Gurf Morlix

Gurf Morlix is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer residing for many years in Austin, Texas. He has worked with many of the best known performers of Americana, roots rock and alternative country music. His most notable works include albums by Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Mary Gauthier, Ian McLagan, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Slaid Cleaves. The instruments that he plays include guitar, bass, mandolin, mandocello, dobro, pedal steel, Weissenborn, banjo, harmonica, and drums. Gurf is a member of the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame (2004) and the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame (2005), and is the Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year for 2009. After making a name for himself as a record producer for a roster of other artists that includes Robert Earl Keen and Lucinda Williams, Gurf Morlix struck out on his own with a solo effort when Catamount Records issued Toad of Titicaca in 2000. Morlix, a guitar player who sings and plays a number of other instruments, penned 11 numbers for his debut. The tracks, showcasing the many facets of Morlix as a songwriter, include a humorous homage to actor Dan Blocker, who played Hoss on the Western television series Bonanza; the equally funny "Greatest Show on Earth"; the country-flavored "Robin Sings at Midnight"; and the heart-tugging lament "Rainin' on Me." A native of Buffalo, NY, Morlix began his career in 1966. During his youth he taught himself to play music after his attention was snagged in a big way first by Elvis, and then by Hank Williams.