Editing Morphine (band)

{{Short description|American alternative rock band}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2008}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Morphine
| image             = Mark_Sandman_Mississippi_Nights_1997.04.09.jpg
| caption           = Morphine in 1997 at Mississippi Nights, St Louis, MO
| image_size        = 
| background        = group_or_band
| alias             = 
| origin            = [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]]
| genre             = {{Flatlist|
*[[Alternative rock]]
*[[blues rock]]
*[[jazz rock]]}}
| years_active      = 1989–1999
| label             = {{Hlist|[[Rykodisc]]|[[DreamWorks Records|DreamWorks]]}}
| spinoffs   = [[Twinemen]], Orchestra Morphine, Bourbon Princess, [[Vapors of Morphine]]
| spinoff_of = [[Treat Her Right]]
| website           = {{URL|morphineband.com}}
| past_members      = [[Mark Sandman]]<br/>[[Dana Colley]]<br/>[[Jerome Deupree]]<br/>[[Billy Conway (drummer)|Billy Conway]]
}}

'''Morphine''' was an American [[rock music|rock]] band formed by [[Mark Sandman]], [[Dana Colley]], and [[Jerome Deupree]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]], in 1989. Drummer [[Billy Conway (drummer)|Billy Conway]] replaced Deupree as the band's live drummer in 1991. Deupree recorded the album ''Cure For Pain'', with the exception of the title track which was recorded by Conway, before being permanently replaced by Conway in 1993. Both drummers appeared together during a 15 date US tour in March 1999. After five successful albums and extensive touring, they disbanded after lead vocalist Sandman died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] onstage in [[Palestrina]], Italy, on July 3, 1999 at the Nel Nome Del Rock Festival.<ref>{{cite web | title = Life After Death: The Legacy of Mark Sandman and Morphine | first = Tony | last = Sachs | url = https://www.huffpost.com/entry/life-after-death-the-lega_b_225352 | publisher = Huffington Post | access-date = 2024-06-05}}</ref> Founding members have reformed into the band [[Vapors of Morphine]], maintaining much of the original style and sound.

The band used an idiosyncratic set of instruments and combined [[blues]] and [[jazz]] elements with more traditional [[rock music|rock]] arrangements, which gave it an unusual and original sound. The instruments mainly consisted of baritone saxophone (played by Colley), two-string bass (played by Sandman), and drums.  Sandman sang distinctively in a "deep, laid-back [[croon]]",<ref>{{cite news | title = Morphine's addictive music is seducing a phalanx of fans | first = Matt | last = Ashare | url = http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/music/99/07/08/ASHARE_MAY_94.html | newspaper = [[The Boston Phoenix]] | date = 1994-05-27 | access-date = 2008-03-29 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080515132754/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/music/99/07/08/ASHARE_MAY_94.html | archive-date = 2008-05-15 }}</ref> and his songwriting featured a prominent [[Beat generation|beat]] influence. The band themselves coined the label "low rock" to describe their music, which involved "a minimalist, low-end sound that could have easily become a gimmick: a '[[power trio]]' not built around the sound of an [[electric guitar]]. Instead, Morphine expanded its offbeat vocabulary on each album."<ref>{{cite web | title = Morphine discography | first = Greg | last = Kot | url = http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=morphine | publisher = TrouserPress.com | access-date = 2008-03-30}}</ref>

The band enjoyed positive critical appraisal, but met with mixed results commercially. In the United States, the band was embraced and promoted by the [[indie rock]] community, including [[National Public Radio|public]] and [[campus radio|college]] radio stations and [[MTV]]'s ''[[120 Minutes]]'', which the band once guest-hosted, but received little support from commercial rock radio and other music television programs. This limited their mainstream exposure and support in their home country, while internationally they enjoyed high-profile success, especially in [[Belgium]], [[Russia]], [[Portugal]], [[France]] and [[Australia]].

