Kendall Morse
Kendall Morse is a Grammy nominated singer, storyteller and songster from Maine. Coming from a large family, he heard many stories and tunes in his youth. At the age of 16, he received a second hand guitar for Christmas and his musical life was under way. Having the famous musical uncle Gene Hooper helped Kendall in his early stages of learning the craft. He began to gather a nice repertoire of storytelling songs and would do occasional gigs around the town. After he met and collaborated with fellow Maine musician Gordon Bok, he was talked into performing on a more serious level as a solo artist. Although he grew up inland, Kendall did spend his working life on the sea. At first he was on the crew of a weather vessel that cruised the northern ocean waters... which can be very harsh in the winter. Then he became captain of a patrol boat that protected the waters of Penobscot Bay. Even though he had these important duties, Kendall would always find time to perform. He would eventually play all over the northeast in the coffee house circuit and at major festivals. He also toured England, highlighted by a performance in the Cecil Sharp homestead. During his career, he befriended Utah Philips and earned a Grammy nomination for appearing on his tribute album after his passing. Kendall was inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995. I recently spoke to Kendall and his wife Jacqui about his career.
R.V.B. - Hello Mr. Morse. Thank you for taking this time to talk with me... I know that it's a beautiful day outside.
K.M. - It's a little warm and humid. I got nothing better to do.
R.V.B. - Hahaha. I saw a very nice picture of your dog on line. It looked like a black lab. What's his name?
K.M. - Oh... that would be Charlie. I lost him and ended up getting a cat. His name is Sam... Samuel F.B. Morse.
R.V.B. - The inventor of the Morse code. How did you get your start in music? Was your family musical?
K.M. - Some of them. My brothers sang and played the guitar. My mother used to sing occasionally. She sang things like "The Gypsy's Warning". My father whistled dirty tunes. (Hahaha)
R.V.B. - Do you have any memories of your life as a young boy?
K.M. - Well, there was 11 of us all together... in a small house. There were too many of us actually. We were very crowded, and we were very poor. I remember sleeping three to a bed. I never slept alone until I was married. For fun, I remember we used to have a metal rim from a wagon wheel... that had been thrown away. We made a fork from a piece of wood and put the wheel through a spindle spool. We would push that thing around. We also made guns out of rubber bands and clothes pins. We couldn't afford anything.
R.V.B. - What was school like?
K.M. - When I first went to school, it was exactly a mile away to a two room school house in Kennebec. We had teachers that nobody else wanted. They didn't really know a hellova' lot. When I got to fifth grade, they transferred us into the town of Machias. There, we had a real school, and real teachers. A couple of them instilled on me, the need to learn... and I did. I enjoyed learning.
R.V.B. - When did you start playing the guitar?
K.M. - I first started by singing old songs. Then for my 16th Christmas, my mother bought me a second hand guitar. That was the beginning.
R.V.B. Did someone show you how to play it or are you self taught?
K.M. - I had a cousin by the name of Gene Hooper... a little bit older. He was actually a professional. He spent a lot of time in Wheeling, West Virginia... on the radio. He used to travel all over New England putting on what they called "Cowboy shows"... back in those days. He taught me how to play a little.
R.V.B. - Did you start picking up stories in your youth that you use in your routine today?
K.M - My uncle Curtis was a world famous story teller. Very few of them were the truth... but that's OK. My whole family were humorous people. It runs in the family.
R.V.B. - You started taking some of these stories and putting them to music?
K.M. - Not consciously. I gathered songs that I heard and spread them around.
R.V.B. - How old were you when you first played in public?
K.M. - Oh dear... I was 16. The first one was a meeting of The Knights of Pythais. I had an uncle who was a member of that group. He talked me into singing a couple of songs.
R.V.B. - How did it go? Were you nervous at all?
K.M. - For many years, when I got on that stage, I was so nervous that my shoes wouldn't stay tied. My first paid gig where I had to travel, was up to a college near Aroostook. Before that, I have a friend named Gordon Bok - who is quite well known - and he talked me into doing this on stage. I used to play with him on occasion. In 1971, I did something on my own and I've been doing it ever since. I've literally traveled all over the US, and all over Scotland and England. I'm getting tired... you know.
R.V.B. - Can you give me an example of a performance where maybe something special or unexpected happened?
