New Rain

New Rain Review From
The Independent

I first heard Gary Morris of New Rain play in around 1993 at a Pub in Gatlinburg called The Talk of the Town. The owner had raved about his voice and his ability to tickle the twelve string guitar. She would always refer to him as a standard of music that she would like to keep in the club.
Now after many years of playing clubs myself, I have met up again with Gary and his wife Jane at the Bar-B-Q Garden located on hwy 321 in Cosby across from the Cosby School.
The twelve string is still being tickled and the voice is still as high quality as ever. But now there is more! Jane Morris adds to the mix an impressive vocal herself. Slicing through tunes like “Walking After Midnight” with the ease of a seasoned entertainer.
The combination of the both voices together create a seamless harmony that seems to fit every song like a glove.
At first glance I was wondering where the big PA speakers were for I only saw both mics and guitar plugged into one little amplifier. My questions were answered on the first note.”They don’t need no stinkin big amps!”
The mix was perfect, with the guitar and vocals blending in like a painting having all the colors showing brightly. Their choice of music was also unique as they do not use a song list.
Gary has stated that he has thousands of songs in his head and picks them as he sees fit to the mood of the room. This in itself is an acrobatic feat that sometimes takes Jane by surprise but never off guard.
They have a very positive stage presence that includes a little banter with the crowd between songs. A taste of tambourine can be heard along with the crowd munching on succulent ribs in time to the music.
They originally were known as “One Eyed Jack and the Lady” This I assumed was because Gary wears a patch over one eye.
Gary's eye accident happened in Santa Cruz, CA in 1980 when he was lead singer for The Working Man's Band. He moved to TN in 1981 and didn't move to Birmingham until the late 1980's. His Dad was in the military so he grew up on the move, but considers Beaufort, SC home base because that's where his Grandmother Morris lived.
Jane grew up in Montgomery, AL Her Sister was a "music major" in college and a music teacher. She began teaching Jane piano and theory when she was five and was basically her first student.
“ Music was a big part of my growing up and yes, the same old story of growing up singing in church. That's where I developed my "harmony" ear I guess.” states Jane.
They went to Europe and spent the summer of 1995 in Spain. The couple ended up performing in places like The Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.
I noticed that they had some Cd’s for sale. New Rain was gracious enough to give me two of them. When I got back to the studio I loaded them up on my computer and sat back to enjoy a plethora of great original tunes. This is what turns my crank. Independent Artists doing what they do the best, writing good songs.