==History==
===Formation, independent years (1989–1996)===
Morphine was formed in 1989 by bassist and vocalist Mark Sandman, a member of the bluesy alternative rock band [[Treat Her Right]], saxophonist [[Dana Colley]], a former member of the local Boston group Three Colors, and drummer Jerome Deupree, who had played with Sandman in the Hypnosonics. Sandman, a prolific musician who frequently experimented with home-made instruments, played a single-stringed bass guitar of his own devising with a [[slide guitar|slide]], although he later added a second string. Deupree briefly left the group for health reasons in 1991 and was temporarily replaced by Treat Her Right drummer [[Billy Conway (drummer)|Billy Conway]].<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=873}}</ref> These years found the group building a strong local audience and touring occasionally.

With Deupree returning, they recorded their debut album, ''[[Good (Morphine album)|Good]]'', for the Boston-based Accurate/Distortion label in 1991.<ref name="Larkin"/> The album received positive reviews and increased the band's audience. The band subsequently signed to [[Rykodisc]], who re-released ''Good'' under its own imprint.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book| first= Martin C.| last= Strong| year= 2000| title= The Great Rock Discography| edition= 5th| publisher= Mojo Books| location= Edinburgh| page= 661| isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref>

''[[Cure for Pain]]'', 1993's followup,<ref name="Larkin"/> increased the band's audience outside of [[New England]], and singles like "Thursday" and "Buena" picked up some college radio play. During the recording of ''Cure for Pain'', Deupree was again replaced by Conway, although Deupree still played most of the percussion work on the album. After the album was completed, the band toured the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia.

In 1994, five songs from the album were prominently featured on the soundtrack of the film ''[[Spanking the Monkey]]''. The band returned to the studio in 1995 and produced ''[[Yes (Morphine album)|Yes]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> The album featured the single "Honey White," the music video for which appeared on the [[MTV]] animated series ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]]'', as had "Thursday". It also included "I Had My Chance," which was featured on the soundtrack for the film ''[[Get Shorty (film)|Get Shorty]]''.

===DreamWorks Records years (1997–1999)===
After two years of touring, Morphine signed with [[DreamWorks Records]], who released their major label debut, ''[[Like Swimming]]'', in 1997.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> It was a critical success, but did not break the band into the domestic mainstream as had been hoped. DreamWorks released a music video for the single "Early to Bed"; directed by [[Jamie Caliri]] and released in March 1997, the nightmarish yet humorous video became an instant favorite among fans and was later nominated for a [[Grammy Award]]. The band also released ''[[B-Sides and Otherwise]]'', a collection of B-sides and live recordings, on Rykodisc this same year.

In the following time, Deupree once again began performing live and in the studio with the band, making the group a four-piece. The band's final studio album, ''[[The Night (Morphine album)|The Night]]'', was completed in early 1999.

On July 3, 1999, Sandman collapsed on the stage of the [[:it:Nel Nome del Rock|Nel Nome del Rock]] festival at the Giardini del Principe in [[Palestrina]], [[Italy]], outside of [[Rome]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> He was soon pronounced dead of a heart attack and Morphine immediately disbanded. ''The Night'' was released in 2000. Posthumous Morphine releases followed shortly thereafter, including ''[[Bootleg Detroit]]'', an "official live bootleg", and ''[[The Best of Morphine: 1992–1995]]'', both on Rykodisc.

===Posthumous projects (1999–present)===
[[File:Dana Colley in BA - 2011.jpg|thumb|180px|Dana Colley performing with the posthumous Members of Morphine project in 2011]]
Within a year of Sandman's death, Colley and Conway created '''Orchestra Morphine''', a group of Sandman's friends and colleagues who toured to celebrate the music of the band and to raise funds for the Mark Sandman Music Education Fund. Orchestra Morphine mostly performed music from ''The Night'', but also included some other Morphine and Hypnosonics material as well. Orchestra Morphine still performs occasionally but no longer tours. Singer and guitarist [[Laurie Sargent]], a member of Orchestra Morphine and former vocalist for the band [[Face to Face (new wave band)|Face to Face]], later joined Colley and Conway in their first post-Morphine musical endeavor, [[Twinemen]].

