Ian Gordon Morris (22 January 1957 – 7 October 2010), also known by the stage name Tex Pistol, was a New Zealand musician, record producer, recording engineer and songwriter.
Ian Morris and his brother Richard (who would also go on to become a successful singer, songwriter and sound engineer in New Zealand under the name Rikki Morris) were born in England but emigrated with their family to New Zealand in 1966. They attended Sacred Heart College, Auckland.[1][2]
Ian was a founding member of iconic New Zealand band Th' Dudes, formed at Sacred Heart in 1975. He had chart hits as a solo artist under the name Tex Pistol (a name he took on because "Ian Morris [didn't] sound poppy enough"[3]), and in collaboration with his brother Rikki as Tex Pistol and Rikki Morris. As recording engineer and record producer, his production credits include a number of successful Kiwi artists: Hello Sailor, DD Smash, The Screaming Meemees, The Warratahs, When the Cat's Away, Greg Johnson, Dave Dobbyn, and Southside of Bombay to name a few. Morris also wrote numerous jingles, arrangements, and orchestrations.[citation needed]
Morris was married to singer Kim Willoughby of New Zealand's most successful all-female group When the Cat's Away, with whom he had two daughters, Julia and Maude, and a stepson, James.[4] He was separated from his wife at the time of his death.[5]
Morris had been suffering from depression and died by suicide at Te Pania Hotel in Napier on 7 October 2010.[5] Police noted that there were no suspicious circumstances to his death.[6]
Morris was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.[7]
In 2001, members of APRA were invited to vote on their favourite New Zealand songs of all time. Of the final 100, 2 Morris-related songs appeared on the list.