The Daily Grist: “My talking is not exactly right, but I’m good. I’m a strong woman. … I love these people. I had a stroke, but I’m living, and every day (God, thank you so much for every day!) I am thankful for them all.” … Lynn Morris
Some musicians flame onto scene and just blow you away the first time you hear them. That was the case for me when I first heard Lynn Morris pick and sing. It was some time in the late 80’s when she formed one of very few Bluegrass bands headed by a female. Allison Krauss was making a mark at the same time and I lumped those two into the same category as two fresh young voices with great bands. Not only that but they could both pick. Lynn was of course a two time banjo champ at Winfield, Kansas (1974 and 1981).
I surely hope that all of you Bluegrass fans out there reading this today have heard Lynn Morris. But if there are enough of you out there reading today, there are probably some of you who have not. She didn’t record that much and what she did record and when she did perform were quite a long time ago now. One of the biggest tragedies in Bluegrass music was in 2003 when Lynn suffered a stroke three days after what was expected to be a routine operation on her knee. A blood clot dislodged and went to her brain.
Despite her all too brief career as a Bluegrass great, Lynn Morris remains one of my favorite and most listened to artists. Included in my top ten of all the Bluegrass CDs I own is Lynn’s breakout Lynn Morris Band CD, There is so much great music on that one CD. Lynn plays guitar and sings and she plays clawhammer banjo on one cut. Tom Adams plays banjo on most of the tunes, there’s fiddling from Ray Legere and a 22 year old picker by the name of Ronny McCoury fills in on mandolin. The bass player on the CD is Lynn’s husband of many years, Marshall Wilborn, who also played with the likes of Jimmy Martin and the Johnson Mountain Boys. The Lynn Morris Band made some great music and over its brief span included other great musicians like Rob Ickes, David McLaughlin, Ron Stewart and Jesse Brock.
Lynn’s stroke left her with a weakness on the right side of her body. Even worse, she suffered a deficit in the speech center of her brain. That left her with a frustrating aphasia which made it difficult to communicate verbally.
When I heard all this devastating news about one of my favorite artists, I was crushed. I can only imagine what her talent could have given us if she had been healthy. Too bad, I thought.
But wait, the story takes a turn. It gets better. This incredibly strong woman who fought her way into a male dominated music scene and blew everybody away including me, had a new goal. She worked with a speech therapist for years, thinking about making a return to the music she loves. Rumors flew, she’s not quite ready, etc., etc. And then one day she steps onto the stage again with her band. I’ve seen the videos on You Tube. It was such a relief to me as a fan to see her there grinning from ear to ear and standing solidly with her guitar singing Mama’s Hand by Hazel Dickens. It’s one of my favorite songs.
Not the voice I remember from twenty years before but she got all the words out clearly and if she had a music stand in front of her to help I’m sure glad she did. The kind of courage Lynn Morris had to stand up on that stage after all those years with a reputation like hers on the line is an inspiration to anyone who has suffered from a stroke, And it’s an inspiration to us all.
Happy 69th birthday, Lynn Morris.
