Jennifer Patricia Morris (born 29 September 1956) is a New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter. Her first success came with New Zealand band the Crocodiles, who had a top 20 hit single with "Tears". Re-locating to Sydney in February 1981, she was a backing vocalist for various groups and formed a trio, QED, in 1983.
Morris provided backing vocals for INXS on their 1984 album, The Swing. She then recorded a duet with lead singer, Michael Hutchence, on a cover of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's hit "Jackson"; it was included as a bonus track on the March 1985 (cassette only) INXS EP, Dekadance, which reached number two on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Morris worked on their 1985–1986 Listen Like Thieves World Tour.
Her solo career includes top five Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) albums with Shiver in 1989 and Honeychild in 1991, and her top five ARIA singles are "She Has to Be Loved" and "Break in the Weather". These albums and singles also peaked in the top ten on the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) charts.
Morris has won the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist twice, in 1987 and 1988 and was nominated for the same award in 1992. In 2003, on Australia Day (26 January), Morris became an Australian citizen and in 2010 she received the Medal of the Order of Australia. Morris has played a significant role in shaping the Australian music industry through leadership and advocacy especially as board member and then chair of the board of APRA.
At the 2026 ARIA Music Awards she will be inducted in the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Life and music career
Early years and the Crocodiles
Jenny Morris was born in Tokoroa, New Zealand, and grew up in Hamilton with three brothers (Alistair, Rhys and Tam) and four sisters (Maxine, Bronte, Joanne and Shanley).
QED and "Jackson"
Morris began her solo career with the single, "Puberty Blues" in December 1981 on Mushroom Records; it was the title track from the 1981 film Puberty Blues, which was a local box-office success. The song was written by Tim Finn and performed by Sharon O'Neill in the film. The B-side was "Adolescent Angst", The follow-up single, "Little By Little"—a cover of The Springfields 1960's song—was released in 1982 but failed to chart.
In late 1983, Morris formed QED in Sydney with guitarist Rex Goh (ex-Air Supply) and bassist Ian Belton (ex-Dave Dobbyn, Renée Geyer). The trio signed with EMI Australia and their recordings were produced by Mark Moffatt (The Saints, Mondo Rock, Tim Finn) and Ricky Fataar (Geyer, Finn, Kids in the Kitchen). Morris was now managed by Chris Murphy, who also handled INXS. QED recorded their versions of The Crocodiles' material including, "Everywhere I Go", "Animal Magic" and "You're So Hip"; it peaked at number 19 on the national chart. The follow-up single "Solo and More" was issued in March, but failed to chart. The third single, "This One", appeared in August and reached top 50. At Murphy's suggestion she teamed with INXS as a backing singer on their 1985 Australian tour—originally just for a few weeks—and stayed on for eighteen months on their 1985–1986 Listen Like Thieves World Tour. Recorded with backing from INXS' Andrew and Jon Farriss and Garry Gary Beers, together with guitarist Ian Moss (ex-Cold Chisel), it was released in September and peaked at number 24.—reached number 55 in mid-1987.
In July 1987, Morris released her first solo album, Body and Soul, produced by Moffatt and Fataar and mixed by Tim Kramer. The album spawned two further hits in "You I Know"—written by Neil Finn—which reached number 13 in Australia and number 30 in New Zealand, and "Lighthearted" peaked in the top 100 in both countries. Morris won back-to-back ARIA Awards for 'Best Female Artist' in 1987 and 1988. In 1988, Morris and photographer, Paul Clarke, were married. It featured a distinctly Latin-Spanish feel permeated by funk undertones, with the promo video shot in Nicaragua by Richard Lowenstein. Morris' second solo album Shiver, followed in August and was produced by Farriss, It spawned two more singles; "Street of Love" written by Australian songsmith Paul Kelly, which reached the top 100 in Australia; which reached top 100 in Australia.—with Dweezil Zappa as her lead guitarist—and again with INXS on their X-Factor tour. The first single from the album, "Break in the Weather", was co-written by Morris and her youngest brother Tam, appeared in September 1991, it reached number two in Australia and number five in New Zealand. Honeychild was released in October and became her second consecutive top ten album, peaking at number five in Australia and New Zealand. which reached top 50 in Australia and New Zealand; the funk laden "Zero", featuring the rhythm section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, which peaked top 100 in Australia Due to inclement weather an expected attendance of 100,000 never eventuated and, with the event only raising $500,000, scandal was expressed in the media over funding distribution. 1994 saw the birth of her daughter, Bella. Morris' next single, "The Price I Pay", a Billy Bragg cover, was her last appearance on the Australian ARIA top 100 singles chart. Morris made an appearance in the television drama, Water Rats, in 1997 she continued her gigs, worked for environmental causes and maintained her family life.
