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Sarah Jane MorrisBritish singer and songwriter
Date of Birth: 21.03.1959
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Sarah Jane Morris
Early Life and EducationSarah Jane Morris, a British singer and songwriter, was born on March 21, 1959, in Southampton, England. She was the only daughter in a family of six boys. Her eccentric father, who secretly dreamed of a music career, constantly got involved in strange business schemes in hopes of becoming rich. Due to her father's quirks, Morris had a nomadic childhood, moving more than twenty times. However, she believes that such a childhood made her strong and resilient, capable of returning to normalcy from any situation. After completing school, she studied Bertolt Brecht's theater in Stratford-on-Avon and became a student at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Famous personalities such as Rupert Everett, Kristen Scott-Thomas, Jennifer Saunders, and Dawn French were her classmates. However, Morris disliked the theater school because she felt it did not fit her. She rebelled and left before completing the course, without receiving a diploma. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for singing and unexpectedly found out that she had a decent voice.
Music Career
In 1982, Morris joined the London-based Afro-Caribbean-Latin group called "The Republic" as a lead singer. The politically left-leaning group garnered incredible attention from the music press, including features on the covers of "NME" and "City Limits" magazines and a documentary film on "Granada TV." However, their music was deemed too political for mainstream radio stations, except for "Capital Radio." "The Republic" signed a contract with Charlie Gillett's "Oval Records Ltd" and released an EP titled "Three Songs From The Republic" and two singles, "One Chance" and "My Spies." Unfortunately, they did not achieve commercial success, and the group disbanded in 1984.
After the breakup of "The Republic," Sarah Jane Morris began performing with the large brass orchestra called "The Happy End," founded in 1983 by Matt Fox. The orchestra consisted of 20-24 musicians and was named after the musical play by Bertolt Brecht, Elisabeth Hauptmann, and Kurt Weill. The band's performances also had a strong political undertone, and the musicians, specializing in ethnic music from Africa, Ireland, and Latin America, became frequent guests at protest events. They performed in various clubs like the Brighton-based "Zap Club" and appeared at festivals, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. With Morris's participation, the orchestra released two albums, "There's Nothing Quite Like Money" in 1985 and "Resolution" in 1987. Morris's theater school skills came in handy as she played Ginny Jenny in Brecht and Weill's "The Threepenny Opera."
Solo Career
After a successful performance at the Edinburgh Festival in 1986, Morris joined the pop group "The Communards," known for their hit song "Don't Leave Me This Way." She shared the group's fame and chart success with lead singer Jimmy Somerville. Morris's low vocals can be heard on many tracks by "The Communards," beautifully contrasting Somerville's high falsetto. Additionally, since 1989, she started releasing solo albums that gained significant popularity in Italy and Greece. Her latest album to date, "Where it Hurts," was released in 2009. Morris also participated in the creation of Peter Hammill and Judge Smith's opera "The Fall of the House of Usher" in 1991, where she performed as part of the chorus.