Conway and Colley also officially formed the [[Hi-n-Dry]] [[independent record label]] and studio, converting Sandman's workspace into a commercial enterprise. The label's roster includes a number of their friends, colleagues and other Boston-area musicians. In 2004, Hi-n-Dry released the Mark Sandman box set ''Sandbox'', which contained two CDs and a DVD of previously unreleased material spanning Sandman's musical career. The DVD featured clips from early Sandman shows, interviews from the Morphine tours, and various videos from other Sandman solo and group projects, such as Treat Her Right. However, for copyright reasons the box set did not contain any previously released material found in the Morphine catalog, Morphine videos, or promotional material produced by Rykodisc or DreamWorks Records.

Deupree continued to record with various jazz musicians.

In 2009, Colley and Deupree began regularly performing Morphine songs and new material as '''Members of Morphine''' (alternately, the Ever-Expanding Elastic Waste Band), with singer, bassist and guitarist [[Jeremy Lyons]] of [[New Orleans]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unity.edu/NewsEvents/News/UCCPAReunion609.aspx |title=Surviving Members of Morphine to Play UCCPA on Saturday, June 27 |publisher=Unity College |access-date=2011-08-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720094425/http://www.unity.edu/NewsEvents/News/UCCPAReunion609.aspx |archive-date=2011-07-20 }}</ref> In July 2009, the group played at Nel Nome Del Rock Festival in Palestrina, Italy, marking the ten-year anniversary of Sandman's death at the location in which it occurred.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.myspace.com/membersofmorphine |title=Myspace.com |publisher=Myspace.com |access-date=2011-08-07}}</ref> As of 2014, the group was renamed [[Vapors of Morphine]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.patriotledger.com/article/20140416/Entertainment/140417005 |newspaper=Patriot Ledger |first=Chad |last=Berndtson |title=Vapors of Morphine makes it a point to keep the music fresh |access-date=2012-12-02}}</ref> and regularly perform in Boston and New Orleans. They held a standing weekly gig at Atwood's Tavern in Cambridge, Massachusetts, until its closure after 16 years in March 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2015/01/08/vapors-morphine-home-atwood-any-night/2DfssHaadUGocd8moJWJ4I/story.html|first=Sean L. |last=Maloney |newspaper=Boston Globe |title=Vapors of Morphine at home at Atwood's|access-date=2015-12-02}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Rhino Records]] released the two-disc set ''At Your Service'', composed of unreleased Morphine material.

As of 1999, Morphine has sold over 807,000 records in the United States, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iggEAAAAMBAJ&q=good+morphine+soundscan&pg=PA11|title=DreamWorks Plans New Morphine Set|magazine=Billboard|first=Carrie|last=Bell|date=18 December 1999|page=11|access-date=14 October 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>

On December 19, 2021, drummer Billy Conway died from liver cancer, aged 65.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/billy-conway-drummer-morphine-dies-65/ |title=Billy Conway, Drummer With US Alt-Rock Pioneers Morphine, Dies At 65 |last=Peacock |first=Tim |date=December 20, 2021 |newspaper=Udiscover Music |access-date=December 23, 2021}}</ref>

==Band members==
*[[Mark Sandman]] – vocals, bass guitar, organ, guitars, piano (1989–1999; died 1999)
*[[Dana Colley]] – saxophone, triangle, backing vocals (1989–1999)
*[[Jerome Deupree]] – drums, percussion (1989–1991, 1991–1993, 1998–1999)
*[[Billy Conway (drummer)|Billy Conway]] – drums, percussion (1991, 1993–1999; died 2021)

;Timeline
<div style="text-align:left;">
<timeline>
ImageSize = width:850 height:150
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:0 right:50
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat  = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1989 till:06/01/2000
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =
  id:Vocals              value:red       legend:Vocals,_guitars,_slide_bass
  id:Saxophone           value:blue      legend:Saxophones             
  id:Drums               value:orange    legend:Drums,_percussion
  id:Lines               value:black     legend:Studio_album
  id:bars    value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3

ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:01/01/1989
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1989

LineData =

  at:09/02/1992 color:black layer:back
  at:09/14/1993 color:black layer:back
  at:03/21/1995 color:black layer:back
  at:03/11/1997 color:black layer:back
  at:05/01/2000 color:black layer:back

BarData =
  bar:Sandman text:"Mark Sandman"
  bar:Colley text:"Dana Colley"
  bar:Deupree text:"Jerome Deupree"
  bar:Conway text:"Billy Conway"