In October 2000 she performed with Vika and Linda Bull and Jodi Phillis, at a sold-out Carole King tribute show, Tapestry: the songs of Carole King, held at the Sydney Opera House; it then toured the other Australian capital cities in August–September 2001. In August 2002, Morris' released her next album, Hit & Myth, co-produced by Nick Wales (Coda), was released on 8 May 2002 by Yep! Records. The album features classical musicians (Renaissance Players, Winsome Evans), pop musicians (Davey Lane, Jodi Phillis (ex Clouds)) and jazz (PROP) musicians.
Morris wrote or co-wrote nine of the eleven songs on the album, the others, "Guiding Star", was written by Neil Finn and "The Blacksmith" is a traditional folk song—the first one she learnt on guitar. Also in 2002, a portrait of Morris by artist Jan Williamson was entered in the Archibald Prize. The portrait did not win the main prize, but won both the popular awards, the "Packing Room Prize" and "The People's Choice Award". In February, Morris appeared on the SBS TV documentary, Mum's the Word, where high-profile women talked about being a working mother. She sang, "Little Little" an ode to her (then) unborn child written for her 1989 album, Shiver. In October Morris appeared in Finding Joy, a low budget independent Australian feature film, in a cameo role (Tracey). She sings part of a song called "Educated Kind of Thing". In November 2002 she performed at the Candlelight AIDS Memorial, in Darlinghurst, marking the beginning of AIDS awareness week.
In March 2003, Port Fairy's 27th Annual Folk Festival was staged with Archie Roach, John Williamson, Renée Geyer, Morris and emerging Australian band The Waifs were among the popular performers. In October she joined the board of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia, and is an active member of their Fundraising Committee.
In April 2004, Listen: The Very Best of Jenny Morris a repackaging of her 1992 compilation, The Story So Far, was issued with new artwork and a bonus track, "Little Little", an ode to her then unborn baby. it was recorded in Sydney at The Basement and features Morris playing her hits with her band: Steve Balbi (Noiseworks); Paul Searles (Skunkhour); James Hasselwood (The Dissociatives); Jared Underwood (Coda) and actor Josh Quong Tart, with special guest appearances from Ian Moss, Andrew Farriss and Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst. The DVD was released with a bonus CD.
Clear Blue in Stormy Skies, her next album, was released by Liberation Music in June 2006 and includes a dozen remodelled versions of her radio hits of the 1980s and 1990s, together with some new material, a cover of the INXS song, "This Time", in tribute to Michael Hutchence, and a new song, "The Time".
In September 2009, Morris toured Afghanistan to Tarin Kowt and Kandahar and played for occupying troops. In October, she appeared on the SBS TV quiz show, RocKwiz, which included a performance of the Crowded House classic, "It's Only Natural", with Don McGlashan. She performed at the closing ceremony of the 2009 World Masters Games in Sydney, together with Dragon and The Choirboys.
In January 2010, Morris received the Order of Australia with a citation, "for service to the arts, particularly music, and to the community through charitable organisations". Morris was glad that her charity, Nordoff-Robbins was recognised. Morris appeared at the 2010 New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington on 13 March.
On 22 February 2016, The Australian Taxation Office initiated insolvency proceedings for her company Aymsolo Pty Ltd (aka Jenny Morris Band.)
In May 2017, Morris was the recipient of the Excellence in the Community award in recognition of her achievements behind the microphone and as a fundraiser for charities such as Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia and Support Act. The ceremony took place in Sydney with a number of guests'; including Neil Finn, Mark Lizotte and Jimmy Barnes performing Morris' songs.
In the 2019 New Year Honours, Morris was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to music and charity fundraising.
In May 2021, Morris was cast in the upcoming superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in an undisclosed role.
Personal life
Morris married photographer, Paul Clarke, in 1986 and they have two children, Hugh and Bella.
She has two brothers: Tam (a storyboard artist and musician) and Rhys (a graphic designer and web developer), and four sisters: Maxine, Bronte, Joanne and Shanley. has also won an ARIA Award – as a country music artist in 1998. Her youngest brother, Tam Morris, co-wrote, "Break in the Weather" with Jenny; In 2005 Morris noticed the effects of a health disorder, spasmodic dysphonia, which affects both her speaking and singing voice. Subsequently, she has stopped publicly singing and in October 2015 appeared on Australian Story episode "Raise Your Voice" to publicise the disorder.
