Ed Morris obit

Legendary Country Music Journalist Edward Morris Dies at 90

 

He was not on the list.

Veteran Nashville entertainment journalist Edward Morris passed away on Thursday (9/17) at age 90.

Greatly admired for his journalistic integrity and tenacity, Morris is best known for his 14-year tenure at Billboard. In addition to being published in dozens of other magazines and newspapers over his career, he also authored eight books, published poetry, and was the writer of a theatrical production.

Murrell Edward Morris was born on September 21, 1935 on a small hillside farm on Aaron’s Fork, Kanawha County, West Virginia, the second oldest of four brothers—Darrell, David and Roger. He described his parents Charles Sennett Morris and Mary Elizabeth Morris as “perfect” for their unwavering love and support and willingness to encourage the brothers to dream their own dreams. Morris’ days on the farm were bucolic, and he loved the lore and the crafts of the outdoors.

At Elkview High School, he was the editor of the school newspaper and won the spelling bee championship of all schools in Kanawha Country, a feat he was quite proud of. His family didn’t own a car so Morris hitchhiked daily to Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) where he edited the college newspaper and became enamored with English literature and poetry. His only surviving brother, Roger commented yesterday, “Ed was my inspiration to become a writer and to never take anything at face value.”

After his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1958, he earned a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio University.

It was at OU that he met musical-theater performer Norma Chapman. They married in 1960 and remained wed for 61 years. She was a talented pianist as well as an editor, photographer, and author. She also taught him to drive.

Morris taught English and journalism at Findlay (Ohio) College, Bowling Green (Ohio) State University, Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky), and Edinboro (Pennsylvania) State College. He then served as assistant editor at Writer’s Digest, the monthly trade publication for writers.

He began writing freelance articles for Billboard in 1972, moved to Nashville in 1980, and joined the magazine’s staff full-time in 1981. He rose to become its Country Music Editor and chief Nashville columnist. Norma became a respected Nashville publicist working with clients such as Ralph Stanley and Steve Wariner.

In addition to Billboard, Ed Morris’s byline appeared in such publications as Advertising Age, TV Guide, McCall’s, Hollywood Reporter, Amusement Business, Book Page, The Journal Of Country Music, Mother Earth News, Bluegrass Unlimited, Saturday Evening Post, and other national periodicals. He left Billboard in 1995.

Morris’ way with words and insight into country music made him an in-demand writer for liner-notes for albums and box sets by The Judds, Keith Whitley, Eddy Arnold, Guy Clark, Hank Snow, Chet Atkins, and others. Morris was named Print Journalist of the Year in 1993 by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

In 1999, Ed Morris began a 20-year tenure as a writer for CMT online. He continued in this role until the COVID pandemic of 2020, which led to staff layoffs. Well into his 90th year, Morris craved a deadline and so began writing a column for his local newspaper The Kingston Springs Gazette.

Ed Morris was honored at Belmont University’s annual International Country Music Conference (ICMC) with its Charlie Lamb Journalist of the Year award in 2002. He has guest-lectured at Belmont, Vanderbilt University and Trevecca College in Nashville.

His books include Edward Morris’ Complete Guide To Country Music Videos (1997), Garth Brooks: Platinum Cowboy (1993), Alabama (1985), At Carter’s Stanley’s Grave: Musings on Country Music & Musicians (2011), and Scorched Mirth and Acid Reflux (2019), among others.

In 2016, at age 80, Morris wrote his first stage production, a one-woman play titled The Passion of Ethel Rosenberg, which had multiple productions and performances in Nashville and Santa Fe, plus a public reading at New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage. The play reflected his lifelong support of leftist political causes.

Norma Morris was diagnosed with the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease in 2015. He chronicled their experience in a series of extraordinarily moving Facebook blogs, which became his 2020 book Stardust: An Alzheimer’s Love Story. Norma died in 2021.

Reflecting on his long and varied career, Ed Morris once said, “You hear musicians say that they would do it for free if they weren’t paid for it. And I feel the same way about writing. I love to write with the anticipation of amusing people or getting arguments started or whatever…..Anything that happens, if you treat it right, can be turned into a piece of prose. And that’s what I do.”

Morris’ greatest passion was writing and those who followed his prolific Facebook postings were eager to read him every day. His dry humor and unrestrained, fearless commentary on politics, life, philosophy and religion attracted his fans and detractors alike. One of his final posts was on July 20, 2026. “Love feels so good I can’t imagine why anyone chooses to hate.”

Ed Morris is survived by daughters Erin Morris Huttlinger and Rachel Serrato, and by son Jason Morris. Their brother, Christopher, died at age 2. He is also survived by six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.