Today we’d like to introduce you to John Morris.
John, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been musically inclined. Years before my birth, my musical gifts and talents were prophesied to my parents at church. The prophecy held true. As a toddler I would bang on pots and pans trying to make music. As a child, my parents purchased a drum set for me to play and then invested in getting me lessons.
In my middle school years, my musical skills evolved when I picked up a trumpet. Not too long after, I began actively playing at church every Sunday. While at church, I also learned to play the Congas. As time progressed during my high school years, my friends and I formed a band called, “Essential Sounds Band”. Go-Go was our specialty. Growing up in Dale City, VA about 35 minutes from Washington D.C Go-Go music was a major influence of the sound I yield even to present day, and it shaped my understanding of music and culture. After I graduated high school, I joined the U.S Army in 2004.. While serving on my deployment, Army Entertainment sent a band called the U.S.A Express to perform for us to lift our morale. It did just that! I was so inspired, I thought to myself, “This is exactly what I want to do; I want to bring joy to other soldiers by using my musical gifts.” So I recorded a video of a church service where I was playing the drums while deployed, and when I returned back to my permanent duty station in Fort Huachuca, AZ, I submitted my audition to Army Entertainment. Not too long after that, I received notice that I was selected to come to Fort Belvoir, VA for a live audition. I was ecstatic, however when I arrived, I didn’t see a drum set so I was very much so wondering what was going on. It turns out they thought I was the guy singing at the church service versus the one playing drums. They asked me if I could sing and I said yes, so they allowed me to stay and audition. Through it all, I made the cut and earned a prominent role in the 2006 United States Army Soldier Show. My professional music career began with a tour across the U.S and Europe. That is how and when I learned to prepare and conduct myself as a professional musician.
When my Military commitment was fulfilled, I enrolled in school for Mortuary Science. While in school, I was in a band called DiCharisse & Flow, performing all over Atlanta. I became an academic fraternity president of Pi Sigma Eta and then experienced some crazy heartbreak and drug addiction. It took a while to bounce back from that one but with God’s help, I Overcame and in August 2011, I made the decision to commit to music full time. I labored vigorously daily writing music in hopes to make it big and success my shame away. Even though I was depressed, I continued to create music. It was my only outlet of expression and the one thing left in which I had confidence. From there, Multi-platinum producer, Jonathan “ Swole” Dumas introduced me to Radio One Atlanta’s New Music Program’s head Director and A&R DJ Redd Dread who invited me to join the New Music Program team. In 2015 my friend whom I affectionately refer to as my Big Brother Multi-Platinum producer Dr. Kevin “Khao” Cates invited me to use my musical skills to help the children with his program called “Bridge DA Gap”, a social-emotional program designed for the youth and “KOOLriculum”, a technology-driven, Hip Hop music-centered, academic supplemental tool for students in grades Pre-K through 12. We have worked on numerous projects together with the most recent being, “Bad Brains Forever”. It is slated for release in 2020.
As time has progressed, I’ve been blessed to collaborate with many phenomenal artists such as T.I, Big K.R.I.T, Jonathan McReynolds, Mali Music, Musiq Soulchild, Joyner Lucas, Q Parker, Syleena Johnson, Todd Dulaney, Grey, and many more.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has certainly not been a smooth road. Bumpy is an accurate way to describe my road. Between drug addiction, multiple attempts of murder on my life, betrayal, heartbreak, failing out of school twice, depression, and bouts with severe PTSD, it’s been everything but smooth. But God is faithful and true and has never left me on my journey.
Last Supper Club – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Last Supper Club is “Where everybody eats”. We specialize in making music, we shop music for sync licensing, we connect people and create opportunities for the starving artist and producers to no longer starve. We give songwriters, musicians, producers, singers, and other creatives a chance to enter doors in which they may not normally have access to. We carefully pair creatives with the right platforms. If you have contributed even minutely in the creative process, you will get your credit and proper payment, no questions asked. What I am most proud of as a company is our transparency. Honesty means everything to us. We operate out of love; that’s the difference.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Taking on the task of creating my musical theatre production, “Morris Code” is definitely my crown jewel. It is musical theatre constructed in a way that I’ve never witnessed before. I am certainly stepping out of my comfort zone, and it is my sincere prayer that this project will be well received and embraced by the multitudes. It’s about my life: the ups, the downs, and in between. The “Morris Code” is dual purposed: 1. to show people just how real God is, and 2. to show people what life is like being a Black Man living in America.
Special thanks to Marcus Coleman, Samuel L. Buck, Douglas Whatley, Jonathan Wells, Ahmad Jamal McGhee, Prem Midha, Steven Mann, Brycedius Samples, Dr. Kevin “Khao” Cates, Mike ” Snotty” Miller, Milk & Sizz, and Daniel Wahlig for your many musical contributions towards the Morris Code.
Many blessings to Mr. Victor Marten Hurtado for welcoming me into the Army Entertainment family!
Much love to Carol Nichole Moore for helping me articulate my thoughts, sentiments, and experiences in this article.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jmorris.tv
- Email: thelastsupperclubllc@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justjmorris
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justjmorris
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/justjmorris
Image Credit:
Jamal Simmons, Victor Coker jr
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