Discography
- Body and Soul (1987)
- Shiver (1989)
- Honeychild (1991)
- Salvation Jane (1995)
- Hit & Myth (2002)
- Clear Blue in Stormy Skies (2006)
See also
- The Crocodiles
- QED (band)
Film and television
Film
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 2002 || Finding Joy || || Feature film
|-
| 2022 || Thor: Love and Thunder || || Feature film
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Title
! Performance
! Notes
|-
| 1980
| Fun Factory
| rowspan=2|Singer (with The Crocodiles)
| 1 episode
|-
| 1980; 1982
| Aotearoa Music Awards
| TV special
|-
| 1984
| Countdown
| rowspan=2|Singer (with QED)
| 1 episode
|-
| 1984; 1987
| Hey Hey It's Saturday Night!
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan=3|1985
| 1984 Countdown Music & Video Awards
| Singer (with Michael Hutchence)
| TV special
|-
| OZ for Africa
| rowspan=4|Singer (with INXS)
| TV special
|-
| Rockin' the Royals Concert
| TV special
|-
| rowspan=4|1986
| The Old Grey Whistle Test
| 1 episode
|-
| Top Of The Pops
| 1 episode
|-
| Beatbox
| Self
| TV series, 1 episode
|-
| Late Night with Jono and Dano
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| 1986; 1989
| Countdown
| Singer
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1987
| Countdown Music & Video Awards: The Final Countdown
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| 1987–1995
| Hey Hey It's Saturday
| Singer
| 9 episodes
|-
| 1989
| Trekvart
| Singer
| Italian series
|-
| 1989; 1990
| MTV in Concert
| Singer
| Concert series specials, 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan=2|1990
| Azzurro
| Singer
| Italian series
|-
| Ausmusic '90
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| rowspan=2|1991
| 1991 Coca-Cola Australian Music Awards
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| Tonight Live With Steve Vizard
| Singer
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1992
| Aria Awards
| Singer (with Julian Lennon)
| TV special
|-
| 1992–1996
| The Midday Show
| Singer
| 6 episodes
|-
| 1993
| Coca-Cola Take 40 TV
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| 1994
| Live and Sweaty
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| 1994; 1995
| World Vision Appeal: Vision For A Better World
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| rowspan=2|1995
| At Home
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| Eleven A.M.
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| 1996
| Monday to Friday
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan=3|1997
| Australia Day Live – A Gift to a Nation
| Singer (with Cafe of the Gate of Salvation choir)
| TV special
|-
| Water Rats
| Marlene O'Brien
| 1 episode
|-
| Con's Bewdiful Holiday Videos
| Comedy sketch participant
| 1 episode
|-
| 1998
| Good Vibrations: The Concert for Marc Hunter
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| 2001–2006
| Today
| Singer
| 9 episodes
|-
| rowspan=3|2002
| Good Morning Australia
| Singer
| 2 episodes
|-
| Farmhand Concert for Drought Relief
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| NRL Grand Final
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| 2003
| Rugby Union Final
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| rowspan=2|2004
| Mardi Gras Fair Day Concert
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| Live at the Basement
| Singer
| TV special
|-
| 2006
| Mornings with Kerri-Anne
| Singer
| 1 episode
|-
| 2009
| RockWiz
| Singer (with Don McGlashan)
| 1 episode
|-
| 2015
| Australian Story
| Herself
| 1 episode
|}
Awards and nominations
Aotearoa Music Awards
The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
!
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1982|| Jenny Morris || Most Promising Female || || rowspan="4" |
|-
| Jenny Morris || Female Vocalist of the Year||
|-
| 1992 || Jenny Morris || International Achievement ||
|-
| 1993 || Jenny Morris || International Achievement ||
|-
| 2018 || Jenny Morris || New Zealand Music Hall of Fame || ||
|-
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
|-
| 1987
| "You're Gonna Get Hurt"
| Best Female Artist
|
|-
| 1988
| Body and Soul
| Best Female Artist
|
|-
| 1992
| Honeychild
| Best Female Artist
|
Countdown Australian Music Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.
|-
| 1984
| herself
| Most Popular Female Performer
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
| "You're Gonna Get Hurt"
| Best Female Performance in a Video
|
|-
| herself
| Most Popular Female Performer
|
|-
Order of Australia
|-
| 2010
| herself
| Medal of the Order of Australia
|
|-
See also
- Music of Australia
- Music of New Zealand
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
- Jenny Morris – official website
- Jenny Morris Discography @ Discogs
- Jenny Morris Discography @ MusicBrainz
- Jenny Morris interview for Sunday Brunch (25 August 2008) on ABC Radio Sydney with Simon Marnie.
- Jenny Morris interview with Jane Costessi from Amrap on Hit and Myth