Rich Morris follows the leaders

The greats from the past influence the music of today. Local musician Rich Morris, aka Dream Sanitation, can attest to that. Picking and pulling from various artists, Morris developed his own sound, playing electro funk in Noot d’Noot, psychedelic rock in Good Friday Experiment, and ambient noise in Spirit of Nashville. Here, he gives his top five list of musical influences.

1) My dad, Danny Morris: “Dad can play Gershwin by ear, has a great record collection, and you can catch him singing spirituals at Haygood Methodist most Sundays.”

2) King Tubby: “‘Cause I like echoing things. King Tubby was a non-Rasta Jamaican producer who tore up some tape delay.”

3) Brian Eno: “Eno has done enough artistic things — Oblique Strategies and frogs that sound like synths — that it’s stupid to do anything without listing him.”

4) Joe Zawinul: “Weather Report’s Sweetnighter has been a major influence since I heard it, as is Bitches Brew. He did one of the first recordings with a Rhodes electric piano.”

5) William “Bootsy” Collins: “I know Bernie Worrell plays mean keys, but Bootsy came into my life when I was 13. His shine puts filling in peg legs and grows hair on bald heads. Surely the secret to walking on water is knowing where the rocks are.”