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Accent The

Alternative

Former Detroiter Rick Morrison
heads up modern rock promotion
for RCA Records.

Morrison has a great deal of practice,-
working with top talent in the business.
At Elektra he promoted Better Than
Ezra, Bjork, Anita Baker, Metallica,
ick Morrison does not sleep
ACDC, Phish, 10,000 Maniacs and
on Sunday nights. The 31-
The Cure. When he was at Imago, he
year-old music promoter
promoted the Rollins Band and Paula
and Santa Monica, Calif.,
Cole. At Geffen and MCA, he helped
resident worries about his job. He has
launch
Nirvana and Live.
to be in the office at 6 a.m. on
Part of the glamour of Morrison's
Mondays to be in sync with the folks
job is spending time with the bands he
on Eastern Standard Time as the new
promotes. He flew to Hawaii last fall to
charts listing the top songs for the week
meet up with the Verve Pipe and
are released.
escorted Paula Cole to radio stations
With 100-plus new alternative rock
and trade magazines.
songs bombarding radio stations each
But the grit is getting records played
week, only about two get air play.
on the radio. "It's probably the tough-
Morrison has to make sure they're by
est job in the record business," he says.
the bands he represents.
Morrison's foray into radio didn't
High stress. But it comes with the
job. Morrison is the national director of happen by chance. He pushed his way
through. He sent out 500 resumes dur- -
modern rock promotion for RCA
ing his senior year in college to every
Records (a subsidiary of BMG Music
major record company, in both New
headquartered in Germany). He works
York and Los Angeles.
out of the Beverly Hills, Calif, office, a
Spartan alums may remember
long way from Michigan's Oak Park
Morrison from his guitar-playing col-
and Farmington Hills where he grew
lege days in the band Going Public,
up.
which performed at frat houses and
The Harrison High School graduate,
local bars. He was also in a band in
who received a bachelor of arts in mar-
Chicago for a short time.
keting from Michigan State University,
Does he miss being on the other
has long been a music buff.
side
of the stage? "I don't miss the tour-
He played the saxophone in grade
ing or setting up the equipment, but I
school and middle school and started
do miss having jam sessions with other
strumming the guitar at age 15. He
musicians. Sometimes I play with some
bought a guitar of his own by socking
of my bands during sound checks," he
away the $2 a day his parents, Herb
says.
and Diane Morrison of Farmington
But Morrison is much more content
Hills, gave him for lunch money.
"being the business guy because I'm
Morrison has worked at RCA for
good at it. This is not a job for the
about a year and a half. Prior to mov-
timid or the weak," he says.
ing to California, he worked in
While some parents might try to
Michigan handling local promotion for
steer their children away from
Elektra Records, and before
a career in the music industry,
that for Imago Records as a
Rick Morrison:
the Morrison s were supportive
regional promotion manager.
The to u ghest
of their son's choice.
His resume also includes stints job in t he
"I always told my parents
in San Francisco with Geffen
record b usiness.
what
I wanted to do, and they
and at MCA.
encouraged me to do it. My
"In Michigan I felt like a big
dad said, 'If you want to be a garbage /-
fish in a small pond. Here I feel like a
man, be one, and you'll be the best
medium fish in an astronomical huge
garbage man around. Just make sure
lake," he says.
you are happy.'"
Morrison currently promotes the
This year Morrison spent the High
Dave Matthews Band, "probably the
Holidays
in Israel with friends. "I'm
biggest modern rock artist we broke."
rediscovering my roots," he says. "I
He also works with the Verve Pipe, the
tend to have more friends now that are
band with East Lansing roots and a
religious. There are a lot of Jewish peo-
record that just went platinum.
ple in this business. Judaism is a way of
New groups to watch that Morrison
life — from gestures to language." As
plans to break in the upcoming year
for radio, Morrison speaks the right
include Olive (from England), Jai (also
language. He is grateful for his job and
from England — a cross between Seal
does not take it for granted. "I am able
and George Michael) and Junkster
to make a career out of what I love," he
(from Dublin).
says.
"It's a way of life. I couldn't do
Julie Weingarden is a West Bloomfield-
anything
else." ❑
based freelance writer

JULIE WEINGARDEN
Special to The Jewish News

'

11/21
1997

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