# Ian Morris (musician)

Ian Gordon Morris (22 January 1957 – 7 October 2010), also known by the stage name Tex Pistol, was a New Zealand musician, record producer, recording engineer and songwriter.

## Musical career

Ian Morris and his brother Richard (who would also go on to become a successful singer, songwriter and sound engineer in New Zealand under the name Rikki Morris) were born in England but emigrated with their family to New Zealand in 1966. They attended Sacred Heart College, Auckland.
Ian was a founding member of iconic New Zealand band Th' Dudes, formed at Sacred Heart in 1975. He had chart hits as a solo artist under the name Tex Pistol (a name he took on because "Ian Morris [didn't] sound poppy enough"), and in collaboration with his brother Rikki as Tex Pistol and Rikki Morris. As recording engineer and record producer, his production credits include a number of successful Kiwi artists: Hello Sailor, DD Smash, The Screaming Meemees, Naked Spots Dance, The Warratahs, When the Cat's Away, Greg Johnson, Dave Dobbyn, and Southside of Bombay to name a few. Morris also wrote numerous jingles, arrangements, and orchestrations.

## Personal life

Morris was married to singer Kim Willoughby of New Zealand's most successful all-female group When the Cat's Away, with whom he had two daughters, Julia and Maude, and a stepson, James. He was separated from his wife at the time of his death.

### Death

Morris had been suffering from depression and died by suicide at Te Pania Hotel in Napier on 7 October 2010. Police noted that there were no suspicious circumstances to his death.
Morris was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

## Discography
### As solo artist
#### Albums

| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Year | Title | Details | NZ |
| 1988 | Nobody Else | Released as Tex Pistol Label: Pagan Records (PAL 1039) | 28 |
| 2020 | a and b the c of d | Released 2020 Label: IG Music (IGMLP001) | - |

#### Singles

| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Year | Title | NZ | Album |
| 1983 | "Boot Up (x=y)" as Jag Moritz | — | Non-album single |
| 1986 | "The Ballad of Buckskin Bob" as Tex Pistol | — | Nobody Else |
| 1987 | "Game of Love" as Tex Pistol | 1 | Nobody Else |
| 1988 | "Nobody Else" as Tex Pistol and Rikki Morris | 1 | Nobody Else |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||

### As producer

Selected discography :
| Band | Album/Single | Producer | Engineer |
| Th' Dudes | Right First Time | | Yes |
| Hello Sailor | Hello Sailor | | Yes |
| Hello Sailor | Pacifica Amour | | Yes |
| Th' Dudes | Where Are The Boys? | Yes | Yes |
| DD Smash | Cool Bananas | Yes | |
| Screaming Meemees | If This Is Paradise I'll Take The Bag | Yes | |
| The Gurlz | The Gurlz mini-album | Yes | |
| Naked Spots Dance | New mini-album | Yes | Yes |
| The Hulamen | Start A Fashion mini-album | Yes | Yes |
| Jag Moritz | Boot Up | Yes | Yes |
| Circus Block 4 | In Stone In Steel | Yes | Yes |
| Shadow Fax | Life Underground | Yes | Yes |
| Tex Pistol | "Game of Love" | Yes | Yes |
| Tex Pistol & Rikki Morris | "Nobody Else" | Yes | Yes |
| Rikki Morris | "Heartbroke Again" | Yes | Yes |
| The Warratahs | Big Sky | Yes | |
| The Warratahs | Wild Card | Yes | |
| Southside of Bombay | "What's The Time Mr Wolf?" | Yes | |
| Barry Saunders | Long Shadows | Yes | |
| Greg Johnson | Sea Breeze Motel | Yes | |
| Dave Dobbyn | Hopetown | Yes | |
| When The Cat's Away | Asian Paradise | Yes | Yes |
| Papa-Pa | My Black Jersey | Yes | Yes |

## Awards
### RIANZ

RIANZ New Zealand Music Awards :
| Year | Award | Details | Result |
| 1978 | Engineer of the Year | Hello Sailor, Hello Sailor | Won |
| 1979 | Single of the Year | 'Be Mine Tonight', Th' Dudes | Won |
| 1979 | Top Group | Th' Dudes | Won |
| 1982 | Producer of the Year | Cool Bananas (DD Smash) | Won |
| 1986 | Most Promising Male Vocalist | "The Ballad of Buckskin Bob" as Tex Pistol | Won |
| 1986 | Best Engineer | Ballad of Buskin Bob, Tex Pistol | Nominated |
| 1987 | Engineer of the Year | "Game of Love", Tex Pistol | Won |
| 1987 | Best Producer | "Game of Love", Tex Pistol | Nominated |
| 1988 | Single of the Year | "Nobody Else", Tex Pistol / Rikki Morris | Nominated |
| 1988 | Best Producer | "Nobody Else", Tex Pistol / Rikki Morris | Nominated |
| 1990 | Producer of the Year | "Heartbroke", Rikki Morris | Won |
| 1990 | Best Engineer | Heartbroke, Rikki Morris | Nominated |
| 2019 | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | himself (as part of Th' Dudes) | inductee |

### APRA

In 2001, members of APRA were invited to vote on their favourite New Zealand songs of all time. Of the final 100, 2 Morris-related songs appeared on the list.
* #27, for "Be Mine Tonight" with Th' Dudes (1978)
* #50, for "Bliss" with Th' Dudes (1979)