K.M. - I have so many that you'd probably run out of notebook. I'll tell you one in particular. I got an offer to do a performance in Boston for a Shriners meeting. I told a friend of mine named Margo "I don't want to go to Boston. I don't know how to get around." She said "I'll take you." So she drove me to Boston. Margo was always late. We're running down the sidewalk... after finding a place to park. Suddenly, - You're going to think this is a joke. It absolutely happened - suddenly she stopped. The elastic in her panties broke and they ended up down around her ankles. Here she is on a busy street gathering up her panties and stuffing them in her purse. (Haha) We were in and we made it - just in a nick of time - but they wouldn't let her in. It was a men's night and they put her in a side room. I didn't like that - she was my guest - but they had rules. I did my performance, and on the way out I said to her "Give me those panties"... which she did with no hesitation. I took them into the men's room and dropped them in the waste basket. I wish I could have been there to see the look on that janitors face.
R.V.B. - Hahaha. That's a classic story. When you played festivals with other people, who were some other performers that you may have shared the bill with?
K.M. - How about Utah Philips? He and I were very close friends. he had me come to California to perform with him. I've got a DVD of that. It was a riot. That was after I lost my singing voice to cancer. So what I'm doing now is, I can still tell the stories. My wife is from England - she's a singer - so we team up. We each do what we can, and it seems to work.
R.V.B. - You've had such a wonderful life and career. She sounds like the right person for you and you sound very happy.
K.M. - Well from a practical standpoint, I often say, she is the most compatible mate I've ever had... and I've had more than a few. (Hahaha)
R.V.B. - Where did you meet Utah Philips?
K.M. - Oh Lord... that was sooo long ago. I think he did a performance here... must be 40 years ago. He did that old story about Moose Turd Pie. I do it as a story because I thought it was originally. So we got to be very good friends over the years. We lost him of course.
R.V.B. - You did a song on the tribute album for him. You must feel good about that.
K.M. - I feel great about it. When Utah came back from Korea, he hit the road as a bum. He wrote a song called Phoebe Snow. It was about a train. It has to be one of my favorites. I recorded it and sent it to him. He came back and told me the first time he heard my rendition of the song, he and his wife had to pull over and cry. He said that he would never sing Phoebe Snow again after hearing me do it.
R.V.B. - What a nice tribute. Do you have any favorites that you wrote yourself?
K.M. - Yeah, I've got a few. I don't write very much. One of them I call "The Used Up Old Man." A while back I lost my singing voice, and then the hearing, and then the arthritis took away my ability to play the guitar. But thanks to a very good operation, I'm getting it back. So I'm now able to play the guitar. Not like I was before but I'm getting there. Jackie and I made two recordings. One of them was about the voyage of the Admiral Nelson... when he was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar. (Carrying Nelson Home) They sent him home in a barrel of brandy. They way the song goes - it was written by a guy named Mike O'Connor from England - the ghost of Admiral Nelson was talking to the captain. The Victory was so badly damaged, they had to tow her back to England. He was telling the captain what he was seeing. It's a very moving story. It gets to me every time.
R.V.B. - During your maritime years, was it difficult being out on the sea for long periods of time?
K.M. - Yes. I was in a weather ship in the north Atlantic. In January, the Davis Straits is not the place where you want to be. But that was the duty and we had to do it. One night coming home, we sailed directly over the spot where the Titanic went down and it was on the anniversary of the sinking. I thought "Boy this is too much of a coincidence." That night, on the mess deck, the entertainment officer - they always showed a film - the one he chose that night was the original story of the Titanic sinking. It was called "A night to remember". Boy I'll tell you "That was it!" I decided I was going to swallow the anchor. No more of that sea going stuff. I then became captain of the State patrol boat... The Explorer. I lived on her with another warden, for over four years. We would basically show the flag and keep the snapper merchants in line. A snapper merchant is someone that takes illegally caught lobsters. We were all over Penobscot bay.
R.V.B. - You've been inducted into the Maine Music Hall of Fame. How was that honor for you?
K.M. - Well it's always an honor when peers recognize you for what you are... unless you're not a nice person. (Hahaha) I was also nominated for a Grammy award for being a part of the Utah Philips tribute album.
R.V.B. - Did you go to the ceremony?
K.M. - My wife went because she was nominated also.
R.V.B. - Tell me a little about your book that's out?
K.M. - Well there are two of them. The original is titled "Stories told in the kitchen." It's Maine humor. The latest is "Father fell down the well." That's also Maine humor.
