Gary Morris

The romantic ballads of Texas-born Gary Morris were staples of country radio in the1980s -- none more so than "The Wind Beneath My Wings," which was covered by Bette Midler later in the decade and became a song heard at weddings perhaps more often than any other.

From the start, Morris had a powerful voice well suited to the musical theater stage, and after his string of country hits came to an end he enjoyed a successful theatrical career. Morris didn't give up on country music at first; he recorded 12 country albums in all, including the innovative, mostly acoustic Plain Brown Wrapper, and he notched 16 Top Ten singles.

But his role in Les Misérables evolved into a part in the show’s touring production and then in its symphonically accompanied recording. These activities took time, and Morris' country career suffered. His live-theater activities,on the other hand, flourished; he appeared with another former progressive country singer, Linda Ronstadt, in the Broadway adaptation of Puccini's opera La Bohème, and he spent much of the 1990s working on other pop projects such as a PBS special concert performance in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia.

Morris returned to country music as a performer in Branson, MO, and as a producer in the late 90s. He has shepherded the career of his son, Matthew, and has often performed private concerts for corporate clients. Morris resides at his own fly-fishing lodge in the Colorado Rockies.