Ruth Mary Morris (born March 5, 1964) is an American musician who is the guitarist for the rock band Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door".

History

Morris is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida and began playing music there as a member of The Pockets after first learning guitar at the age of 20. In 1989, she relocated to East Atlanta, where she met Linda Hopper—a member of the Athens, Georgia music scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The two became friends and began writing songs together, forming the core of Magnapop. Magnapop went on to record four extended plays and three studio albums through the 1990s and released two minor hit singles on the Modern Rock Tracks chart—"Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door". The band also toured the music festival circuit and opened for major alternative rock acts such as R.E.M.

After the 1996 release of Rubbing Doesn't Help, Magnapop found themselves dropped by their record label, and unable to record for seven years due to contractual obligations. In this time, Morris moved to Seattle, Washington. Atlanta musicians—including former Magnapop bandmate Tim Lee and Amy Ray—threw a benefit concert to assist her in replacing her losses on December 15, 2009.

In 1993, Juliana Hatfield wrote "Ruthless" in honor of Morris after the two had a conversation about Camille Paglia while touring in 1992 ("We're all gushin', but I swear we really mean it, man/We're all sucking up to Ruthie.") It appeared as a B-side on the Juliana Hatfield Three singles "Spin the Bottle" and "My Sister".

Musical style

Morris is known for her particularly aggressive guitar-playing and its interaction with Linda Hopper's pop-influenced vocals. Critics have compared her style to punk acts like Ramones as well as softer alternative rock musicians such as Johnny Marr.

Discography

Morris' non-Magnapop releases include:

  • Holy Gang – "Free Tyson Free!" from the album Free Tyson Free! (1994)

:Sampled guitar

  • New Candidates – "I'm Coming Down"/"Set It on Fire" (2004)

:Guitar, songwriting, and vocals

See also

  • :Category:Songs written by Ruthie Morris

References

  • Magnapop homepage