Don Morrell

Don Morrell, a frequently-noticed denizen of the New York City Americana scene in the '80s (with regular appearances at the legendary Lone Star roadhouse), was consistently partnered with some of the city's top

songwriters.

With his band The Meteors, Morrell made himself known as a songwriter who could tell his story with a beat and a twang (and play guitar alongside anyone).

Morrell had an administration deal with Bob Dylan's publishing company and a production deal with the Record Plant. He also wrote and recorded with several other projects, including Otis Blackwell. Blackwell is famous for having written many hits, including "Don't Be Cruel," "All Shook Up," "Great Balls of Fire" and "Return to Sender."

"Writing with Otis was like taking a masters course in songwriting," says Morrell. "Those older writers have a very craft-oriented system."

In 1987, shortly after Morrell had major eye surgery, Blackwell suggested they relocate to Nashville. In 88', they did, forming a Nashville-based production and publishing company. Morrell got heavily into writing songs with many of Nashville's top writers and producing demos for up-and-coming acts. The company was moving forward quickly, but closed after Blackwell suffered a debilitating stroke in the early 90's. Morrell eventually got back to business, co-publishing with George Strait's company until restarting his own publishing company, La Casa de Twang. Getting back into production, several artists were signed to deals helped by Morrell's demos.

Around this time, Morrell fell for one of his up-and-coming acts. He asked her to marry him and she decided being Mrs. Morrell would be more fun than being a recording artist. Don and Linda Morrell were married in the Memphis courthouse by a judge who was previously one of Elvis' bodyguards.

In 1996, Linda (and Jack London) persuaded Don to travel to Alaska to record her and her sister. The project was never finished, but the Morrells decided to make their home in the Last Frontier. They now reside in Anchorage, where Morrell continues writing and they operate a recording studio and music production/publishing company.

In late 2003, they started Ascribe Records, a label created to share their faith in God. Those CDs are available for no charge at this link: The Real Morrells CD.