Lynn Morris, from Lamesa, Texas, won the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship at Winfield, Kansas, in 1974 and again in 1981. She was the first person to win it twice. She then led the Lynn Morris Band from 1988, won IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year three times, and was the first woman elected to the IBMA board. She entered the IBMA hall of fame in 2021.
Why Morris matters
Morris won the top banjo contest in the country twice, the first player to do so, and she did it in the 1970s and early 1980s. Later her band featured banjo players Tom Adams, Ron Block, and Mike Munford.
Life and career
Morris grew up in Lamesa, Texas. She learned guitar at 12 from the same teacher who taught Buddy Holly. At college in Colorado she began playing banjo in a bluegrass band. With the Denver band City Limits Bluegrass, she won the Winfield banjo contest in 1974 and 1981.
From 1980 to 1986 she played in Whetstone Run, a Pennsylvania band that included her future husband, bassist Marshall Wilborn. In 1987 she worked with Laurie Lewis and Grant Street. In 1988, when the Johnson Mountain Boys broke up, she and Wilborn formed the Lynn Morris Band with banjo player Tom Adams and mandolinist David McLaughlin, both from that band. Later lineups included Ron Block and Mike Munford.
The band recorded for Rounder: The Lynn Morris Band (1990), The Bramble and the Rose (1992), Mama’s Hand (1995), You’ll Never Be the Sun (1999), and Shape of a Tear (2003). Her recording of Hazel Dickens’s Mama’s Hand won IBMA Song of the Year in 1996, and she won IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1996, 1998, and 1999. She received the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in 2010 and entered the hall of fame in 2021.
Playing style
Morris played Scruggs-style banjo, good enough to win Winfield twice. In her own band she sang lead and also played guitar.
Influences and legacy
Morris played beside Marshall Wilborn, Laurie Lewis, Tom Adams, David McLaughlin, Ron Block, and Mike Munford. She was the first two-time Winfield banjo champion and the first woman on the IBMA board.
Signature tunes and songs
Mama’s Hand Love Grown Cold Black Pony You’ll Never Be the Sun Old Rip.
Essential recordings
The Lynn Morris Band (Rounder, 1990) The Bramble and the Rose (Rounder, 1992) Mama’s Hand (Rounder, 1995) You’ll Never Be the Sun (Rounder, 1999) Shape of a Tear (Rounder, 2003)
Awards and honors
National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Winfield, first place (1974) National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, Winfield, first place (1981) IBMA Song of the Year, Mama’s Hand (1996) IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year (1996, 1998, 1999) IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award (2010) International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (2021)
Watch and listen
Morris plays the banjo tune Old Rip.
What to learn from Morris
Learn a straight Scruggs break to a slow song like Mama’s Hand. The technique to steal is playing for the song. Keep the break simple and close to the melody so the song comes first.
Sources
Morris, Lynn, BluegrassBios.com Walnut Valley Festival winners archive, alphabetical (PDF) International Bluegrass Music Awards, Wikipedia
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Morris led a band with Tom Adams, Ron Block, and Mike Munford.