PlotData=
  width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
  bar:Sandman from:01/01/1989 till:07/03/1999 color:Vocals
  bar:Colley from:01/01/1989 till:07/03/1999 color:Saxophone
  bar:Deupree from:01/01/1989 till:02/01/1991 color:Drums
  bar:Deupree from:09/01/1991 till:03/01/1993 color:Drums
  bar:Deupree from:12/01/1998 till:07/03/1999 color:Drums
  bar:Conway from:02/01/1991 till:09/01/1991 color:Drums
  bar:Conway from:02/01/1993 till:07/03/1999 color:Drums

</timeline>
</div>

==Instruments==
Morphine's instrumentation was unusual for a rock band: Sandman's primary instrument was a two-string [[bass guitar]] (with the strings usually tuned to a 5th or octave interval) played with a slide; however, on the group's records he added touches of [[guitar]], [[piano]], [[electronic organ]], and other self-invented guitar instruments such as the tritar, featuring two guitar strings and one bass string. Colley played primarily [[baritone saxophone]], along with soprano or tenor saxes, and the rare [[bass saxophone]], and he sometimes played two saxes at once, a la [[Roland Kirk]]; he also played occasional [[percussion]], and [[Dobro]] on a [[A-side and B-side|B-side]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/256216-Morphine-2 |title=Morphine (2) |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Discogs|access-date=16 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/es/master/316802-Morphine-Good |title=Morphine (2) – Good |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Discogs|access-date=16 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/es/master/171140-Morphine-Cure-For-Pain |title=Morphine (2) – Cure For Pain |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Discogs|access-date=16 May 2024}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Studio albums
* ''[[Good (Morphine album)|Good]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Cure for Pain]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Yes (Morphine album)|Yes]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Like Swimming]]'' (1997)
* ''[[The Night (Morphine album)|The Night]]'' (2000)

;Live albums
*''[[Bootleg Detroit]]'' (2000)
*''Live at the Warfield 1997'' (2017)

;Compilations
*''[[B-Sides and Otherwise]]'' (1997)
*''[[The Best of Morphine: 1992-1995]]'' (2003)
*''[[Sandbox: The Music of Mark Sandman]]'' (2004)
*''At Your Service'' (2009)

{{col-2}}
;Singles
* "Cure for Pain" (1993)
* "Buena" (1993)
* "Sexy X-Mas Baby Mine" (1993) <small>''(released as a vinyl-only single on the [[Bob Mould#First solo period (1988–1991)|Singles Only Label]])''</small>
* "Thursday" (1994)
* "Super Sex" (1995)
* "Honey White" (1995) Alternative #44<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1995/RR-1995-04-14.pdf|format=PDF|title=Radio & Records|website=Worldradiohistory.com|date=April 14, 1995|access-date=May 25, 2023}}</ref>
* "Early to Bed" (1997) Alternative #36<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-05-09.pdf|format=PDF|title=Radio & Records|website=Worldradiohistory.com|date=May 9, 1997|access-date=May 25, 2023}}</ref>
* "Murder for the Money" (1997) <small>''(France)''</small>
* "Potion" (1997) <small>''(Australia / New Zealand)''</small>
* "Eleven O'Clock" (1997) <small>''(Japan)''</small><ref>{{Cite web |title=Morphine - Singles and EPs |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/256216-Morphine-2?type=Releases&subtype=Singles-EPs&filter_anv=0 |access-date=December 20, 2022 |website=Discogs.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About Morphine |url=https://morphineband.com/pages/morphine-biography |access-date=December 20, 2022 |website=Morphineband.com}}</ref>
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.lukin.com/tos/ The Other Side]
* [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p11245|pure_url=yes}} Morphine data at AllMusic]
* [http://www.myspace.com/twinemen Twinemen on Myspace]
* [https://m.imdb.com/name/nm3053794/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_6_nm_2_in_0_q_Morphine Morphine - IMDb].

{{Morphine}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1989 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1999 disestablishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Alternative rock groups from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:American blues rock musical groups]]
[[Category:American experimental musical groups]]
[[Category:Indie rock musical groups from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1989]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:Musical quartets from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Musical trios from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Rykodisc artists]]
[[Category:DreamWorks Records artists]]