Stephen Morris

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Stephen Morris was born in 1957 in Macclesfield, Cheshire. His father was a travelling salesman and organised dance evenings, and an uncle was a musician. He went to the same school as Ian Curtis, the future singer of Joy Division. After the band, still called Warsaw at the time, had already tried three other drummers, Morris answered an advertisement in a music shop and got the job.

Music and breakthrough

Morris is known for his almost machine-like way of drumming. He attributes this to krautrock, and names Klaus Dinger of Neu! as an important example. He also admires Jaki Liebezeit of Can and Moe Tucker of The Velvet Underground, because they kept things simple. When recording Joy Division, producer Martin Hannett made him record every drum separately, so that Hannett had complete control over the sound. From early on he combined ordinary drumming with drum machines, a mixture that later returned in the music of New Order. Besides drums, he also plays keyboards and synthesizer.

Influence

After Curtis's death in 1980 Morris carried on in New Order, where together with Bernard Sumner he can be heard on every album. With his girlfriend and later wife Gillian Gilbert he made two albums as The Other Two. He also played with Bad Lieutenant and in 2010 made Swing. In School of Rock he turns up in the story of the sleeve of Unknown Pleasures, the discovery of which some sources attribute to him. In 2026 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Joy Division and New Order.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2010Swing

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Magazine: Unknown Pleasures^NL Magazine