Steve Morse has long maintained a devoted audience, particularly among fellow guitarists, frequently topping annual reader surveys in prominent music publications. Though the Beatles sparked his initial interest during adolescence, he soon broadened his influences to encompass the Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. After experimenting briefly with piano and clarinet, he developed a strong passion for guitar upon attending a recital by classical performer Juan Mercadal, who subsequently provided the young musician with private instruction. A campus appearance by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra during his time at the University of Miami proved decisive, prompting Morse to commit to instrumental rock; in 1974 he assembled the Dixie Dregs, later shortened to the Dregs, a group that would help shape the fusion movement. Following roughly fourteen albums fronting that ensemble, he launched the Steve Morse Band’s recording activity in 1984. Elektra Records quickly signed him, resulting in the 1984 release The Introduction and the follow-up Stand Up a year later. He next joined Kansas, contributing to the MCA albums Power (1986) and In the Spirit of Things (1988). As an MCA solo artist in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Morse issued High Tension Wires (1989), Southern Steel (1991), and Coast to Coast (1992). After departing the label in 1992 he recorded Structural Damage (1995) and StressFest (1996) for Windham Hill/BMG. In 1994 he replaced Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple, appearing on multiple live sets and four studio albums across nearly ten years: Purpendicular (1996), Abandon (1998), Bananas (2003), and Rapture of the Deep (2005). That same year Morse formed the supergroup Living Loud alongside vocalist Jimmy Barnes of INXS and Cold Chisel, bassist Bob Daisley, and drummer Lee Kerslake; the ensemble delivered its self-titled debut in 2003. With Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey added to the lineup, the group later issued Live in Sydney 2004 (2005) and the companion DVD Debut Live Concert: Sydney Fox Studios, 2004 (2006). The Steve Morse Band returned with Out Standing in Their Field in 2009, while 2010 brought Angelfire, a joint project with singer-songwriter Sarah Spencer.
