Biography
Laurie Morvan extends her reach as guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader well beyond the demands of constant touring. Before entering the blues world, this licensed pilot spent years in Southern California’s aerospace industry. She completed a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois while also competing on the school’s volleyball team, which awarded her a scholarship for her final two undergraduate years.
Much like the women of Saffire -- the Uppity Blues Women, Morvan left behind the predictability of steady employment to pursue the uncertain path of a full-time touring musician. Her earliest group concentrated on Top 40 hits and cover material, regularly performing at Nevada casinos as well as hotels and clubs throughout California.
A decisive moment arrived when Morvan first encountered the music of Texas blues master Stevie Ray Vaughan, an experience that redirected her artistic course. Drawn in by his forceful and emotionally charged guitar style, she immersed herself in his recordings and thereby acquired a foundational blues education. From that point she cultivated her own approach to blues-rock, began writing original songs, and underwrote her initial studio work by earning a master’s degree in applied mathematics and teaching college mathematics courses.
In 1997 she issued her first album of original material, Out of the Woods, together with the band Backroad Shack. By 2004 the group had been renamed the Laurie Morvan Band, and its next two releases drew wider notice through magazine profiles and airplay on the syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour. Reaching the finals of the 2008 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, opened doors for regional touring in the Midwest. Working with producer Steve Savage (Elvin Bishop, Robert Cray), she released Fire It Up! in 2009. The album presents a dozen original compositions by Morvan that sidestep conventional blues themes and familiar tropes. Beginning national tours in 2009 and 2010, Morvan and her band have continued to guide the music toward fresh and necessary territory, allowing the form itself to keep evolving.
Much like the women of Saffire -- the Uppity Blues Women, Morvan left behind the predictability of steady employment to pursue the uncertain path of a full-time touring musician. Her earliest group concentrated on Top 40 hits and cover material, regularly performing at Nevada casinos as well as hotels and clubs throughout California.
A decisive moment arrived when Morvan first encountered the music of Texas blues master Stevie Ray Vaughan, an experience that redirected her artistic course. Drawn in by his forceful and emotionally charged guitar style, she immersed herself in his recordings and thereby acquired a foundational blues education. From that point she cultivated her own approach to blues-rock, began writing original songs, and underwrote her initial studio work by earning a master’s degree in applied mathematics and teaching college mathematics courses.
In 1997 she issued her first album of original material, Out of the Woods, together with the band Backroad Shack. By 2004 the group had been renamed the Laurie Morvan Band, and its next two releases drew wider notice through magazine profiles and airplay on the syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour. Reaching the finals of the 2008 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, opened doors for regional touring in the Midwest. Working with producer Steve Savage (Elvin Bishop, Robert Cray), she released Fire It Up! in 2009. The album presents a dozen original compositions by Morvan that sidestep conventional blues themes and familiar tropes. Beginning national tours in 2009 and 2010, Morvan and her band have continued to guide the music toward fresh and necessary territory, allowing the form itself to keep evolving.
Albums