"Gary Morris: Featured Artist" 80s radio profile

Gary Morris is our featured artist this afternoon. Last year, Gary produced and released his plain brown rapper LP. Gary Morris talks about the plain brown rapper. >> One of my favorite songs on the album, uh, Honeycomb. I had remembered that there was a pop record of Honeycomb, Jimmy Rogers, uh, not to be confused with the old breakman Jimmy Rogers, but the the pop artist of the 50s had recorded Honeycomb and had a giant record with it. All I remembered was that honeycomb was a song that we used to sing, my family and I, uh, when we go on vacations. That was the way we entertained ourselves. [music] >> Honey, [music] you be my own. Just a [music] hang of hair and a piece of bone. Better walking talking [music] honeycomb. Honey, won't you be my baby? [music] Honey, be my own. What a darn good life when I got a wife like honeycomb. It's a darn good [music] life. And it's kind of funny [singing] how the bee was made and the bee [music] made the honey. The honey bee looking for a home made by honeycomb. [music] Then they combed the world and [singing] they gathered all of the honeycomb [music] up in one sweet ball. The honeycomb [music and singing] from a million trips. Made my baby's lips. [music] Honey, won't you be my baby? Honey, [singing] be my own. Just a hang [music] a hair and a piece of bone. Made a walking talking honeycomb. Well, [music] honeycomb, won't you be [singing] my baby? Honey, be my own. What [music] a darn good life when I got a wife like honey. [music] >> Now, have you heard tell how they made to be? Then they tried a hand at a [music] green green tree. So the tree was made and I guess you heard. Next [music] they made a bird. Now they [singing] waited round till the end of spring. Saving every [music] note that the bird [singing] did sing. Then they rolled it up in [music] the one sweet tones for my honeycomb. Honeycomb [music] honey. [singing] Won't you be my baby honeycomb on my own? >> Just a hang of hair [music] and a piece of bone made of walking talking honeycomb. Well, honeycomb, [music] you be my baby. Honey, my home. >> What a [music and singing] darn good life when I have a wife like honeycomb in a little while. When they [music] made that bird, they looked around for a little word. [music] It sounded sweet as a turtle dove. [music] So they called it [singing] love. Then they went around looking everywhere. Taking [music and singing] love from here and from there and stored it up in a little car [music] for my honey. Honey, [music] won't you be my baby? [singing] Honey, be my own. Just a hank [music] of hair and a piece of bone. Made a walking talking honeycomb. [singing] Oh, honeycomb. [music] Won't you be my baby? Honey, be my home. What a darn [music] good life when I got a wife like honeycomb. Honeycomb, [music] won't you be my baby? Honey, be [music] my own. Just a hank of hair and a piece of bone made in a walking dog. Honeycomb. [music] Well, honeycomb, won't you [singing] be my baby? Honey, be my own. What [music] a darn good life when you got a wife like honeycomb. [music] Honeycomb. [music] >> Here's a Jimmy Rogers classic, honeycomb at C2 W. When Gary was choosing the songs for the album, why did he choose Honeycomb out of all the classics to choose from? >> I think the the public out there who know me from big ballads and uh songs that uh are a little more than entertaining, often times songs that require a great deal of thought that yes, uh this is Gary Morris and I also have a sense of humor. I'm not just a guy who has to make social statements, although it's a real important part of me, but I thought the son the song was fun and I thought the record was fun, too. >> Another classic on the Plain Brown rapper album was the Hank Williams song I'm so lonesome I could cry. >> A very important day in my life uh when I look back on my career was the very first time I walked on the stage of the Grand O L Opery. But I went on the stage and stood on the uh the little section of stage that came out of the old Ryman auditorium and took my band on and we sang I'm so lonesome I could cry and the audience got on their feet and brought us back for an encore and it was really a magical moment. It wasn't until about 6 months later um that Charlie Douglas uh one night at WSM played me a tape of that night. They had recorded it and he gave it to me and I owe him for that and I thank him for that. I'm so lonesome I could cry. Live from the stage of the Grand Old Opry. Can't you hear that [music and singing] longome we [music] will sound [singing] [music] too blue to fly. The midnight [music and singing] train is why [music] and I'm so [music and singing] lon could cry. [music] [music] Did [music] you ever see [music] a rock [singing] and weep when leaves [music] begin to die? It means [music and singing] he's lost. his will [music] to live. And I'm so [singing] lome. [music] >> [music] >> The silence [music and singing] of [singing] the falling [music] star. Lights of [singing] the burn [music] sky. And as [music] I wonder where [music and singing] you are, I so [music and singing] long could cry. [singing] >> [music] >> So, so [music] I could cry. [music] [music] >> [music] [applause] >> Hi, this is Gary Morris and the Marshalls got you covered. Our guest this hour is Gary Morris as he talks about the title cut of Plain Brown Rapper. I think that song was inspired somewhat from uh being on the Col's and doing a lot of LAish kind of things. Um I'm not a very LA kind of person being that I'm not um I'm not enamored by the the glitz and the glamour that uh that are associated with Los Angeles. I spent some time there and the gist of playing Brown rapper uh as a song is basically to say take off all of the uh superficial front that you have and and strip yourself down to who you are cuz that's that's who I love anyway and that came thus came the title cut playing brown rapper the [music] jewels there's diamonds in your eyes lose the your [music] painted on disguise. Lose the dress that has the fairest [music] prize. [music] Lose the time. This night belongs to me. Lose [music] your mind and let the moments [singing] be. Lose your [music] all. You're all I'll ever be. On the outside, [music] a plain brown wrapper. On the inside, [singing] solid gold. [music] But the inside's all that matters. And [music] the outside just for sure. [music] >> [music] >> Soon [music] the years will surely fade away. Soon the time for lines and shades of gray, [music] soon the dreams will all [singing] be yesterday. [music] If all that's left is [music] what we're feeling now, all that's changed will [music] matter in how we arrange but still the same [music] somehow. [singing] When the outside's a plain [singing] brown wrapper. Still the inside [music] solid gold. >> But the inside's all [music] that mattered. And the outside [music] was just yours. On the outside [music] of [singing] town never on the inside solid gold, [music] but the inside's all that matters. [music] And the outside just for sure. [music] >> [music] >> your lo [music and singing] diamonds in your life [music] brown [singing] [music] still the >> [music] >> brown on you. [music] >> There's our feature artist this hour, Gary Morris. [music] We hope you've enjoyed the interview. On behalf of CHW radio, I'm John Marshall. [music]