Popular musician dies months after recording his first album

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TRIBUTES have poured in for a much-loved Tayside musician who died from cancer just months after recording his first album.

Perthshire man Jim Morrice, 73, fulfilled his final wish when he released New Orleansstyle Dead Men’s Drums in August.

He quickly got to work after doctors gave him just four months to live in April.

Speaking recently, Jim said he was keen to see what people thought of the album but feared he “might not be around to see it”.

Fellow musician Paul “Lefty” Wright performed hundreds of gigs with Jim over two decades as part of various bands.

He said his best friend was well enough to see the reaction to his first solo album and was taken aback by the outpouring of love.

“He said he didn’t realise how much people thought of him,” he said.

“He was overwhelmed by all the kind words.”

Much of Jim’s life was spent entertaining as well as teaching and helping others express themselves.

He was born and raised in Clackmannanshire but moved to Perthshire in the 1970s.

While carving out a career for himself as a local musician, he moved in to a hotel owned by a friend, Carole Barrington, in Bonnybridge.

Friends fondly remember him lying on his back on the stage mid-performance while playing his beloved saxophone.

He played the sax, flute, clarinet and sang with bands around Scotland throughout his life.

He lived in London for a spell but returned to Perthshire, where he lived on the Jordanstone Estate, near Meigle.

The house became a hub for recording music, with many local artists spending time there, although Jim also taught music at Strathallan School and Glenalmond College in Perthshire.

Dozens of former students have taken to social media to air how much the popular jazz blues fan inspired them.

Paul, who met Jim about 25 years ago, said: “The album was a really great thing but it was fortuitous.

“His voice was going at the end due to the cancer.

“He struggled but had enough to get it finished.

“I was with him for around four hours before he passed away and I’m thankful for that. He knew I was there.

“The last thing I let him hear was the last track from his album.”

Jim Morrice