home to Denver and finish high school. He chose to return home, to the roots of his Mexican-American family, and to live a little before making more music.
And live he did. While finishing high school, he joined Amigos de las Americas, a volunteer organization that placed him with a family in Paraguay for eight weeks before his senior year. While in Paraguay, Matt taught health classes for kids, worked on community sanitation projects, and – much to his grandmother’s delight – improved his Spanish.
Shortly after high school, Matt moved to Nashville to work with his father’s music publishing company. He toured with Gary for several Christmas shows, wrote songs, and helped produce one of his father’s solo albums. Always seeking to reach beyond the music industry, though, and into the community where music could be inspired, Matt has also volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, at a food bank, and for the Barack Obama campaign.
For Matt, that’s the secret: to always look at his family and his community, to the pressing issues they face and the happiness they enjoy. “The Un-American LP,” Matt says, “is original, diverse, complicated, and sweet because the people I sing to are all those things, too.” More than anything, Matt’s music is about reality, even while his voice is out of this world.