R.V.B. - You had a TV show called "Stories from the kitchen." Was that also a story telling show? How long did the show run?
K.M. - Yes, it was the same premise. It ran for many years... all over the country. They would dig it up. I still see bits of it on the computer. It ain't dead yet.
R.V.B. - What are you proud of about the accomplishments of your life?
K.M. - I don't really believe in personal pride. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to do a job which I think is way above many jobs. It depends on how your mind works. A conservation officer - to me - is right up there.
R.V.B. - How about your music and storytelling career?
K.M. - There again, I'm glad that the creator gave me an excellent memory, the love of music and the love of storytelling. I was able to travel countless places. I traveled all over the US and played seven venues in Scotland... even into London. I'm not proud... it was given to me. It wasn't mine... it was gift. I'm just so thankful that that happened.
R.V.B. - How was your experience playing in the UK?
K.M. - Many years ago, there was an Englishman by the name of Cecil Sharp. He was world famous for traveling around and collecting traditional songs. His home is right in the middle of London and it was turned into a folk club. I was asked to perform there. That is the 'Holy Grail' for folk singers. It's about as high as you can get on the extension ladder
R.V.B. - What are some of the other things that you like to do today? Do you like to garden or talk walks?
K.M. - I'm an antique nut. I have a 1937 Packard, that I cherish. I dabble around with that. I was trying to clean up the garage today. I try to keep moving.
R.V.B. - You sound like you are very happy. Well enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for taking this time with me.
K.M. - I appreciate you calling me.
A few words with Jacqui Morse
R.V.B. - You're a singer from the UK. How did you get your start singing?
J.M. - Well until I met Kendall, I was just a singer at local folk clubs. Since I've been over here, I've been helped by a number of really interesting people... including a lady called Lisa Null and Gordon Bock. Now Kendall and I work together sometimes. I'm not what you call a professional. I'm a reasonably decent amateur.
R.V.B. - You did a few recordings with Kendall?
J.M. - A friend of us recorded us. We give them away to friends and other people who are interested. They're a couple of songs that really took our fancy. One in particular "Carrying Nelson Home". It was written by Mike O'Connor in the UK. It's very dear to Kendall's heart. The other one was a mix of a poem and a song. The poem was "The Piano" by D.H. Lawrence. The song was "Where in the world has the old songs gone?". Many years ago, Ed Trickett put the two together. We took the liberty of doing something similar. We changed the format a bit. Nobody has a delivery quite like Kendall has. I'm rather privileged to be able to help with it.
R.V.B. - Where did you meet Kendall?
J.M. - We met through an online website called Mudcat.org. It's a folk and blues site. It used to be a really good community but it has seen better days. It developed friendships all over the world. The community meets up now on Facebook and sometimes we physically meet in Maryland with the Greater Washington Folk Society getaway.
R.V.B. - Do you still go down to Maryland?
J.M. - Yes we go once a year. This year it's in the middle of September. I've likened it to Brigadoon. You leave on Monday morning and when you go back on Friday the following year, it's like the year had not existed. You just carry on from where you were... meeting up with old friends. It differs every year. We've got friends in Alaska who have come down. They can't come every year because she can't fly. We have people coming over from the UK. We have a couple coming over from Wales who are very dear to us. It's run by the Folk Society of Greater Washington. They've been having the getaway's for quite a number of years. A number of years ago, it was mentioned on the Mudcat and it got interest from outside the Washington area. It brought in new blood from all over the United States as well as other countries. It's really made quite a difference. Just about everybody down there is a performer of one kind or another. There is no audience as you might find in a normal performance. Everybody is involved in folk music. We've got people like Gordon Bok... who is pretty well known in folk circles. He can come down there and he doesn't get bothered by people. He has a lot of adoring people. We were at his show last night. People just love to talk to him. People respect him when he comes down to the getaway. People respect his right to privacy. They get reasonably well known people to come down because he can get together with others and hear other people perform. He doesn't get that much of a chance to hear other people.
R.V.B. - Where did Gordon play last night?
J.M. - Up in Rockland. It's a two hour drive. Gordon is Kendall's oldest friend. They met when Gordon was 19 and Kendall was 25. They were both involved in Maritime adventures. Gordon encourage Kendall to go professional and put his music out there.
Interview conducted by Robert von Bernewitz 7/9/17
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