Rod Morris (January 28, 1919 – October 6, 1980) was a country and western singer and songwriter.
Rodney (or Rogene) Morris was born into a musical family in Brookfield, Missouri and apparently reared west of there in Excelsior Springs, northeast of Kansas City. He was playing music from age ten, hopping freights to see the world by age 14. By continually entering amateur contests he achieved a name for himself and about 1937 had his own radio show at KITE in Kansas City.
He served in the European Theater during the war and came home with a German wife, Anna. He organized a band called the Missourians and played mostly in his home state and the Upper Midwest. He cut his first single on Liberty (not the later more famous label) followed by three in 1949 on Central Records, both local companies. He signed with Capitol in 1950, but his first session did not take place until October 1951.
Sioux Falls
Johnny Sippel told The Billboard readers in February 1952 that Rod had joined radio station KSOO in Sioux Falls where it seems that Fred Stryker of Fairway Music brought Rod to the attention of Ken Nelson at Capitol. Rod left Sioux Falls sometime in June 1952 to tour extensively with other Capitol artists such as Hank Thompson as reported in The Billboard June 28, 1952. The other artists on the tour included Skeets McDonald; Gene O'Quin; Tex Carmen; Boots and Idaho.
By
November, he had re-formed his band and moved his radio base to Norfolk,
Nebraska and radio station WJAG. Then he went on to Ottumwa, Iowa. He recorded
for Capitol through 1954, but his best song "Bimbo" from October 1953
did much better on Jim Reeves' cover version. Another one of his compositions
"North Wind" also became a hit for Slim Whitman. BMI awarded a 1954
Citation Of Achievement to Rod Morris and other writers for their "great
country and western song hits" of the year.
Rod Morris & The Missourians
Rod then moved to the Eureka, CA area around 1957 where he was quite popular. Whilst there he formed his own label, Ludwig Records, named after his son, Rodney Ludwig, for which he recorded ‘Alabama Jail House Blues’, ‘Ghost Of Casey Jones’, ‘I Lived With The Angels’, ‘Bony Eyes Of Blue’ and ‘Heartbreak Letter.” He did numerous personal appearances. He was also on the first broadcast of the new television station KVIQ, channel 6. The station was initially to be affiliated with the NBC and ABC networks. The station televised its dedication ceremony. Rod Morris, a star of the Big Six Jamboree was to provide special entertainment that day. The manager of the station, Caroll R. Hauser had previous experience in radio - both technical and administrative. He was the former owner of radio station KHUM. The station was located on Humboldt Hill.
In the early 1960's, his career seemed to be taking him back to the midwest. He was doing appearances in Hawarden, about 40 miles north of Sioux City, Indiana. It was a bit north and west of LeMars, where the Traditional Country Music Festival was held. Morris and The Bimbo Boys recorded one single for the Blue Bonnet label in 1975 and in 1976 he recorded on Jim Hall’s Deadwood label out of North Caldwell, New Jersey, cutting an E.P. He drifted further into obscurity. His first marriage apparently dissolved and there was at least another to a singer named Delia (possibly a stage name for wife Sharon). He died a few years later on October 6, 1980.
Despite the lack of any hits, Morris still had an engaging and fruitful association with Capitol Records. He may have cut no classics, but Morris did cut some good timey, semi-western swing. Some of it was more pleasant than arresting, but the songs were catchy and above average, the band was good and the singer was strong. Although he achieved some renown briefly in the 1950s, Rod Morris is, today, obscure to say the least.
(Edited
from Hillbilly Music.com & Bear Family notes)