Neal Morse

Neal Morse ( born August 2, 1960 in Van Nuys, California) is an American rock musician. He worked as a singer, multi -instrumentalist, composer and lyricist in the band Spock's Beard and Transatlantic counted the spearhead of the progressive rock revival of the 1990s. In 2002, he parted with two bands, since is his solo career with mainly Christian texts in the center of his work. 2009 Morse was back with Transatlantic active, 2011, he played with the supergroup Flying Colors, a CD that was released in March 2012.

• 2.1 Studio
• 2.2 Live

Biography

Morse grew up in San Fernando (Los Angeles County). His father was a teacher and choir director. Morse started to play guitar later at the age of five years of piano and a short time. Between the ages of 20 and 30, he wrote two musicals, chatted with part-time jobs over the water, together with his brother Richard took some country music demos on and tried to get a contract as a singer-songwriter in Los Angeles. After ten years, Morse was the music scene there sorry and moved for a few years to Europe. There he played as a street musician and in smaller clubs.

Spock 's Beard and Transatlantic

After his return to the U.S. In 1992 he founded together with his brother Alan and drummer Nick D' Virgilio, whom he had met at a public jam session, the band Spock 's Beard. Here he worked on six albums as a major composer and lyricist, and was also a singer, keyboardist and second guitarist of the band. The project's success enabled him to publish three solo albums on which he presented with singer-songwriter and rock pieces, the catchier side of his work.

As a source of income during the early phase of Spock 's Beard, he worked as a bar musician and still played in European and especially German, Irish pubs. In 1997, he was together with his bandmates Dave Meros pursue a commitment in Eric Burdon's touring band, but he gave the benefit of his family in 1999.

In 2000, Morse founded with drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, the band Transatlantic, a supergroup in the Sweden Roine Stolt of the Flower Kings and the British Pete Trewavas of Marillion members of four of the most important representatives of the new currents of Progressive rock were represented. He stepped out on so far released three studio albums in addition to Stolt as a composer and lyricist, it was followed by several tours of the U.S. and Europe. Transatlantic reformed after about seven year hiatus and released their third studio album The Whirlwind in October 2009.

Solo career

2002, shortly after the publication of the Spock's - Beard album Snow, Morse left both bands after the Christian faith had taken a more central role in his life and he now felt that God had other plans for his life. The process that led to this decision, he describes in his autobiographical solo album Testimony as well as in his 2011 autobiography of the same name. In addition to a shorter guest appearance by Kerry Livgren of Kansas, Mike Portnoy operated in the recordings as a drummer who is a regular guest on Morse's studio albums since then. Morse then played with in the two appearances of Portnoy's Beatles tribute band Yellow Matter Custard.

In Morse's second Christian influenced album One, which was released on 2 November 2004, the bassist Randy George has established itself as a regular member of his studio band. The concept album describes the relationship between humanity and God from a Christian perspective and draws parallels to the biblical parable of the prodigal son.

End of October 2005 appeared? (Question Mark ) on which participated several sizes from the environment of Progressive Rock: In addition to Mike Portnoy, Randy George and his former companion Alan Morse and Roine Stolt of the former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess are represented. His Pastor Mark Leniger contributes some saxophone parts. Again, it is a concept album, this time based on the biblical story of the Tabernacle.

Since 23 February 2007 Sola Scriptura is ( Scripture Alone ) on the market. On the album Morse sets out his views on right and wrong beliefs of the denominations of Christianity, and shall in the life and work of the reformer Martin Luther. As a guest musician is operated guitarist Paul Gilbert, known by the bands Racer X and Mr. Big, with several guitar solos.

In addition to these concept albums in the style of progressive rock that remains at the heart of his work, Morse has published several other CDs with Christian texts. In the series Worship sessions he presents praise and gospel pieces while on God Will not Give Up dominates straight rock music. The Songs from the Highway are reduced in the style of the music of Bob Dylan on vocals and acoustic guitar. Since early 2005, he operates a paid fanclub name Inner Circle, whose members he informed in the form of CDs, DVDs and letters on a regular basis about his work.

Morse occurs still regularly in the U.S. and Europe. This leads to both acoustically held worship evenings ( worship concerts ) in churches and community centers as well as to concerts in concert halls, in which he is accompanied by a full band. The worship evenings are geared especially to the spiritual experience of the Holy Spirit in the style of worship of the visited Pentecostal church.

Discography

Studio

• Neal Morse (1999)
• Merry Christmas from the Morse Family (2000)
• It's Not Too Late (2001)
• Testimony (2003)
• One ( 2004)
• The Transatlantic Demos ( only on Radiant Records, 2004)
• Lead Me Lord ( Worship Sessions Vol 1 ) (only on Radiant Records, 2005)
• God Will not Give Up (only through Radiant Records, 2005)
• ? (Question Mark ), ( 2005)
• Send the Fire ( Worship Sessions Vol 2 ) (only on Radiant Records, 2006)
• Cover to Cover (2006, as Morse Portnoy George )
• Songs from the Highway ( only on Radiant Records, 2007)
• Sola Scriptura (2007)
• Sing It High ( Worship Compilation) (only on Radiant Records, 2007)
• Secret Place ( Worship Sessions Vol 3 ) (only on Radiant Records, 2008)
• Lifeline (2008)
• The River ( Worship Sessions Vol 4 ) (only on Radiant Records, 2009)
• Mighty to Save ( Worship Sessions Vol 5 ) (only on Radiant Records, 2010)
• Testimony II ( 2011)
• Cover 2 Cover (2012, as Morse Portnoy George )
• Momentum (2012)

Live

• Testimony Live (DVD, 2004)
• ? Live (2007)
• So Many Roads - Live ( 2009)
• Testimony II - Live in Los Angeles ( 2011)