Bringing Him Home

The Gazette - Vinton, IA

By Diana Nollen The Gazette, November 4, 2010

Before he hit the top on the country charts with "The Wind Beneath My Wings" in 1983 and Broadway in "Les Miserables" in 1987, Gary Morris was making the rounds in Iowa.

Fond memories and family ties are bringing him back for concerts at 3 and 7pm Sunday at the Palace Theatre in Vinton.

"I'm really tied a lot to Iowa," Morris, 61, says by phone from his second home in Southern Colorado; his primary residence is in Nashville.

"My oldest son went to Cornell and my first touring dates before I was even making records, were played in Iowa City and Ames."

He also was Grand Marshall for a parade in Story City in the late 70s and bought his first bird dog in Washington, Iowa.

"I kept coming back out there and playing." he says, "I opened for the OakRidge Boys in Ames with just a guitar. Now I'm back out with just a guitar and really loving it."

He has another Iowa tie he didn't even realize, Cedar Rapids native Tim Shew was his understudy when Morris became the first American to play Jean Valjean on Broadway in Les Mis," Shew took over the plum role when Morris left.

"He's a wonderful guy," Morris says. "I saw him sseveral years ago in a reading of "A Tale of Two Cities.' He's a great guy - a really great guy."

Morris credits Shelly Swanson, daughter of Frank and Barbara Rego, all of Vinton, with paving the way for his upcoming performances there. Barbara Rego is his father's first cousin, and Swanson grew up at tending Morris' concerts.

"We lived in California, so anytime he was close, we would go see him." says Swanson, 46. "We started off taking my frandparents to go see him....I've seen him many, many, many times."

After a recent visit with Morris in Kansas City, Swanson called a friend back home who's also a fan, and put her on the phone with him. "She said, 'How can we get you to Iowa,' and he said, "Find me a place to play." So they did.

Swanson can't wait for Eastern Iowans to hear him. "He has an amazing voice -- an absolutely amazing voice," she says.

The Texas native is back on the road after losing 100 pounds and getting the spring back in his step. "I had such bad arthritic knees," he says. "Pain is fattening. If you can't move, you gain weight. Now I'm back to almost my college weight. I walked five miles up a mountain yesterday."

He's proud that after 20 years of doing mostly corporate gigs and Christmas tours, he's back on tour. "It might be an act of random stupidity, but now I'm in the physical shape to do it, so I'm looking forward to it."

He says the Vinton shows will be informal and he'll sing what the audience wants to hear, including "Bring Him Home" from "Les Mis" and "The Wind Beneath My Wings", some gospel tunes, hymns and recording hits.

He has a wide scope from which to draw. He starred opposite Linda Rondstadt in "La Boheme" in New York and scored solo country hits with "Headed For A Heartache," "Baby Bye Bye," "I'll Never Stop Loving You," "100% Chance of Rain," and "Leave Me Lonely." He also struck gold with "Makin' Up For Lost Time," his duet with Crystal Gayle.

He has sung for all the living United States Presidents and Queen Elizabeth; sang on the campaign trail with Jimmy Carter and played at his inaugural ball; won a Grammy for the "Les Mis" symphonic recording; sang "With One More Look At You," for skater Scott Hamilton's comeback tour in 1998; released 21 albums; was the first musician to perfrom in Moscow's Tretyakov Art Gallery which was filmed for PBS; hosted "North American Sportsman," on TNN; and had recurring roles on "The Colby's," "Designing Women," and "Mike Hammer."

"I've had a lot of really high points and not many lower points in my professional career," he says. "I'm hoping this little theater in Vinton will be crammed with people."