"A guitar sound like a dirty martini -- a whole lotta swing with a splash of the blues!"
Growing up in the 70s and 80s Blue had little interest in the popular music of the day and preferred the swingin' sounds of Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra.
Blue started playing guitar at the tender age of eight and later studied jazz with Howard Rees in Toronto. He moved back to his hometown, Vancouver, at the turn of the century and performed with various big bands, including a seniors band, though he was only in his 20s at the time.
The Blue Morris 6 Swing Band
Blue formed the Blue Morris 6 Swing Band which became one of the in-demand groups for swing dances in Vancouver.
It certainly helped that Blue Morris could cut a rug and was already well known in the swing dancing scene around Vancouver. The band became the "house band" at the local swing dance known as "Stomp It Off."
The Blue Morris 6 originally had Carly Jepsen as its singer. Carly Jepsen later left the band to become a famous singer-songwriter and her music is now heard regularly on the radio. Blue is very proud.
Pink Flamingo Burlesque
These days Blue Morris performs primarily with Pink Flamingo Burlesque. Through beautiful happenstance, Blue met burlesque performer Shaboobie Boobarella and saxophonist Johnny Bongo in 2007 and shortly thereafter they formed Pink Flamingo Burlesque -- one of the few remaining burlesque groups in the world that sets burlesque performances to live music. The music includes swing, jazz, blues, rock, surf, calypso and everything in between.
Guitar teaching
Blue Morris also teaches guitar to students of all ages and all levels. If you're interested in taking guitar lessons with Blue Morris, please see his other website, Guitar Lessons Vancouver.
I had the privilege to perform with Andrea Superstein recently at the River Rock Casino and we managed to get some video from the performance. Two of these videos have guitar solos by your truly.
Pink Flamingo Burlesque combines live music with burlesque by some of the most talented burlesque performers in Vancouver and beyond. It's a high-energy, sexy, and funny experience with a big dose of VavaVoom.
The show features burlesque acts by Shaboobie Boobarella, Valentina Virago, and a host of guest performers carefully chosen for each show. We aim to tickle your senses and open your eyes to a new frontier of musical cabaret.
The Pink Flamingo band is a 6 piece band that will make your hips swing, your shoulders shimmy, and your pants fall to the floor.
They play a mix of bump & grind, saucy swing, calypso, and go-go. Pour yourself some gin, put on something sexy, and get ready to dance!
Our very own Shaboobie Boobarella appears in this week's edition of the Westender! Her sexy photo appeared in the events listings pages, and on the photo is a nice bold advertisement for our show!
Shaboobie Boobarella of Pink Flamingo Burlesque was interviewed and quoted for an article on burlesque in Spirit Magazine, Canada's nationally circulated Indigenous arts and culture magazine.
Shanti Morning Star Brett, 32, is [one of the founders] of The Pink Flamingo Burlesque troupe, out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Going by the name "Shaboobie Boobarella," she also began her cabaret style performances 15 years ago. Her influence was her grandmother who moved to Vancouver in the 1950s from Cowessess Reserve in Saskatchewan and began burlesque dancing.
"She doesn't give me any specifics, but looking at Christmas decorations she will say "Ooh there's tassels, like I used to wear," Brett says. "When I was young, she taught me to shimmy and she used to t take me to African dance classes."
