Bill Morrissey, a Grammy-nominated folk musician born in Hartford, died July 23 in a hotel room in Georgia on his way home from playing several tour dates, according to his website. He was 59. No cause of death was given.
Morrissey, a frequent performer in the University of Hartford’s “Music for a Change” series, released 10 albums and one novel during a career spanning decades. He received a pair of Grammy nominations and plenty of critical acclaim for his vivid lyrical descriptions and subdued, world-worn voice.
Born in Hartford Nov. 25, 1951, Morrissey later lived in Easthampton, Mass., and then New Hampshire. He released his self-titled first album in 1984, and received Grammy nominations for 1993’s “Friend of Mine,” a collaboration with Greg Brown; and 1999’s “Songs of Mississippi John Hurt.”
In 1996, Knopf published his debut novel, “Edson,” a story about a New England folk singer that led fans to wonder whether it was thinly veiled autobiography. It wasn’t, Morrissey told the Courant that year.
“There are autobiographical elements in it, like in any fiction. But I wouldn’t want to call `Huck Finn’ autobiography,” Morrissey said. “I kept it close to home. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about.”
Morrissey’s most recent album, “Come Running,” came out in 2007.
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