Gary Morris

Texas native Gary Morris produced a steady stream of romantic ballads that anchored country radio throughout the 1980s, most notably his version of “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” later recorded by Bette Midler and adopted for countless wedding ceremonies. From the outset Morris possessed a commanding voice ideally matched to the musical-theater stage, and once his run of country successes concluded he built a thriving second career in theater. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Morris traced his lineage to generations of traditional country and gospel performers on both sides of the family; in third grade he and his twin sister claimed first prize in a talent contest by performing “This Old House.”

An accomplished high-school athlete in four sports, he accepted a scholarship to Cisco Junior College near Abilene with plans to continue at Texas Tech, yet music redirected his path when he and two classmates spent a summer working in Colorado, the state that became his permanent residence. After persuading a Colorado Springs bartender to let them perform a short set, the enthusiastic response and generous tips persuaded Morris to set aside his academic goals and commit to singing professionally. During the early 1970s he earned his living in Denver clubs while also writing advertising jingles for local clients including Frontier Airlines.

In 1976 Morris joined Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign, performing at several fundraisers; that exposure led to an invitation to sing at the White House following Carter’s victory, where Nashville producer Norro Wilson was present. When Morris later submitted a demo, Wilson recalled the earlier performance and offered him a contract with Warner Bros. Although initial successes came with energetic country-rock numbers, Morris’s decisive pivot to ballad material on the 1983 album Why Lady Why propelled him to the summit of the charts, generating multiple Top Ten entries such as the title track, “The Love She Found in Me,” and “The Wind Beneath My Wings.”

Awards and guest spots on daytime and prime-time television followed in 1984 and 1985, confirming to industry observers that the untrained singer and actor was a rare natural talent and vocal powerhouse. In 1987 he became the first American cast as Jean Valjean in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. Morris continued to record country music, ultimately releasing twelve albums—including the largely acoustic Plain Brown Wrapper—and accumulating sixteen Top Ten singles, yet the Les Misérables engagement expanded into the national tour and a symphonic cast recording that diverted his focus.

His theatrical work flourished nonetheless; he joined fellow progressive-country alumna Linda Ronstadt in the Broadway staging of Puccini’s La Bohème and devoted much of the 1990s to additional pop projects, among them a PBS concert filmed inside Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. Late in the decade Morris resumed performing country music in Branson, Missouri, and took up production work, guiding the career of his son Matthew while also presenting private concerts for corporate clients. He makes his home at a fly-fishing lodge of his own in the Colorado Rockies.