Cary Morin | |
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| Born | Cary Lewis Morin Billings, Montana, U.S. |
| Education | Charles M. Russell High School |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | Celeste Di Iorio [1] |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Formerly of |
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| Website | carymorin |
Cary Lewis Morin is an American singer, songwriter, and musician based in Fort Collins, Colorado. [3] His album Dockside Saints, released in 2021, peaked at #7 on the Roots Music Report's Top 50 Colorado Album Chart. [4] His accolades include an Independent Music Award [5] and two Indigenous Music Awards [6] [7] for Best Blues Album. Morin's songs were featured in Resident Alien and Earl Biss - The Spirit Who Walks Among His People. [8] He has performed at the Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and Paris Jazz Festival, and he has toured the US and internationally. [2]
Cary Lewis Morin was born in Billings, Montana [2] and grew up in Great Falls, Montana before moving to Northern Colorado. [9] His father, Leslie Morin, was an Air Force officer [9] and his mother, Anita (née Yellowtail) Morin, was an artist. [10] A grandson of Robert Yellowtail, [11] Morin is an enrolled member of the Crow tribe and is also Assiniboine [6] with Black ancestry. [2]
Morin took piano lessons as a child and began playing guitar at age 10. He played in local country, rock, and bluegrass bands as a teenager. [2] He taught pottery workshops as a senior studio student at CMR High School, [12] and graduated from high school in 1981. In 1989, he formed a three-piece dance band, The Atoll, [9] who were featured on Denver's KMGH-TV as the "Best of Colorado." [13]
Morin is known for his acoustic picking style. [14] [15] [2] [9] His musical style has been characterized as "acoustic Native Americana" with elements of bluegrass, blues, jazz, reggae, and dance. [9] Morin performs both as a solo artist and as a member of the Young Ancients, [9] the Cary Morin Duo, and the band Cary Morin & Ghost Dog; [16] [17] his wife, Celeste Di Iorio, also performs in the latter two groups. [18] He is a former member of the Pura Fé Trio [19] and The Atoll. [9] His musical influences include Neil Young, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix. [20]
Morin received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fort Collins Music Association [21] and has received fellowship awards from First Peoples Fund [22] and the National Artist Fellowship. [6] NPR Music named his live performance of "Jug In The Water" as one of its best live sessions of 2020. [23]
He has toured the US, France, Denmark, Japan, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. [9] He has performed at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Paris Jazz Festival, [9] Folk Alliance International, and the Kerrville Folk Festival. [24] [25] On stage, Morin performed in Tribe at the Celebrity Theater and as a guest performer with Kodō. He co-authored Turtle Island, a 50-member stage production that played two consecutive years to sold-out audiences in Northern Colorado. [26] [9]
Morin has been nominated for Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year and Best Blues CD in the Aboriginal Peoples' Choice Music Awards.[ when? ] [9]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Colorado Blues Challenge | Solo Championship | Cary Morin | Won | [9] |
| 2014 | Won | ||||
| Colorado Blues Society | Best Solo/Duo | Won | [27] | ||
| Fort Collins Music Association Peer Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | [6] [28] | ||
| 2015 | Best Blues/Jazz | Won | [28] | ||
| Colorado Blues Society | Favorite Blues Singer Male | Won | [29] | ||
| Favorite Songwriter | Won | ||||
| Favorite Acoustic Act | Won | ||||
| 2016 | Favorite Songwriter | Won | [30] | ||
| Fort Collins Music Association Peer Awards | Best Blues/Jazz | Won | [28] | ||
| 2017 | Indigenous Music Awards | Best Blues CD | Cradle to the Grave | Won | [6] |
| 2018 | Independent Music Awards | Best Blues Album | Won | [5] | |
| 2019 | Indigenous Music Awards | Best Blues Album | When I Rise | Won | [7] |
| The Telly Awards | General-Music Bronze Winner | Won | [31] | ||
| Telluride Blues & Brews Festival | Telluride Blues Challenge | Cary Morin | Won | [32] |