Bob Morrison
More than 200 recordings have been made of the songs penned by Nashville songwriting great Bob Morrison. His catalog includes “Lookin’ for Love” (Johnny Lee), “Whiskey If You Were a Woman” (Highway 101), the Grammy-winning “You Decorated My Life” (Kenny Rogers), “You’re the One” (The Oak Ridge Boys), “Tonight the Heartache’s on Me” (Dixie Chicks), “Don’t Call Him a Cowboy” (Conway Twitty), “Are You on the Road to Lovin’ Me Again” (Debby Boone) and “Shine On” (George Jones).
A native of Biloxi, MS, Morrison’s father was a jukebox operator. As a result, the future songwriter grew up on a diet of all kinds of music. Handsome and athletic, he taught himself guitar at age 15. During his student years attending Mississippi State on a track scholarship, he joined some bands. In 1963, he began performing solo in folk clubs.
The nuclear-engineering major was discovered by the legendary John Hammond. This led to early Bob Morrison singles on Columbia Records. He earned his college degree in 1965 and traveled to L.A. two years later to try his luck as an actor and singer. He was signed to Screen Gems and recorded the LP Friends of Mine for Capitol Records in 1971. After six years on the West Coast, a few acting parts and recordings of his songs by Bobby Goldsboro, he moved back east.
Morrison arrived in Nashville in 1973 and signed with Combine Music as a songwriter. Publisher Bob Beckham teamed him with Johnny MacRae, whom Morrison credited as a major mentor.
In the wake of recordings of Morrison songs by artists such as Dickey Lee, Mel McDaniel, Barbara Mandrell and The Oak Ridge Boys, Morrison was signed as an artist by the Combine-affiliated Monument Records. His Home Again LP was issued by the label in 1979.
But by then, it was clear that his destiny was as a songwriter, rather than a recording artist. In addition to Boone, Lee, Rogers and Twitty, Bob Morrison’s songs were recorded in the 1980s by Reba McEntire, The Kendalls, Mel Tillis, Gary Morris, The Carpenters, Roy Clark, Dottie West, John Anderson, Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis, David Frizzell and Marie Osmond, among others.
In 1980, his “Lookin’ for Love” became the theme song of the blockbuster John Travolta film hit Urban Cowboy. During this era, the ABC television network used his “You’re the One” as its promo song.
Bob Morrison was named ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1982. In all, he has earned more than 50 ASCAP songwriting citations, as well as a Songwriter of the Year accolade from the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) in 1981.
A native of Biloxi, MS, Morrison’s father was a jukebox operator. As a result, the future songwriter grew up on a diet of all kinds of music. Handsome and athletic, he taught himself guitar at age 15. During his student years attending Mississippi State on a track scholarship, he joined some bands. In 1963, he began performing solo in folk clubs.
The nuclear-engineering major was discovered by the legendary John Hammond. This led to early Bob Morrison singles on Columbia Records. He earned his college degree in 1965 and traveled to L.A. two years later to try his luck as an actor and singer. He was signed to Screen Gems and recorded the LP Friends of Mine for Capitol Records in 1971. After six years on the West Coast, a few acting parts and recordings of his songs by Bobby Goldsboro, he moved back east.
Morrison arrived in Nashville in 1973 and signed with Combine Music as a songwriter. Publisher Bob Beckham teamed him with Johnny MacRae, whom Morrison credited as a major mentor.
In the wake of recordings of Morrison songs by artists such as Dickey Lee, Mel McDaniel, Barbara Mandrell and The Oak Ridge Boys, Morrison was signed as an artist by the Combine-affiliated Monument Records. His Home Again LP was issued by the label in 1979.
But by then, it was clear that his destiny was as a songwriter, rather than a recording artist. In addition to Boone, Lee, Rogers and Twitty, Bob Morrison’s songs were recorded in the 1980s by Reba McEntire, The Kendalls, Mel Tillis, Gary Morris, The Carpenters, Roy Clark, Dottie West, John Anderson, Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis, David Frizzell and Marie Osmond, among others.
In 1980, his “Lookin’ for Love” became the theme song of the blockbuster John Travolta film hit Urban Cowboy. During this era, the ABC television network used his “You’re the One” as its promo song.
Bob Morrison was named ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1982. In all, he has earned more than 50 ASCAP songwriting citations, as well as a Songwriter of the Year accolade from the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) in 1981.
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