John Morris
A self-described eclectic, John Morris provided scores for a diverse array of films, from Blazing Saddles -- his breakout hit -- to The Elephant Man. Though the bulk of his best-known projects came from his film collaborations with producer/directors Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder, his varied career also embraced television and Broadway, and also included work in Great Britain.
Morris was born in 1926 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. His affinity for music emerged at the age of three, when he sat down at his parents' friends' piano and started to play; according to Morris, he just "never stopped." He continued piano studies throughout his childhood, most of which was spent in the small town of Independence, Kansas; he later returned to the East Coast to attend the Juilliard School.
A 1971 encounter with Mel Brooks would mark the beginning of Morris' career in film. Having both been hired to revamp a failing musical called Shinbone Alley, the two worked well together, and Brooks immediately hired Morris to score his upcoming film, The Producers, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. This would prove to be the first of many hits for the pair, who would go on to produce such modern classics as Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, The Elephant Man (directed by David Lynch), and the enigmatic Silent Movie of 1976, which, for obvious reasons, required over an hour and a half of musical material.
For producer Wilder, Morris composed the scores for Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, The World's Greatest Lover, and others. He also provided scores for more than a dozen Shakespearian films and the mini-series Scarlet (sequel to Gone with the Wind). Morris died in January 2018 at the age of 91.
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Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Producers
Film Soundtracks - Released by RCA - Legacy on 1 May 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Scarlet Letter / Electric Grandmother (Music from the Original Scores)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Dragons Domain Recording on 23 Sep 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Twelve Chairs (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by That's Entertainment Records on 1 Jan 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Scarlet Letter (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Film Soundtracks - Released by MAFYBSX on 1 Feb 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cottonwood: Music from the Renaissance to the Romantic Era
Classical - Released by John Morris, Classical Guitarist on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Scarlet Letter - Suite (from the Original TV Soundtrack Recording)
Soundtracks - Released by BSX Records on 16 Mar 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
High Anxiety Original Soundtrack / Mel Brooks' Greatest Hits feat. The Fabulous Film Scores Of John Morris
Rock - Released by Rhino - Elektra on 25 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Christmas Music - Released by John Morris on 11 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Is That Love
Pop - Released by Luniverse est. 1956 on 17 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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